ARENAgal by Renée Riccardo

After years of being a curator, gallerist and art consultant I have added a new obsession to my list of activities, jewelry design. In the Spring I launched a jewelry line of one of a kind necklaces and bracelets, ARENAgal by Renée Riccardo

They are available at mc & co. on North 6th Street in Williamsburg and through ARENA. For inquiries please contact arenagal@thing.net.

I Am Love and my brief encounter with Tilda Swinton

During the Summer I was working in my old neighborhood in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn and needed to get out of the 95 degree weather. I stumbled upon a film, I Am Love at the local cinema and saw that Tilda Swinton who has been one of my favorite actresses for years was starring so I did something I rarely do, went to a matinee. I thought the film would be the standard 90 minutes but it wasn't so I couldn't see the ending because I had an appointment. It was an intriguing film and I never got to see the ending until I got the opportunity to see it on DVD several months later. I was blown away. This is a must see.
Recently while in Miami for all the Art Basel Miami Beach festivities I went to the Pringle of Scotland party at the Webster on Miami Beach and Tilda Swinton was the guest of honor. The event, 195 Collaborations was presented by the Serpentine Gallery, an exhibition space where she once did a collaborative performance with Cornelia Parker where she slept in a sealed glass cabinet. I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with her briefly because I arrived early. I told her that I thought that I Am Love was the best movie I've seen this year and her performance was stellar and she replied to me, "You are so kind Renee". To hear this from one of the greatest living actresses made my entire trip. She was gracious enough to let me take this photograph of her with a custom designed Pringle of Scotland sweater designed by Ryan McGinley. Photograph: Renee Riccardo

Making the Leap: Crossing Borders at A.I.R. Gallery

I am very excited about the upcoming Making the Leap: Crossing Borders at A.I.R. Gallery which I am the guest curator/juror for. The exhibition features the work of 14 Asian-American women Immigrant artists who confront issues of identity, separation from the familiar, and deviation from conservative social structures and gender roles with diverse perspectives and methods. It will be exciting to see the show come together with a whole group of fresh faces at a gallery with such a rich history of support for women artists. The show opens December 1st, with a reception from 6-8 p.m. on December 2nd and runs through January 2nd. A.I.R. Gallery is located at 111 Front Street, Studio#228 in the D.U.M.B.O. section of Brooklyn. Image: Photograph by Yijun Liao.

Zooey Deschanel, Nellie McKay, and Meaghan Smith

Been listening to some new sounds from the talented, beautiful young singers, Zooey Deschanel, Nellie McKay, and Meaghan Smith...I'm fascinated by how in touch they are with their "girlie" side. They seem to like to channel singers like Doris Day, Patsy Cline, and other assorted crooners of the past with their retro hairstyles, vintage clothes and videos that echo another era. The amazing thing is they all pull it off in a fresh and inspiring new way...

Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present opening at MoMA

After attending art fairs and all that commercial activity the previous week, it was a great relief to attend the opening of Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present retrospective, organized by Klaus Biesenbach at MoMA this past week. It opens to the public today. The first thing I saw was Marina in the Marron Atrium at a small wooden table in a dramatic long red dress sitting across from anyone who would volunteer to sit opposite from her and stare into her soul. Everyone who participated seemed like they were visiting a goddess and truly moved by the experience. I saw a young girl walk away and wipe a tear away from her eye. Marina will be performing this work for several hours a day for a total of 700 hours during the run of the show. On the sixth floor there were fascinating live reperformances of Abramovic works by other performers amongst photographs, video, and the famous stage from her piece, The House With an Ocean View where she lived on a spare stage at Sean Kelly Gallery for several days in 2002 with an audience observing every move that she made. Abramovic's perseverance, focus and discipline (as well as the stamina of the people reenacting her pieces) is so moving that when you leave the show it almost feels like you're levitating...Photo: Renee Riccardo

Dirty Fingers: Banned IPhone Apps & I Dream of Jeannie

I was reading a review on the 2010 Whitney Biennial in the New York Times and a sidebar ad caught my eye about a "Sexy IPhone apps banned" article (also in the Times) in the Technology section. One of the banned Apple IPhone apps called "Dirty Fingers" features a young sexy girl clad in a bikini that has glass cleaner in her hands so it appears that she's inside your IPhone cleaning your screen. I thought this was such a bizarre concept, sort of an "I Dream of Jeannie" redux. If this was in the 2010 Whitney Biennial on a pedestal people would probably be amused...

The 2010 Whitney Biennial: What's it all about?

My mind is still wondering what the current 2010 Whitney Biennial is all about. The opening night's continuous rainfall didn't stop the masses of art enthusiasts that were curious to see what curators, Francesco Bonami and Gary Carrion-Murayari are presenting as the artists of the moment. There are many standouts including Tauba Auerbach, the Bruce High Quality Foundation, George Condo, Suzan Frecon, Kate Gilmore, Josephine Meckseper, Aurel Schmidt, Charles Ray, Piotr Uklanski, Pae White, Leslie Vance and Robert Williams to name just a few. After spending several hours viewing the 2010 Whitney Biennial I ventured upstairs to the 5th floor to see the stellar display of artists from past Whitney Biennials, Collecting Biennials and I wondered what would last the test of time from the current 2010 exhibition. I look forward to returning to the Biennial to get a better grasp on what the curators deem important in their selections. I also look forward to the Bruce High Quality Foundation's answer to the Biennial, The Brucennial 2010:Miseducation opening in Soho this week. Image: Bruce High Quality Foundation, We Love America and America Loves Us, Photo: Renee Riccardo.