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See a gallery show devoted to a street-art favorite and more things to do this week in NYC
By
Steve Smith
Published Mar 24, 2023
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Libby Schoettle, courtesy West Chelsea Contemporary
By
Steve Smith
Published Mar 24, 2023
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Seven Picks a Week is our guide to what’s worth catching in arts, culture and activities during the week ahead, with contributions from reporters throughout the WNYC/Gothamist newsroom and colleagues from WQXR and "All of It."
Visit a street-art icon in a gallery setting
If you spend any time at all walking around the streets of the city, you've most likely caught a glimpse of PhoebeNewYork: the collage-art alter ego of artist Libby Schoettle has gotten plastered in all the best locations. Turns out, the chic, sassy Phoebe also cleans up nicely for a gallery show that just opened at West Chelsea Contemporary, an Austin, Texas operation that runs a satellite space at 231 Tenth Ave. The show runs through April 16, and additional works by Schoettle are on view at Empire Stores in Dumbo; learn more here.
– Steve Smith
Head uptown to see a genius pianist
Stephen Hough is a certifiable genius. A composer, a MacArthur “Genius” award recipient, a published author, and – oh, yes – a dazzling pianist, Hough often unearths repertoire in his recital programs, concerto appearances and recordings that evoke virtuosity, discovery and delight. So for his only New York appearance this season, get to the 92nd Street Y (so easy now that the Q train runs up Second Avenue!) and savor a program of favorites, a composition of his own, and works you never knew you would love. The concert is on Thursday, March 30, and tickets are available here.
– Ed Yim, WQXR
See Caroline Rose perform songs from their new album in the afternoon
Caroline Rose’s “Feel the Way I Want” was one of the songs of 2020, a joyous slab of synth pop with a satirical bent. It was a standout from their last album, “Superstar,” which saw the alt-country singer/songwriter gloriously transition into the indie-pop realm. Their new album, “The Art of Forgetting,” which arrives today, is even more ambitious and sonically varied. To celebrate, Rose will sign records and perform a free in-store show at Rough Trade in Midtown on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. And if you miss out, never fear: they’ll be back in New York on April 12 performing at Webster Hall—you can get ticket info here.
– Ben Yakas
Hear a unique guitarist's one-man band LP come alive onstage
On his 2022 album "Music for Four Guitars," San Francisco maverick and noise-scene veteran Bill Orcutt recorded playfully twitchy pieces for guitar quartet all by himself. Multitracking himself to fashion the illusion of impossible unanimity, Orcutt served up a twangy concoction of American Primitive drone nirvana and minimalist ensemble hypnosis, with a gutbucket blues accent. The album included a score of Orcutt's music transcribed by fellow guitarist Shane Parish, and on Monday night at Roulette in Brooklyn, Orcutt will play those transcriptions live with Parish and two more killer guitarists, Wendy Eisenberg and Ava Mendoza. The show starts at 8 p.m., and you can buy a ticket here.
– Steve Smith
A scene from a previous year's Phagwah event in Richmond Hill, Queens.
Photo by Andy Katz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
Celebrate spring at the Phagwah Parade in Queens
In Indo-Caribbean communities, the arrival of spring is celebrated with Phagwah festivities, and the city’s biggest Phagwah parade happens on Sunday in Richmond Hill, Queens. “Everyone is welcome! The whole world is welcome,” said Naidoo Veerapen, an organizer of the event, which will feature floats, dancing and musical performances. This year’s parade will also make history: For the first time in 35 years, there will be not just one but two female grand marshals. The parade steps off at noon at 133rd Street and Liberty Avenue, and about 20,000 people are expected to cheer along the route. Organizers noted that the parade falls during a nine-day holy period for Hindus called Navaratri, but said this was the only date they could get. “It was either this date or no parade, and we opted to give our people a parade,” Veerapen said. “People lost the parade for three years because of the pandemic.”
– Kerry Shaw
See a major American artist’s first NYC show in two decades
Last week, VENI VIDI, an exhibition at Galerie Templon in Chelsea showcasing the work of American artist Michael Ray Charles, opened to the public. Charles first made waves in the ’90s with paintings depicting Black stereotypes, using archives of American advertisements, billboards, and television and radio commercials. But since 2004, frustrated by the art world, Charles committed himself to research and his art, avoiding public exposure. As a result, this exhibition is the first showing of Charles's work in New York in two decades. He joined us to discuss his return, which is on view until May 6.
– Alison Stewart and Simon Close, “All of It”
Watch a vivid new documentary about an artist who envisioned the internet, selfies and TikTok
Video art is having a moment in New York right now, with current shows ranging from immersive ("Signals" at the Museum of Modern Art) to subversive ("Chris Burden: Cross Communication" at Gagosian). What better time for the arrival of a delicious new documentary about the Korean iconoclast widely credited as the father of the art form? "Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV," directed by Amanda Kim, does an excellent job of showcasing Paik's eccentricity and penchant for reckless abandon. Kim draws upon lavish archives, expert testimony and abundant examples of Paik's art to detail how an aspiring classical composer from a well-heeled family was transformed by an encounter with American maverick John Cage into a visionary futurist who saw in television a potentially democratizing force in art. Executive producer Steven Yeun (of "Minari" and "Nope") voices the artist's whimsical and personal writings, but Paik's own voice comes through loud and clear. The award-winning film opens today at Film Forum.
– Steve Smith
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nyc events
Steve Smith
Steve Smith is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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