The Shed , NOW ON VIEW: Open Call 2023 Group Exhibition Eleven emerging NYC artists present 10 new works through January 21 in The Shed's Level 2 Gallery

NOW ON VIEW:  Open Call 2023 Group Exhibition  Eleven emerging NYC artists present 10 new works through January 21 in The Shed's Level 2 Gallery as part of Open Call, The Shed’s large-scale commissioning program for emerging NYC-based artists

Installation view: Open Call 2023 Group Exhibition, The Shed, New York, November 4, 2023 – January 21, 2024. Photo: Adam Reich. Courtesy The Shed.

The Open Call 2023 Group Exhibition is on view now through January 21, 2024, in The Shed’s Level 2 Gallery featuring new work by 11 emerging NYC-based artists: Minne Atairu, Jake Brush, Cathy Linh Che & Christopher Radcliff, Armando Guadalupe Cortés, Lizania Cruz, Bryan Fernandez, Luis A. Gutierrez, Jeffrey Meris, Calli Roche, and Sandy Williams IV.  The new works intersect the artists' personal stories with global history, proposing care and community-based responses to the urgent issues of our time. The exhibition presents the work of artists selected as part of Open Call, The Shed's large-scale commissioning program for early-career, NYC-based artists and will be followed by a performance series in summer 2024. This is the third visual art cohort of the program.   Admission is free with reserved advance tickets at theshed.org/opencall

OPEN CALL 2023 GROUP EXHIBITION OVERVIEW Minne Atairu: To the Hand A sculptural installation that uses artificial intelligence to imagine an Afrofuturism inspired by the oral tradition and material culture of Benin Minne Atairu (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist whose research-based practice seeks to reclaim the obscured histories of the Benin Bronzes. Jake Brush: Petpourri A video and sculptural installation reimagining a Long Island TV show Jake Brush (he/him) draws from reality television, horror movies, and comedy to make bombastic characters and worlds through video, performance, sculpture, and installation art. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. Cathy Linh Che & Christopher Radcliff: Appocalips A multichannel video installation based on the real-life experiences of Cathy Linh Che’s parents, Vietnam War refugees, who in 1976, while stateless in a refugee camp in the Philippines, were hired to play extras in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now Cathy Linh Che (she/her) is a Vietnamese American writer and multimedia artist from Los Angeles. Christopher Radcliff (he/him) is a Chinese American filmmaker living and working in New York City. Armando Guadalupe Cortés: Palenque A structure in the form of a palenque, a round cockfighting ring. The skeletal and ghostly architectural support for a seating arena for violent sport creates a space in which spectacle is both expected and denied. Armando Guadalupe Cortés’s (he/him) practice builds on storytelling, object-making, and performance traditions. Merging forms and methods from his native México and broader Latin American literary traditions, he contrasts and hybridizes performances with elements of his life in the United States. Lizania Cruz: Evidence 071: The Commission of Inquiry A multimedia installation, based on Cruz’s research in the Dominican Republic, that explores the role of US imperialism and asks audiences to consider their relation to ongoing processes of colonization Lizania Cruz (she/her) is a Dominican participatory artist, and designer interested in how migration affects ways of being and belonging. Bryan Fernandez: Who I am, Quiénes Somos A series of mixed-media assemblages exploring the Dominican diaspora across the Northeast United States and the Dominican Republic that examines how identity and material culture find ways to reimagine belonging within immigrant communities Bryan Fernandez (he/him) is a Dominican American artist from Washington Heights, located in Upper Manhattan, born in 2000. Luis A. Gutierrez: Las Nueve Demandas (The Nine Demands) A series of monumental paintings that draw from archival records of the December 1928 Masacre de las bananeras, a mass killing executed by the United Fruit Company in response to a strike after the company failed to meet demands for fair wages and humane labor conditions made by plantation workers in November of the same year Luis A. Gutierrez (he/him) is a mixed-media artist connecting our past and present through the exploration of historical events. He creates multilayered paintings and installations by dissecting canvases and abstracting historical images. Jeffrey Meris: Catch a Stick of Fire III (Dark Man X) A horticultural sculpture supporting orchids that was conceived during Meris’s Self-Care Saturdays, a personal ritual that provided psychological sanctuary over the past year’s dual crises of continued violence against Black individuals and the global pandemic Jeffrey Meris (he/they) is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice engages with ecology, embodiment, and various lived experiences while healing deeply personal and historical wounds. Calli Roche: Death to Dermis: Ecdysis A metaphorical shucking of the body, searching for the core. Each work uses various pattern-making and sculpture techniques to peel layers of the self in an effort to dissect the various psychic and physiological components that constitute the self. Calli Roche (she/they) is an American artist based in Brooklyn. Roche frequently works with reclaimed objects, wood, skins, and textiles. The materials take on different ontological significance in each work yet frequently reference the fraught relationships between violence, identity, and sexuality. Sandy Williams IV: 40 ACRES: Weeksville A multilayered public performance that took place in the sky above the remaining fragments of Weeksville, Brooklyn, a historical African American neighborhood founded by freed, formerly enslaved people in the 19th century Sandy Williams IV (they/he/she) is an artist and educator whose work generates moments of communal catharsis. Their conceptual and research-based practice uses time itself as a material, and works collaboratively with communities to unfold hidden legacies in common spaces.

