Page 27 - The Faces

How would you compare the New York art world with where you are originally from?
I have learnt that contemporary art and new media art are booming in Shanghai over the past 5 years. However, since I was born and raised in Shanghai until age 17, so most of my experience with art was in the US. Among Los Angeles, Washington DC, and New York, I think New York is still the most vibrant arts centre (some people may argue that the west coast could be the next centre), judging from its diverse artists communities. Also, I think artists in New York have well blended artis- tic practices and are more experimental; this shows even through their everyday life with social discourse on politics, economics, culture etc.
What is your perfect “art day” and what places would you recom- mend newcomers to visit in order to get the most out of the art in this city?
My perception of a perfect “art day” could be quite different, depending on the weather. If it is a fair sunny day, I will drive up to Storm King Arts Center or Dia Beacon for a weekend getaway from the city. Sitting on the grass for a picnic, maybe read a book, or take a nap. It feels great to be surround by the art in a natural environment. On a rainy day or during winter, if I happen to be outside, I would go to the New Museum, the Whitney, MoMA, or Cooper Hewitt - or just stay at home and binge watch films or documentaries about legendary artists.
There are too many hidden gems in New York, I mean not just Man- hattan, but across all five boroughs. For newcomers to New York, de- pending on where they go and what kinds of art (genre, period, etc)
they like, they could have a walk on the High Line Park or do gallery hopping on Thursday evening in Chelsea. In Brooklyn, they can go to artist and flea marketa in Dumbo, or check out some mural art at the Bushwick Collective. In Queens, MoMA PS1 and Noguchi Mu- seum are two must-gos. If they prefer old money type of art collec- tions, then they can stop by at Frick Collections, Morgan Library or Neue Gallerie. And if they are adventrurous, Chinatown might be an equally good spot with sometimes very hidden gems - and they might also discover our project!
[27]