Queens got its first snow in about two years last week…and now it’s raining art.
Culture Lab LIC hosts an Opening Reception for Three Gallery Exhibitions on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 6 pm.
As to be expected at Culture Lab, the free party will feature creatively-dressed patrons sipping wine and making fascinating conversation about the new expositions: a retrospective on an artist known for hybrid musical instrument sculptures; photos by Queensbridge residents; and Year of the Dragon art.
Instrumental: A Retrospective on the Life and Work of Ken Butler includes a selection of hybrid instruments, larger assemblage works, an interactive grand piano, video art, collages, drawings, and live performances. Curated by Culture Lab Artistic Director Tess Howsam, it’s his first major solo exhibition in New York City in nearly ten years.
Butler’s body of work is centered on the intersection of art and music. So as part of the fun, he’ll perform on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 8 pm. Then, he’ll jam with Y&I and special guests on Saturday, March 2, at 8 pm. But these aren’t your average concerts. Butler plays hammers, hockey sticks, tennis rackets, golf clubs, and brooms that become (when amplified) violin, guitar, and cello-like instruments with multiple playing surfaces and a diverse range of percussive (and assorted odd) sounds as well as those produced by strings.
In terms of genres, the audience can expect a blend of Mid-Eastern, Indian, Flamenco, and Roma modes with Jazz, Rock, Funk, and Blues, held together by an edgy improv aesthetic.
Also unveiling on Feb. 1 is We Are Queensbridge: A Portrait Series by the Queensbridge Photo Collective, a group of women — all over the age of 65 — who live in Queensbridge, the nation’s largest public housing complex with more than 7,000 residents. Members and teaching artists from the Five Corners Collective have been capturing the neighborhood on film over the past four years as part of a program supported by the Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement.
The third expo celebrates The Year of the Dragon. Curated by Xiangdong Shi in association with Chinese Overseas Artists Association, this gallery show features a variety of pieces by a broad range of Asian artists. The works represent good luck, good health, and strength.
Instrumental and Queensbridge will be on exhibit until Sunday, March 3. Year of the Dragon will display until Sunday, Feb. 23.
Culture Lab, whose entrance is at 5-25 46th Ave., is a multi-genre arts promoter based in The Plaxall Gallery, a 12,000-square-foot venue near the East River. The facility includes two fine art galleries, a 90-seat theater, classrooms, and an outdoor event space.
Top photos: Ken Butler;
Bottom photos: Culture Lab LIC