Public Programs for Open Call 2023 Group Exhibition  Join us for screenings, talks, and more with the Open Call artists. These public programs are included with free admission to the exhibition, first come, first served. (Programs for December and January will be announced.) Appocalips: Poetry Reading, Screening, and Q&A Friday, November 17, 6:30 pm Level 2 Gallery A full viewing of the filming will be followed by a talkback/Q&A with artists Cathy Linh Che and Christopher Radcliff Book signing of An Asian American A to Z: A Children’s Guide to Our History Friday, November 17, 8 pm McNally Jackson at The Shed in The Doctoroff Lobby A book signing with artist and author Cathy Linh Che followed by a small reception A history of imperialistic practices and labor abuse Saturday, November 18, 1 pm Level 4 Overlook A conversation between artist Luis A. Gutierrez and Dan La Botz, history and urban studies professor at Queens College, moderated by Associate Curator at Large Eduardo Andres Alfonso To The Hand: Reclaiming the Benin Bronzes with AI Saturday, November 18, 4 pm Level 4 Overlook A dialogue with artist Minne Atairu and Davinia Gregory-Kameka, assistant professor in the arts administration program at Columbia University, moderated by Associate Curator at Large Eduardo Andres Alfonso

Support The Sponsor of Open Call is TD Ready Commitment. Support for Open Call is generously provided by Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Howard Gilman Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, and The Shed Creative Council. Additional support for Open Call is provided by Warner Bros. Discovery 150, The Wescustogo Foundation, and Jody and John Arnhold | Arnhold Foundation. The creation of new work at The Shed is generously supported by the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Commissioning Fund and the Shed Commissioners.

About The Shed The Shed is a new cultural institution of and for the 21st century. We produce and welcome innovative art and ideas, across all forms of creativity, to build a shared understanding of our rapidly changing world and a more equitable society. In our highly adaptable building on Manhattan’s west side, The Shed brings together established and emerging artists to create new work in fields ranging from pop to classical music, painting to digital media, theater to literature, and sculpture to dance. We seek opportunities to collaborate with cultural peers and community organizations, work with like-minded partners, and provide unique spaces for private events. As an independent nonprofit that values invention, equity, and generosity, we are committed to advancing art forms, addressing the urgent issues of our time, and making our work impactful, sustainable, and relevant to the local community, the cultural sector, New York City, and beyond.

Press Contact: Christina Riley Communications Director christina.riley@theshed.org

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Catch the Sheds fun summer schedule starting July 15th in the Bloomberg Building 10-11th Ave. NYC!!!!!

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Summer Sway: Free Outdoor DJ Sets and Dance Workshops, Friday and select Saturday evenings in July and August, start July 15 on The Shed’s Outdoor Plaza 

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ABOUT
On Friday and select Saturday evenings from 5 pm to sunset, July 15 through August 27, Summer Sway will take over The Shed’s public Plaza—created when The Shed’s movable shell is nested—to host free DJ sets, dance sessions, battles, cyphers, and workshops. Cedric’s, The Shed’s bar, will provide food and drinks for purchase. The Plaza stays open throughout the week to visitors.

