Welcome to This Week in Culture, a weekly agenda of show openings and events in major cities across the globe. From galleries to institutions and one-of-a-kind happenings, our ongoing survey highlights the best of contemporary culture, for those willing to make the journey.
“Diaspora” curated by Benjamin Godsill and Joel Mesler
Ezra Gallery, Center for Jewish Life Sag Harbor
For CULTURED Hamptons Edition readers, the artists shown in this Benjamin Godsill and Joel Mesler-curated “Diaspora” will sound familiar. Mesler, CULTURED’s July Hamptons issue guest editor, helped assemble a group of artists including Hank Willis Thomas, Sheree Hovsepian, and Sarah Aibel for a show that Godsill described as "(generally) about the freeing possibilities of wandering in the (metaphorical) desert," on Instagram. “Diaspora” is currently on view at Ezra Gallery at the Center for Jewish Life in Sag Harbor.
“Peep Show” featuring Ivy Wolk, Mackenzie Thomas, and Peyton Dix
Left Bank Books New York
A poetry reading and a curated vintage erotica selection don’t always exist in the same room, but with “Peep Show,” the frequency of that venn diagram goes up by one. The Internet’s most trusted sources when it comes to spilling personal details (Ivy Wolk, Mackenzie Thomas, and Peyton Dix, that is) have teamed up with cult bookseller Left Bank Books and Dream Baby Press to host a reading featuring the trio, as well as a pop-up display of erotica situated in the storefront window. “Peep Show” was postponed to September 2023.
Painkiller
Netflix
The Sackler name is loaded with infamy and criminal activity so far reaching that it took a grassroots movement to eradicate it from the art world. On December 9, 2021, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of many to make the change, erased the moniker from seven of its exhibition spaces, highlighting the influence and subsequent fall from grace of the family. Painkiller will explore the history of the Sackler dynasty’s involvement in the opioid crisis, their subsequent criminal investigation, and the activists, including artist Nan Goldin, who stood against the family. Painkiller will be available to stream on Netflix August 10, 2023.
“Speedo International Unlimited”
Parent Company New York
Parent Company, which opened this year, is off to exciting beginnings. The unorthodox gallery takes up shop in a 250-square-foot storage unit in Brooklyn. With an exciting slate of exhibitions thus far, the gallery is rounding out its summer with “Speedo International Unlimited.” If a storage unit sounds small for exhibiting even one artist, imagine the challenge of exhibiting 30 in that space. But Parent Company is up for the challenge. With the concept of a crowded pool on a summer day as inspiration, the gallery is working hard to make the art world a little more accessible, if not whimsical, for all. “Speedo International Unlimited” will be on view from August 9 to September 16, 2023, at Parent Company in New York.
“Group Shoe 3” curated by Mario Ayala
House of Seiko San Francisco
Don’t be fooled by the big sign advertising Seiko watches, or the storefront-looking exterior promising adjustments for your jewelry and timepieces: House of Seiko is a gallery soon to be fully outfitted with the works of 176 different artists. Mario Ayala, an artist himself, is behind the mass recruitment, as curator of “Group Shoe 3.” The show, which pulls from Ayala's personal network, features a robust roster, including Martine Syms, Lauren Halsey, and Alfonso Gonzalez Jr. under the same roof. “Group Shoe 3” is on view through September 17, 2023, at House of Seiko in San Francisco.
“Blueprint” organized by Antwaun Sargent
Amanita New York
Graduating art school, many artists wonder where to start in terms of showing their work. Antwaun Sargent has a simple solution. “Blueprint,” the current show at Amanita, organized by Sargent himself, features the work of Yale photography MFA students fresh on the market. The show focuses on photography as a building block for understanding the world, the same way a technical blueprint helps architects understand the schema of a building. “Blueprint” is on view through August 27, 2023 at Amanita in New York.
“Interflow”
Pilar Corrias Gallery London
With “Interflow,” Pilar Corrias Gallery takes earthly affinities as its central focus. The show asks viewers to make the connections between more abstract works and the natural world, drawing out the microscopic, the dynamic, and the haunting. With artists Koo Jeong A, Ragna Bley, Peppi Bottrop, Lubna Chowdhary, Hanako Murakami, Mary Ramsden, Rachel Rose, Joan Snyder, and Jeff Wall involved, the works on display range from painting and photography to ceramic installation. “Interflow” is on view through September 16, 2023 at Pilar Corrias Gallery in London.
“Wyrds” by Laura Larraz
Chris Sharp Gallery Los Angeles
Those that have a flair for the dramatic should be sure to add a visit to “Wyrds” by artist Laura Larraz on their calendars. Larraz’s inspirations come directly from the stage, citing William Shakespeare, Luigi Pirandello, and Federico García Lorca’s plays as prime influences for this show. Larraz seeks to investigate Western conventions of beauty, using the imagery of wicked witches, cherubs, animals, the Madonna, and more as the cast for her debut solo exhibition. “Wyrds” is on view through September 9, 2023 at Chris Sharp Gallery in Los Angeles.
