Hrag Vartanian

I just came back from the opening night of Laurie Anderson’s latest performance piece (entitled “Homeland”) at the Rose Theatre in Columbus Circle. I have to admit that I was prepared to hate it but ended up at the end of show walking out with a smile on my face feeling as if I was [...]

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If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you catch the Jess show at Tibor de Nagy on Fifth Avenue. The show offers a good survey of the quirky Californian artist who has a unique place in the annals of Pop art and the formation of a pre-AIDS gay aesthetic. It closes at the end of [...]

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In last month’s Rail, artist/critic James Kalm shined a bright light on the long history of Brooklyn, and Williamsburg in particular, as a creative force in the city’s artistic life. He generously lumped Bushwick and Greenpoint together as a sort of “Greater Williamsburg.” The problem is that the Williamsburg empire isn’t always a benevolent one—evictions [...]

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I headed to the Bowery to check out the Paul Chan show and realized that I was two weeks too late…shit! I admit I didn’t check the dates and did one of those things that most of us that frequent museums or galleries do– figured I’d see it at least before it closes…oh well.
Regardless, I [...]

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Today is the first time I opened this General Idea (1969-1994) multiple since buying it in 2000. I wonder how many of the original edition of 10,000 have survived.
I remember seeing many being used in various Toronto bathrooms throughout the 1990s.
Its diminutive size makes it endearing. It reminds me of Inuit soapstone sculpture which [...]

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