I Art New York!    03.28.2008  

03.28.08IARTNY

It’s that time of year again here in NYC. The tangy fragrance of the nouveau riche clouds the West Side of Manhattan as people crowd Armory 94, the home of the annual Armory Show. Unlike Art Basel Miami Beach — the Armory Show’s only US competitor in terms of scale — there are no café con leches, no quick breaks on South Beach and definitely no thongs. Instead, we get a crappy Londontown drizzle.

But brave this weekend’s winter weather redux with this To-Do List, New Yorkers. Here’s a map. Now, go get your culture on.

1. Armory Show
The show is $30 but, hey, it’s massive. I wouldn’t expect to see much in terms of cutting-edge work here. This is the marketplace, this is where the big bucks stroll. Think of it as an uber-museum juiced up on green-dollar Viagras.

2. Scope
Scope is the David Letterman of the fairs: a happy #2. It’s scope (sorry!) is focused on younger, more experimental artists. $15.

3. PULSE
Also $15.

4. Bridge
Bridge parties all weekend, topping off with the Williamsburg After Dark After Party at Supreme Trading on Saturday. Keep in mind that all Billyburg galleries will be open late this weekend, just in case you want to keep it anti-commercial or what-have-you.

5. Art Now Fair

6. DiVA
Some video art for ya, stationed in storage units lining the streets of Chelsea. Yup, it’s free.

7. LA Art in New York
$10? Really?

8. POOL
A must-see, three thumbs up.

9. Red Dot
Very consistently worth a peek.

10. Volta
Use the Armory Show card to gain admission here as well.

One way to attack all this art is either go big or go small. Go Armory, or choose two or three parasitical fairs. Besides that, enjoy! Notice, I haven’t listed the Dark Fair above because I’m keeping that one for myself. (Probably the most interesting offering this season.)

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