Summer Sway will feature Tidal Shift, a large-scale, site-specific sculptural installation and platform for sitting, lounging, performing, and gathering designed by WIP Collaborative. The installation’s surface is covered with Nike Grind, a recycled material composed of manufacturing scraps and end-of-life footwear. 

Summer Sway is inspired by the rich history and vibrant presence of Black social dance in our city and beyond. Summer Sway features workshops and dance parties led by renowned choreographers and companies who continue to reinterpret styles of house, hip hop, bomba, Bruk Up, the Philly Bop, the hustle, and more along with some of NYC’s leading DJs. Summer Sway is presented in partnership with Nike. 

The Shed’s free summer programming also features Open Call, new performances by emerging NYC artists, July 8 through August 27, and Tiona Nekkia McClodden: The Trace of an Implied Presence, a multidisciplinary exhibition exploring contemporary Black dance, opening August 3.

Dates and times of performances are subject to change. Please see theshed.org/summersway for the latest performance times and details. 

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SCHEDULE AND ADMISSION
All DJ sets and dance workshops for Summer Sway are 5 pm to sunset. 

Admission to Summer Sway is free. RSVPs are encouraged but not required; entry is first come, first served. Tickets available at theshed.org/summersway. 

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DJ SETS LINEUP

Soul in The Horn featuring L3NI and Jennifly 
Friday, July 15

Bembona
Friday, July 22

Donwill
Friday, July 29

DJ Stormin’ Norman’s Sundae Sermon
Friday, August 5

DJ April Hunt + DJ Reborn
Friday, August 12

Soul Summit Music
Friday, August 19

DJ Rich Medina 
Friday, August 26

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DANCE WORKSHOPS LINEUP

Rennie Harris Puremovement
Saturday, July 16 

Reggie ‘Reg Roc’ Gray and The D.R.E.A.M. Ring
Saturday, July 30

Camille A. Brown & Dancers’ Every Body Move 
Saturday, August 13

Ladies of Hip-Hop Dance Collective
Saturday, August 27

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MEDIA ASSETS
Images of The Shed’s Plaza, DJs, and dance groups are available here.

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Press Contacts
Christina Riley
Communications Director
christina.riley@theshed.org

Tiffanie Yakum
Communications Manager
tiffanie.yakum@theshed.org

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Support
The creation of new work at The Shed is generously supported by the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Commissioning Fund and the Shed Commissioners. Major support for live productions at The Shed is provided by the Charina Endowment Fund. 

The Shed is connected by Altice.

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Nike and The Shed partner to expand human potential through sport and 

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About The Shed
The Shed is a new cultural institution of and for the 21st century. We produce and welcome innovative art and ideas, across all forms of creativity, to build a shared understanding of our rapidly changing world and a more equitable society. In our highly adaptable building on Manhattan’s west side, The Shed brings together established and emerging artists to create new work in fields ranging from pop to classical music, painting to digital media, theater to literature, and sculpture to dance. We seek opportunities to collaborate with cultural peers and community organizations, work with like-minded partners, and provide unique spaces for private events. As an independent nonprofit that values invention, equity, and generosity, we are committed to advancing art forms, addressing the urgent issues of our time, and making our work impactful, sustainable, and relevant to the local community, the cultural sector, New York City, and beyond. 

FOLLOW US   

545 West 30th Street Between 10th and 11th Avenues New York, NY 10001 #theshedgallery#fineartmagazie#finerartsummerfun

The Shed Check out the Summer Exhibitions.

Summer Exhibitions and Open Call Commissioning Program for NYC-Based Emerging Artists Continue Through August 25; Cinta Amarilla, a New Documentary Film About Beatriz González, Begins Screening July 31

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Beatriz Gonzáles, Auras Anonimas (2009). Photo: Laura Jimenez. Courtesy the artist and Casas Riegner.

Admission is free for these programs unless otherwise noted.

Collision/Coalition:

This summer, The Shed is presenting three distinct yet interrelated new commissions in an exhibition that explores social and cultural confrontations and alliances. From July 31 through August 25, Beatriz Gonzáles joins artists Tony Cokes and Oscar Murillo as the third commission in the exhibition as the subject of a new 20-minute documentary film, Cinta Amarilla, directed by Yanina Valdivieso and Vanessa Bergonzoli. 

