STRUCTURE, IN SPLENDID COLOR

Rasheed Araeen painting, detail

Sometimes it’s not you seeking out the art. Sometimes it’s the art itself that pulls you in. And that’s exactly what happened when I walked past the Aicon gallery on Great Jones street and saw the brightly colored art of Rasheed Araeen inside. I had to step in and check it out.

PRECISION AND STRUCTURE, WITH FLEXIBILITY

The name may not ring a bell but I am pretty sure you have seen Araeen’s work before. Maybe at the Tate Modern, or perhaps at the MoMA? His colorful geometric lattice-like structures are pretty ubiquitous in the big museum collections. What differs is the composition. Are they arranged horizontally? Vertically? How many are there? Like legos, these pieces leave room for imagination and play.

COLORS. BLOCKS OF COLORS.

Rasheed Araeen was born in 1935 in Karachi and moved to London in 1964. He trained as a civil engineer, but always wanted to be an artist. His structures may give you a window to his engineering past, but his bold paintings tell you the artist has the upper hand. Bursting with color, they include elements of Arabic philosophy and Islamic calligraphy, all anchored in strong geometric shapes and primary color palette. If you need a jolt of energy on a cold late fall afternoon, you’ve come to the right spot.

Colorful painting by Rasheed Araeen

THE COLORFUL LIFE OF A NEURON

One of the things I have always loved about New York is that it engages you. Choices abound and art lovers like me literally have something new to go see every day.

This time, my inner nerd came to surface and suggested a show that gets in your head - literally. Created by ARTECHOUSE Studio in partnership with Society for Neuroscience (SfN) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of SfN, the show is the first of its kind to use data to bring key neuroscience principles to life. The show allows visitors to walk into a real-life 3D model of a human prefrontal cortex neuron — the “thinking cell” of the brain — and see it grow from birth through death.

While I have been to Artechouse’s tech-powered shows before (last year they had a great one co-created by Refik Anadol), this one felt even more mesmerizing. Watching an artfully presented depiction of the goings-on of a human brain is interesting enough on its own, but combine it with vivid, pulsating color, ever evolving shapes, simple yet evocative sound cues and mesmerizing digital animation and suddenly, you’re transported into a whole new world. Neural pathways coming to life in front of your eyes resembling Brazilian rainforest, forming and re-forming, reflecting joy and play and changing again at signs of stress and trauma. It is fascinating and I loved it.

ARTECHOUSE, located in NYC’s Chelsea market, is the nation’s first innovative art organization dedicated to the intersection of art, science and technology. It produces technology driven exhibitions using the largest seamless megapixel count projections of any cultural institution and integrating Hyperreal Sound technology. The current show runs through November 13.

THE BEST PLACES TO SEE CONTEMPORARY ART IN PRAGUE - PART 3

Prague, a contemporary art destination? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. The city that most associate with stunning Gothic and Baroque architecture, Smetana and Dvorak’s music and beautiful women, is rapidly becoming an amazing destination for contemporary art lovers. I am lucky to be able to spend time in Prague every year and each time I visit, the city has added more galleries and venues. I love it. It makes my heart happy.

So, shall we look at some of galleries?

KVALITAR

Though technically not “new” (the architects-turned-founders opened the gallery in 2012) this gallery is, simply said, awesome. Representing up-and-coming Czech artists along with established names both local and international, the gallery was set up as a platform for art, design and architecture. Whether you like abstract art or latest sculpture, you’re sure to find it here. And they pay it forward, too, with educational programs for future collectors. I loved everything about this place. Located just off the busy Wenceslas Square, Kvalitar is a must on your Prague contemporary art tour.

SMETANAQ

Part of a larger art-focused concept that includes a design store showcasing the works of young Czech designers, an always-busy cafe that will satisfy your sweet-tooth cravings, SmetanaQ also includes a large contemporary art gallery upstairs. The sprawling space allows the gallery to showcase large scale artwork without making it feel crowded. And, if the art inside is not enough for you, take a peek out of the window. You will be hard pressed to find a more spectacular view of the Prague Castle.

KUNSTHALLE PRAHA

This newcomer opened its doors in February of 2022 and now provides a nice counterpoint to the history and antiques that await visitors at the Prague Castle just up the hill. Built in a converted electric plant, the Kunsthalle fittingly opened with an inaugural show focused on kinetic art on the main two floors and supplemented it with an exhibition of a range of contemporary art from a private collection. And, if you are feeling overwhelmed by the busy streets outside, take a minute and relax in the meditation room hidden in the tower on the top floor.

TRAFO GALLERY

This one is definitely off the beaten path, but that does not make it any less worthy of a visit. Originally conceived as “Trafacka” in 2006, the gallery is located in the former slaughterhouse at the Holesovice market complex. Born out of a collaboration between Czech contemporary artists and leading curators, the gallery now produces six shows per year, some tackling the issues of today’s world.

KAMPUS HYBERNSKA

Kampus Hybernska, or Hyb4, is another multi-purpose space. Hiding in plain sight in one of the non-descript streets leading to the Masarykovo train station, just a couple of minutes from the popular Obecni Dum, the campus comprises an outdoor cafe, an indoor reading room/cafe and, if you diligently search (or ask in the cafe, as we did), a surprisingly nice and large gallery reminiscent of the spaces in the much larger and popular Veletrzni Palac (see my post about that one, here). When we visited, the gallery was showing the works of Barbara Valaskova whose world full of blue color reminded me of one of my favorites, Yves Klein.

There you have it. A small sampling of the rich contemporary art scene that you can explore in Prague. But there is so much more. More galleries, more outdoors sculpture parks, terrific new art festivals and annual art celebrations. And, if you stick with me, I will tell you more about it in the next installment. For now, I leave you with another piece from the “Blau” show at Hybernska.