The Laughter of the Unconscious
It was 1957 when “nudity for nudity’s sake” in cinema became a point for deliberation: the court case, Excelsior Pictures v. New York Board of
Yvonne van Eijden at Askew Gallery
Yvonne van Eijden Yvonne van Eijden was born June 6,1956 in Oisterwijk, the Netherlands. She received her art education at the Free Academy, The Hague,
Yvonne van Eijden at Askew Gallery
Yvonne van Eijden Yvonne van Eijden was born June 6,1956 in Oisterwijk, the Netherlands. She received her art education at the Free Academy, The Hague,
Off Ludlow Gallery: A Pop Up on Ormond Street in Clifton
On the corner of Ludlow Ave. and Ormond Street is Gaslight Bar and Grill and down the street, there used to be the Clifton Post
Isabella Hammad’s “The Parisian”
Isabella Hammad’s “The Parisian”, is yet another debut novel this year of astonishing power and grace. Set partly in France and mostly in Palestine before
Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous”
Ocean Vuong is a young Vietnamese-American, whose first collection of poetry was widely acclaimed, and whose first novel, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous”, deserves the
Nell Freudenberger’s “Lost and Wanted”
I wish I could figure out who the intended audience for Nell Freudenberger’s very bad novel “Lost and Wanted” is supposed to be, but am
May Issue of Aeqai Online
The May issue of Aeqai has just posted. It’s a shorter, abridged issue this month; we’re only publishing those reviews that are from the Greater
The Consistency of Memory: Stewart Goldman’s "The Hanging Figures" at the Skirball Museum
Stewart Goldman taught at the Art Academy of Cincinnati for over thirty years. An enduring presence in the Ohio art world, he has curated shows
No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man at Cincinnati Art Museum
Part One opened April 26; Part Two opens June 7 and continues through September 2. Tuesday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Thursdays, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. “No Spectators:
How Shall the World be Served?: “Life in the Age of Rembrandt: Dutch Masterpieces from the Dordrecht Museum” at the Columbus Museum of Art, February 1-June 16, 2019
Well, despite what the show’s title might suggest, it’s not a blockbuster Rembrandt show. As the exhibition catalogue delicately notes, “we cannot be sure Rembrandt
“Rise & Shine”, A Group Exhibit at Wash Park Art
An interesting exhibit of the curated work of a number of artists is a good reason to drop into Holly Spraul’s Wash Park Art gallery
Profile of Nancy Nordloh Neville
“I do enjoy showing my work,” Nancy Nordloh Neville told me. “It’s my life on review. You remember how and where you were when you
Fotofolio – Lloyd Greene
“Saturday Night Rodeo” Lloyd’ statement: Pretty people and powerful animals provide a good start for many stories. Rodeo is an American activity, born from our
#Project?
#Project? If there was ever a most Instagram-worthy collection award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the newest H&M collaboration with fashion designer
The Art Climb: A Signature Gateway from the Streets to the Cincinnati Art Museum
Take the climb to art. A new staircase developed by the Cincinnati Art Museum will take visitors from the intersection of Eden Park Drive and
Namwali Serpell’s “The Old Drift”
A slew of great novels has appeared in the past two months, all long, and all first-rate. But first among equals is “The Old Drift”,
Julie Orringer’s “The Flight Portfolio”
“The Flight Portfolio”, by Julie Orringer, is another splendid, first-rate new novel, astonishing in its details and analysis of character and place. Based upon the
April Issue of Aeqai Online
The April issue of Aeqai has just posted. We bring a variety of reviews, one profile and one feature this month. Cincinnati-born, Brooklyn-based performance artist
Rachel Rampleman at Weston Gallery
A shallow stage, dramatic floor to ceiling curtain of silver mylar, pink lights, and disco ball have recently transformed the ground floor of Weston Art
Floating Signifiers: holmes+riordan (collaborations) at Clay Street Press
Visual artist Diana Duncan Holmes and poet Timothy Riordan sustained a creative partnership across three decades, reaching from the late twentieth into the early twenty-first
Opening Space for the Imagination: Archive As Action at the Contemporary Arts Center
“In a culture where derangement and disequilibrium are the constant and inescapable climate of a politics of bewilderment, the militant tactic is not intoxication and
An Authorized Version: “For America: Paintings from the National Academy of Design” at the Dayton Art Institute, February 23-June 2, 2019
Whatever you think of the outcome, the Dayton Art Institute’s exhibit of 100 paintings from the collection of the National Academy of Design has been
Art of the International Parks Exhibit at Eisele Gallery
The best public park views in the world are the subject matter of the best painters in the current exhibit at Eisele Gallery, Cincinnati. Mountain
“Vessel” at Hudson Yards: A Capitalist Christening and Architectural Narcissism
In 1996, Tom Otterness installed a bronze sculptural grouping of anthropomorphized houses and coins off the banks of Roosevelt Island in the East River titled
The “Right to Look” and Nari Ward’s “Amazing Grace”
French-born American-Cuban essayist Anaïs Nin’s diaristic reflections on Havana reveal the nostalgic caprice that a city can wield – its atmospheric impulse-potential to “cure negative
