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Hrag Vartanian

Hrag Vartanian is editor-in-chief and co-founder of Hyperallergic.
Posted inArt

Andy Yoder Shows Us His Man Cave at Winkleman

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Quirky, clever and crafty are words that immediately come to mind when describing the work of Andy Yoder. His brand of conceptual sculpture easily manipulates scale, surfaces and materials to create fetishistic objects that are familiar and alienating.

In his latest solo show titled Man Cave at Winkleman in Chelsea, Yoder continues looking at the banal objects of our culture (a garage door, a bowling pin, hub caps, a lifesaver) but transforms them in ways that seem to comment on our societal need to covet material possessions, no matter how ridiculous.

Posted inArt

New or Same Old Museum?

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New York-based art blogger James Wagner recently declared “New Museum Commits Suicide with Banality” after the institution on the Bowery announced that they will be exhibiting the collection of one of their mega-rich trustees, Dakis Joannou. To add insult to injury, the whole museum show will be curated by one of Joannou’s BFFs, Jeff Koons. While James is right, I would argue that there have been signs of the institution’s death wish for some time.

From day one, the new New Museum has been presenting odd shows with allusions to trendy topics that feel disconnected from its roots as a barometer of the city’s artistic culture. Remember “After Nature?” Well, I’m trying to forget. And how about the Michelle Obama portrait that was carted in for the Elizabeth Peyton show after Obama’s election victory? How delightfully chic!

Posted inArt

Third ICP Triennial Dresses to the Nines

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In the International Center of Photography’s (ICP) third global survey of photography and video, known as the Triennial, the focus is on fashion and “its relationship to art and other cultural and social phenomena.”

Titled “Dress Codes,” the exhibition is an ambitious look at fashion, which is interpreted to include everything from issues of identity, corporate consumption and politics.

Posted inHyperallergic

Hello (Art) World!

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How did this all happen? I’m not sure but in the last year or so I imagined starting a new online publication that brought together the best of the art blogosphere and art magazine culture to create…well, I’m not exactly sure what it’ll create, but here it is…voilà!

I’ve called in a few favors to make this all happen and hired, begged and cajoled some amazing people to work their programming magic and write some wonderful pieces. We hope to bring you some interesting thinking about contemporary art–thinking being the operative word. This site is a forum to develop ideas, generate debate (even amongst ourselves) and pose the billion dollar question of what is art, ok, what is good art…sounds wimpy…how about what is fuckin’ amazing art!