An Evening With Françoise Gilot - Vernissage, Gilot-Rozsda-Capa Exhibition At The Hungarian Cultural Center

Invitation with artwork by Francoise Gilot

Last Tuesday evening, the Consul General of Hungary hosted an opening reception for the new exhibition called "The Joy of the Memory" featuring the works of renowned French painter Françoise Gilot, her teacher Endre Rozsda and Hungarian born photographer Robert Capa at the Hungarian Consulate Generale in midtown Manhattan. The Hungarian Cultural Center co-sponsors this unique exhibition showcasing the three artists at work and at home. The event was organized by the Hungarian Consulate General. The exhibition is a journey to the artistic melting pot that was mid-20th century France and where Hungarian artists contributed significantly to the vibrant cultural atmosphere. Guest of honor was none other than Françoise Gilot, Pablo Picasso's former lover. Picasso, who died in 1973 at age 91, had several wives and companions, but unlike the others, Gilot flourished after breaking with him. In 1970, she married Dr. Jonas Salk, inventor of a polio vaccine and later an AIDS researcher, and remained with him until his death seven years ago. Forever young and forever lovely, Françoise Gilot lives in New York City and Paris. Her paintings continue to be shown in museums and galleries around the world. The exhibition runs through November 4. The Hungarian Consulate Generale is located at 227 East 52nd Street.

Sherry Aliberti's "Cocoon", A Ritual In Honor Of The Sunset For Art In Odd Places Festival 2011

Last Saturday, a performance art called "Cocoon" was presented along 14th Street in Lower Manhattan. Part of this year's "Art In Odd Places" festival, this is a ritual in honor of the sunset. Traveling from the east side of Avenue C towards the Hudson River Park on the west side, the three Cocoons journeyed across the island to gather at the Sunset. The performance will be repeated on October 9. The Procession will start at 12 PM and the Liturgy will be at 5:30-8 PM. The Liturgy will take place at 14th Street and Avenue C. The Procession will begin at the Hudson River Park. The public is encouraged to interact with the performers.

Sherry Aliberti’s background in architecture and yoga inspires her to study the body as a structure. Influenced by Martha Graham and others, a fabric enclosure abstracts the figural form and provides freedom for the performer to become a morphing entity, expressing large gestures and movements for their own personal experience. (from AiOP website)

St. Bartholomew's Church

St. Bartholomew's Church, commonly called St. Bart's, is a historic Episcopal parish founded in January 1835, and located on the east side of Park Avenue between 50th and 51st Street in midtown Manhattan. St. Bartholomew's is famous for its pipe organ, the largest in New York and one of the ten largest in the world. Saint Bartholomew's Church and Community House was designated a landmark by the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1967. The architecture is simplified Byzantine design with French Romanesque portal. In popular culture, the church has appeared in the 1981 movie Arthur, in which Arthur's (Dudley Moore) wedding to Susan Johnson (Jill Eikenberry) was to take place at St. Bart's. The infamous wedding scene in the remake of the same film was also filmed at St. Bart's last year.

"Tourist-In-Chief" - George Washington Statue In Union Square Dressed As A Tourist

Brooklyn artist Leon Reid IV dressed up the George Washington statue in Union Square as a tourist last Saturday as a public art project. For one day only, George donned an "I ♥ NY" hat, a subway map, and local shopping bags. Reid says his project, called "Tourist-In-Chief," aims to: reflect the cultural atmosphere of Union Square, make George Washington more relatable to the public and educate the public about Washington's role in NYC history. The project is part of this year's Art In Odd Places Festival.

Listed as one of the “60 Innovators Shaping Our Creative Future” by Thames & Hudson, Reid has been on the edge of public art for over 15 years. Known for his humorous urban installations as seen throughout New York, London, Berlin and Sao Paulo, Reid is one of the few artists responsible for introducing sculpture into the genre of street-art. Leon Reid IV (born in Richmond, VA,1979) earned his BFA from Pratt Insitute in 2002 and his MA from Central St. Martin’s in 2004. He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Flora Choi's UPBRAIDING TRADITION (Refusal To Korean Culture Of Male Dominance) For The 7th Annual Art In Odd Places Festival

Upbraiding Tradition is a performative gesture of rejection created by sculptor and installation performance artist, Flora Choi. This performance art was presented this afternoon along 14th Street as part of the annual Art In Odd Places Festival. This ceremony involves a group of young Korean women who have been raised to accept the notion of male dominance within the traditional Korean family structure. This performance art is about refusal to the culture of male dominance. The women are dressed in traditional Korean white gowns called Sang-boks and tie their hair into Daeng'gi Meori braids that drag upon the ground behind them. Carrying an empty glass jar, they walk slowly from Avenue C and proceed along 14th Street towards the Hudson River where each chop off her braid, preserving it in a glass jar as a trophy or relic. The performance art will be repeated on Sunday, October 8 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

Flora Choi is a sculptor and an installation performance artist. Her current work investigates the cultural traditions within Korea's societal construct. She holds a B.F.A from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). In 2008, she was part of a group exhibition show called Up Next, at Deitch Projects in New York.

Scenes And Signs From SlutWalk NYC At Union Square

Thousands of activists gathered today at Union Square for SlutWalk NYC, an anti-rape march and rally. SlutWalk NYC is part of a worldwide grassroots movement challenging rape culture, victim-blaming and slut-shaming, and working to end sexual and domestic violence. The event began with sign making at 11:00 AM followed by a march at noon. The first SlutWalk took place in Toronto, after a police officer told female students not to dress like sluts in order to avoid sexual assaults. The images were made during the musical performances and rally. For more information about the movement, you can visit their website.