Joseph Keckler – 21c Museum Hotel – April 13, 2019
The Contemporary Arts Center’s inaugural performing arts festival, “This Time Tomorrow”, featured almost thirty acts over four days in April. Spread out over Cincinnati and
Getting Lost in Rob Thom's Crowds
Rob Thom’s paintings resemble funhouse mirrors tilted towards pleasure-seeking crowds, magnifying follies and foibles that extend to American culture at large. His works in “The
“Because I Said So… ,” Kennedy Heights Arts Center, through June 8, 2019
Robin Hartman and Kim Margaret Watling, the curators of “Because I Said So… ” at the Kennedy Heights Arts Center, neatly state the exhibition’s thesis:
Severe Ascesis: Shusaku Arakawa’s Object-Oriented Ontologies and the Spectral Event
This takes me back to some of my Japanese reading, in particular to my beloved Dôgen, who belongs to a Zen tradition that is particularly
“Everything Connects” highlights designer Christien Miendertsma’s research into the ethics and manufacturing of industrial fiber products
“Everything Connects,” exhibiting at the Art Institute of Chicago through October 20, showcases the process and discoveries of Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma. Meindertsma’s practice bridges
Fotofolio: James Friedman
“Interior Design” James’ statement: Although I studied with Minor White in an experimental graduate program in photography at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and admired
Jens Rosenkrantz: Profile
Pendleton Street Photography is a new Over-the-Rhine gallery in an area long linked to visual arts; in it founder Jens Rosenkrantz expands the area’s coverage
Cincinnati Arts and Technology Studios: A Hidden Resource for High School Students
Many people may not have heard of Cincinnati Arts and Technology Studios (CATS), a non-profit agency that uses the power of the arts and other
Amy Hempel’s “Sing to It”
Since William Trevor’s death last year, American Amy Hempel is probably the finest writer of short stories anywhere in the world. Her new collection, “Sing
Leila Aboulela’s “Elsewhere, Home”
Leila Aboulela’s new collection of short fiction, “Elsewhere, Home”, is another superb selection of short stories. The narrator of each story is generally a woman
Nathan Englander’s “kaddish.com”
Nathan Englander moves into the front ranks of American fiction writers with his new novel, “kaddish.com“. Earlier books of short fiction and his last novel
March Issue of Aeqai Online
The March issue of Aeqai has just posted. It’s replete with fascinating reviews and profiles, and for those of our readers particularly interested in the
Fairs and Affairs: The Availability of Pleasure “Paris 1900: The City of Entertainment” at the Cincinnati Art Museum, March 1-May 12, 2019
The visual richness of Paris during the Belle Epoque would have followed people wherever they went, even out of doors. Posters must have been everywhere,
Review: The Armory Show 2019
This year’s iteration of The Armory Show marked its 25th anniversary, placing a considerable amount of pressure on Director Nicole Berry to execute the event
The Womanist Movement: Bridging the Gap
March is nationally celebrated as Women’s History Month. In keeping with its stated mission of eliminating racism and empowering women, the Greater Cincinnati YWCA has
From the “California Ideology” to Tiqqun’s “Total War:” Tracing net.art’s Archival Poetics
As a researcher, theorist, and something of a contemporary continental philosophy-bent author in, my interests in new media theory, film studies, and comparative media are
Profile of Ena Nearon Menefield
“Cincinnati is a good city for creating a place for yourself,” Ena Nearon Menefield, who has been here since 1996, says. Her own background, as
“/just to be alive/ An Exhibition of the Contemporary Female Artist,” 1628 Ltd., through May 31, 2019
I confess. I’m prejudiced against exhibitions of artists lumped together because of traits they can’t change (or only change with much effort), not aesthetics. That
Artists Break Bans and Bridge Barriers in "Focus Iran 3: Contemporary Photography and Video"
Forty-two photographs and videos present a panoptic view of Persian youth culture in “Focus Iran 3: Contemporary Photography and Video,” the third Iranian photography biennial
Letter from Oaxaca: The 18th Biennial of Painting Rufino Tamayo
I recently visited the city of Oaxaca, the capital of the State of Oaxaca, in Mexico and had the chance to view the 18th Biennial
Conspiratorial Aesthetics at the Cressman Center for Visual Arts: Why does so much new art look conspiratorial?
“Why does so much new art look conspiratorial?” In preparation for attending Conspiratorial Aesthetics at the Cressman Center for Visual Arts I read the curatorial
Inverting Vulgarity: Harmony Korine’s Florida Films, “Young Twitchy,” and Hauntology
Harmony Korine’s second show at Gagosian Madison in the last six months, closely following “Blockbuster” (which ran from September – October, 2018), “Young Twitchy” (showing
“Appreciating Our Past and Present Surroundings”
As a city that is 231 years old, Cincinnati has enjoyed numerous buildings of various styles, some of which fortunately still have survived. An exhibition
Fotofolio: Sunjoo Lee
“Memorabilia 3” Sunjoo’s statement: I started collecting wrapping papers during my travels around the world. I visited gift shops, and I was taken away by