“There was still the dirty snow, piles
of it that looked like they were rotting, stained black, peppered with garbage. The white powder that loosed itself from the sky in small handfuls, like plaster falling from a ceiling, never managed to cover up the filth.”
-Simenon Georges, Dirty Snow
There’s almost always a point at which winter goes from enchantment to drudgery. The snow begins to brown, melting and freezing into icy patches, which make footing treacherous. The sepia tones of the world begin to feel oppressive, and perhaps it would be nice to step outside without feeling every muscle in your body clench against the
cold. At times like this, we must lean in deep to those things that light our inner candle. Whether that is your art practice, a warm and glowing woodstove or getting some exercise – whatever it is that keeps you afloat during the darkest months, keep at it. Spring will come.
Marcelle Reinecke joined us to discuss her show, In the Pines, on view at Monya Rowe Gallery until February 15. The title of the show is the same as a much loved Appalachian folk song with dark, mysterious undertones that speaks to a mysterious happening in the woodlands. Reinecke feels this narrative matches her work, which features imagined characters living in an idealized
sylvan landscape who also undertake narratives that are not entirely clear to the artist herself. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
Taher Asad-Bakhtiari is a largely self-taught artist who joined us to talk about his show at Hostler Burrows Gallery, Tribal Weave Project. Drawing on the Iranian tradition of kilim flatweaves and knotted gabbeh rugs, Asad-Bakhtiari incorporates weaving traditions from around the world into his abstract pieces, in the process expanding the medium itself. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