Cinta Amarilla:

Gonzalez’s monumental public work Auras Anonimas (2009),  an installation of 8,957 tombstones in Bogotá’s Central Cemetery in tribute to those that died due to armed conflict in Colombia’s civil war, is the central focus of the film. Sourcing imagery from newspapers and other media, González created silhouettes of soldiers carrying bodies in sheets and makeshift hammocks, which were then painted on mausoleums. This important memorial to the victims of violence is under threat of being demolished by Bogotá’s city administration. Creating a “counter-monument” through public art, González explores the meaning of memory,  memorials, and mourning. Cinta Amarilla, produced by Display None and co-produced by Catalina Casas, will screen daily (except Mondays) through August 25.

Tony Cokes’s two new, immersive works form a diptych titled Before and After the Studio (2019). These videos, projected onto large LED screens, investigate the historic and contemporary role artists' studios play in shaping artworks and creating communities, with a focus on the architecture of the studio and its social role, as well as wider themes of urban development in New York City.   

Two new series of large-scale abstract paintings by Oscar Murrillo and drawings the artist creates while traveling are also featured in Collision/Coalition. Matte black canvases, soaked in black paint and burned with an iron, hang from the gallery ceiling on hooks like draped flags, dividing the gallery space between Murillo and Cokes’s works. 

Admission to Collision/Coalition is free. Tickets are available at theshed.org.

Jan Jelinek, August 24:

On August 24, in a special one-night-only performance beginning at 8:00 pm, German electronic musician Jan Jelinek will perform a pre-closing live set against Tony Cokes’s commissioned videos. 

Jan Jelinek is a musician, producer, and remixer whose approach is about the transformation of sounds and devising a method for translating old Motown records or the excesses of funk into abstract, reduced electronics. Since 1998 he has been releasing records under a number of pseudonyms, including Gramm (pulsating minimal electronica) and Farben (soul records rearranged in subtle variations). 

Tickets are $10 for this performance and will be available at theshed.org beginning July 25.

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Open Call:

Open Call is The Shed’s commissioning and programming initiative for New York-based emerging artists across all disciplines, which launched in May with new works presented in The Griffin Theater, and continues through August 25 with a group exhibition in the Level 2 Gallery. Beginning Friday, August 9, the third group of commissions launches in The Shed’s open-air Plaza (configured when the moveable “shell” is nested over the base building) and runs through August 25. The presentation is scheduled as follows:  

Friday, August 9: The Illustrious Blacks at 7:30 pm

Saturday, August 10: Maya Lee-Parritz at 6 pm; Salsa Masala at 8 pm

Sunday, August 11: Madeline Hollander at 7 pm

Thursday, August 15: Vicente Hansen Atria and Mat Muntz at 6 pm; Justin Allen at 8 pm

Friday, August 16: nicHi douglas at 5 pm; Prince Harvey at 7:30 pm

Saturday, August 17: Extrapolation Factory at 11:00 am; Level Up Showcase (Harold ‘Fyütch’ Simmons) at 4:30 pm; MIPSTERZ at 8 pm

Sunday, August 18: nicHi douglas at 7 pm

Saturday, August 24: It’s Showtime NYC! at 4:30 pm; Saint Abdullahat 7:30 pm

Sunday, August 25: Ebony Noelle Golden at 3:30 pm; Thanushka Yakupitiyage at 5:30 pm

Installation view: Open Call: Group 2, The Shed, New York, June 19 – August 25, 2019. Photo: Stan Narten. Courtesy the artists. 

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About The Shed:Located on Manhattan's west side, where the High Line meets Hudson Yards, The Shed commissions original works of art, across all disciplines, for all audiences. From hip hop to classical music, painting and sculpture to literature, film to theater and dance, The Shed brings together leading and emerging artists and thinkers from all disciplines under one roof. The building —a remarkable movable structure designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Lead Architect, and Rockwell Group, Collaborating Architect—physically transforms to support artists' most ambitious ideas. Committed to nurturing artistic invention and bringing creative experiences to the broadest possible audiences, The Shed, led by Artistic Director and CEO Alex Poots, is a 21st-century space of and for New York City.

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