Art Hag

News | LEGO Says Oh, No to Ai Weiwei

Well this is disappointing—it's reported that artist and activist Ai Weiwei has been denied a bulk order he requested from LEGO because the company doesn't want him to create political work with its toy bricks.  Ai, known for his criticism against the Chinese government, was planning to use the LEGO pieces for a work he hoped to exhibit at the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia.  I'm sure this decision by LEGO executives has absolutely no connection to the upcoming Legoland planned for Shanghai.  Read more at gawker.com.

Image from the artist's Instagram account

Dan Flavin | David Zwirner

It's been quite a while since I've checked out the galleries in Chelsea, so I was happy to return Saturday to catch the final day of the exhibition Dan Flavin: Corners, Barriers, and Corridors at David Zwirner's West 20th Street location.  When I arrived, I was surprised to find a queue waiting to get into the exhibition.  Fortunately the line moved quickly and we were soon inside experiencing Flavin's beautiful light installations (or "situations," as he called them).  Created between the late 1960s and early 1970s using commercially available fluorescent lamps, each piece is constructed within a corner, corridor, or as a barrier, filling its surrounding architecture with light, color, and atmosphere.  The results are mesmerizing.

My only complaint about my visit—the hordes of visitors clamoring to take selfies with the artwork—going so far as taking hold of the larger works to steady themselves as they crawled behind the installations to snap duck-faced self-portraits.  Seriously?  WTF?!  Please bask in the glow of Flavin's extraordinary work without touching the art!  Learn more at davidzwirner.com.  Closed October 24th.

untitled (to Barnett Newman) two, 1971

untitled (to Barry, Mike, Chuck, and Leonard), 1972-75

untitled (to a man, George McGovern) 2, 1972

untitled (to Sonja), 1969 (detail)

untitled (to Sonja), 1969

TWA Flight Center | Open House New York

Hopefully you were among the thousands who made it out to JFK Airport yesterday for a last look into the iconic TWA Flight Center before construction begins to convert it into a 500+ room hotel.  Built in 1962 by the legendary Finnish architect, Eero Saarinen, the terminal is a mid-century masterpiece and a symbol of the exciting Jet Age.  The dynamic exterior of the terminal suggests wings in flight while the interior boasts soaring, arched ceilings slashed with skylights.  Touches of bold red, marble, and light fixtures of multiple exposed, round bulbs give the terminal a sleek, glamorous vibe.  The TWA Flight Center was one of the first terminals to offer electronic schedule displays, closed circuit television, and baggage carousels.  Declared a New York City Landmark in 1994, the terminal closed in 2001 when Trans World Airlines went out of business. 

The forthcoming hotel will be set back from the terminal and Saarinen's structure will receive a full rehabilitation to restore it to its original splendor.  A museum is also planned for the site which will showcase the history of TWA, the Jet Age, and mid-century modern design.  Learn more at ohny.org, reuters.com, and wired.com.  Check out pics at ny.curbed.com and see my 2010 post on the Eero Saarinen exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York here.