黑料不打烊

It鈥檚 almost March, and that means big art news for the Big Apple: The Armory Show returns to New York next week, ushering in Art Week with open arms. The show has established itself as an international fixture on the contemporary art scene since its inception fourteen years ago, expanding from a few-days affair into a full-blown week of art-related events that highlight the city鈥檚 unique artistic history.

annually welcomes a diverse range of curators, artists, galleries, and private institutions from across the globe, attracting both local and international art-lovers. The show and surrounding events have become an integral part of the city鈥檚 art scene, with no holds barred - the original 1913 Armory Show first introduced New Yorkers to the avant-garde side of art.

The 2012 roster of events is overflowing with sights to fulfill every art-lover鈥檚 palate, but if you鈥檙e pressed for time there are some must-be-and-see events not to miss. Check out 黑料不打烊鈥檚 list of top Armory Arts Week highlights, and take a bite out of the best that the Big Apple has to offer!

The Stage-Setter
Up first on our list is the event that started it all, with the Armory Show鈥檚 2012 edition boasting an eclectic mix of contemporary art celebrated in all its forms. 础谤尘辞谤测鈥�s dual-faceted Modern and Contemporary aspects pay homage to both established and emerging artists from the 20th and 21st centuries. Aside from the multitude of leading international galleries represented, this year鈥檚 Armory Focus provides underrepresented art communities a global platform to promote their art scenes. 2012鈥檚 invitation-only AF spotlights the vibrant artwork of the Nordic countries, featuring 19 select galleries from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. Taking center-stage as this year鈥檚 commissioned artist is the hugely popular Theaster Gates. 鈥淲e are flattered that [Theaster] is lending his bold, energetic commentary to The Armory Show,鈥� said Paul Morris, Founding Director of The Armory Show. 鈥淭heaster has a mastery of performance, installation, visual arts and urban transformation. We are eager to bring this provocative force in today鈥檚 art world to The Armory Show collectors and visitors." Also on the Armory menu: an exciting opening-night party at MoMA, the provocative Armory Film series, and an engaging Open Forum program featuring leading art-world figures. (Left: Theaster Gates' "Untitled (Plates)," 2011, courtesy of Kavi Gupta Chicago/Berlin).

A Cultural Feast
Off the beaten path (and certainly worth a look...and a taste!), the Harlem Biennale Armory VIP Preview is a unique history-meets-art event, which offers up an exclusive preview of the Harlem Biennale 2013. Visitors will delight in a sampling of the region鈥檚 art and culinary creations, starting out with cocktails at artist Edward Hillel鈥檚 home. Harlem historian Michael Henry Adams will then lead a tour of the historic Mount Morris Park neighborhood with stops at the Casa Frela, Heath and RFA Galleries. The tour ends at the renowned Settepani Restaurant for cocktails and hors d鈥檕euvres with Harlem artists and cultural leaders, with the option to dine on a delicious prix-fixe dinner. RSVP: contact@harlembiennale.org or call 212-666-8771

Reel Art
For your viewing pleasure, Moving Image is hosting its celebration of all things video. This show is a departure from traditional art fairs in its aim to be interactive - and watching these artworks come alive, one can鈥檛 help but feel engaged in this contemporary media. Featuring video installations, single-channel projections, slideshows and sculptures, Moving Image is a veritable visual buffet of the latest in new media.

Strictly Solo
Celebrate the beauty of going at it alone - going 鈥榮olo鈥� that is, with VOLTA NY. This invitational boutique event showcases artists鈥� solo projects, giving each artist his/her due respect in this tightly-focused environment. VOLTA NY is devoted to putting the spotlight back on the artists themselves, providing them a platform to engage with the public and promote their creations. Fair director and founder Amanda Coulson conceived the idea for a 鈥渟trictly solo鈥� event in America following the success of Basel鈥檚 2005 fair. This incarnation, showcasing the works of pertinent art production in today鈥檚 contemporary scene, offers audiences a chance to discover the artists themselves, moving beyond the parameters of a traditional art fair.

A New Beginning
New City Art Fair has the distinction of being the one and only Japanese art fair in NYC, featuring the work of contemporary Japanese artists within a modern framework. Most notably, the fair serves as a pavilion for Japanese artists whose artistic practices have changed following last year鈥檚 earthquake and tsunami. The New City Art Fair offers these groundbreaking artists a new opportunity to post their artistic reactions to the world, for the first time since the catastrophe. (Left: work by Shigeki Hayashi, Gallery Kogure, Tokyo).

Curator鈥檚 Choice
Another first to this year鈥檚 edition of Armory is this cutting-edge show devoted to curatorial vision. SPRING/BREAK Art Show features the projects of 23 curators, leaving all preconceived art fair structures at the door of the 鈥淥ld School鈥� venue, a four-story schoolhouse. The works on display here will give voice to the curators who bring the artistic vision to fruition, incorporated into the 2012 theme: Apolcalist: the end of the world. Travel through over 20 classrooms to glimpse each unique curatorial vision, and be sure to check out the special installation and performances. *Bonus: in tandem with the theme, visitors get the chance to make their own 鈥淭he End鈥� sign at an exclusive workshop.

Stellar Sculptures
The site-specific work by two different yet equally talented artists rounds off our highlights list, installing art on the streets of the city that never sleeps. Michael Sailstorfer鈥檚 Tornado (pictured left) is a unique 鈥渟torm鈥� of sorts made out of distinct, densely packed 鈥渃louds鈥� of inflated truck tires. The impressive structure towers more than 25 feet high, and while not intended as a literal representation of a cyclone, the piece will surely leave a deep impact on viewers. Other sculptures to look out for are Rafael Barrios鈥� 10 vibrantly-colored modernist pieces that seem to float in midair. Barrios is known for these engaging geometric works, which play tricks on the eye: from different angles they appear alternately two-or-three dimensional. The artist has described his work as 鈥渧irtual, contemplative, geometrical and [participatory], designed so that they may visually develop in our mind鈥檚 eye and be appreciated from anywhere in innumerable visual possibilities."
on Michale Sailstorfer鈥檚 Tornado
on Rafael Barrios sculptures