The April/May Aeqai has just posted. We’ve combined these two issues due to a recent move on my part, with all the attendant chaos moves create. I can now locate about 75% of what I need.
This late spring time of year has been offering a wealth of excellent shows, particularly at Greater Cincinnati area nonprofits. We have numerous reviews of exhibitions at The Cincinnati Art Museum: Jonathan Kamholtz reviews the small but elegant show of paintings by the Italian Cagnacci there, fascinating paintings of Cleopatra in particular, which resonate with ideas of the female in Italy centuries ago (entirely Western in aspect and assumptions, of course: I’ve long wondered why a woman artist and/or writer hasn’t looked at Cleopatra from her point of view). Kamholtz also reviews the Saul Steinberg mural which has been reinstalled at The Cincinnati Art Museum, in tandem with an excellent show of works on paper Steinberg made over many decades, on exhibition at Solway Gallery in The West End of Cincinnati.
Karen Chambers reviews the recently opened blockbuster “Terracotta Armies” , commissioned by the first Emperor of China, at Cincinnati Art Museum, too, and Regan Brown offers a fascinating review/essay on the William Kentridge installation closing next week at the same museum. Annie Dell’Aria reviews the recently opened installation by artist Ragmar Kjartaisson, “The Visions” , also at Cincinnati Art Museum, as more and more institutions are showing installations with sound and represent the increasingly digitalized world in which we live. And on the same topic, Ekin Erkan reviews the recently opened installation of work by Cincinnatian C. Jacqueline Wood, at The Weston Gallery in The Aronoff Center in downtown Cincinnati. Both of the last two exhibitions fall under the general category of “new media” and both reviews are brilliant and helpful to understand for our older readers (including myself).
Karen Chambers also reviews the newly installed outdoor sculpture on the front lawn of The Taft Museum of Art, by nationally acclaimed sculptor Patrick Dougherty, which is a real tour-de-force in the Taft oasis in downtown Cincinnati. Ekin Erkan’s second of three reviews in the new issue of paintings by Tom Bacher at The Weston Gallery at The Aronoff Center may be the definitive review of Bacher’s work in the over forty years of Bacher’s international career.
Marlene Steele went to Louisville to the J.S. Speed Museum of Art to review the splendid show “Women Artists in the Era of Impressionism”, a cleverly worded title as most of the artists whose work is displayed are not Impressionists. Steele’s passionate review of the work in this show is exemplary as she analyzes work by women artists of the era in question with aplomb and intelligence.
Megan Bickel saw the Couture show at Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts in Louisville, and interviews two participating artists, Liz Richter and Lilly Kass, which will help readers understand how broad the influence of social media and the digitalized world is on more and more visual artists. Aeqai fashion critic also examines the “Gender” show at Kennedy Heights Arts Center in Cincinnati, examining clothes through the lens of changing assumptions about gender through the lens of fashion.
In other nonprofits, Ekin Erkan reviews an outstanding group show at ThunderSky Gallery in Northside, and Chris Carter reviews the work of the Coors brothers, Paul and Matt, on display at Clay Street Press in Over-the Rhine in Cincinnati, which coincides with the release of a new book on work by Paul Coors. Chelsea Borgman continues her series on performances at Cincinnati’s Contemporary Arts Center (kudos to Curator Drew Klein for their ongoing excellence), this one called “In My Hands”, which called for complete audience participation; Borgman found the performance, created by artist Kate McIntosh, very moving.
In the commercial gallery world, Dan Burr reviews a show by Mt. St. Joseph art teacher Kurt Gannon at Wash Park Art in OTR, and Will Newman the Kevin Muente show at Marta Hewett Gallery, figurative/narrative work showing a new direction for Muente, most known for his realist landscapes. Martha Dunham examines work by Steve Jensen at Abinger + Wood in Seattle. Annabel Osberg, who writes like an angel, reviews gorgeous and thoughtful (and quiet, not noisy) work by Karen Margolis at Garis and Hahn in LA. Jane Durrell looks at the minimalist/Zen-inspired paintings of Liz Zorn at the new(ish) 124 West Pike Gallery in Covington, run by art maven Suzanna Terrill, whom we welcome back to Greater Cincinnati and to her long career in the visual arts. Joelle Jameson, who’s recently moved from Houston to Boston, offers a splendid review of work by two Cuban artists in a show called “Transparent?” at A R E A in Boston, which includes a look at photos by, of all people. Aeqai’s own Kent Krugh, also in Boston (a completely serendipitous coincidence).
We also offer two fascinating journalistic articles, a feature on the Cincinnati Art Club by Laura Hobson, and an interview with art therapist/faculty member (UC Clermont) Dr. Meera Rastogi, by Kim Rae Taylor. Art Therapy has some of its origins in Cincinnati; the late artist Mark Warren was much involved in it becoming a professional field, and Rastogi is hoping to create a degree program here in that fascinating field.
I offer just one book review this month, of “Reservoir 13” by Ian McGregor, as I’ve (alas) had little reading time with my recent move. Kent Krugh offers, for this issue’s FotoFolio, gorgeous/lush/romantic photos by Chinee photographer Zhao Kong-Sheng.
I hope that you find this issue of Aeqai stimulating and enriching; we welcome your comments, as always, and we’ll be back in June and then in July/August as we then head into the new fall art season. You can go directly to the site by clicking onto www.aeqai.com/main.
–Daniel Brown
