James Kalm makes a walking tour through the recent exhibition of Jack Pierson. Known for his poetic wall constructions in which he uses found letters from commercial roadside signage, this new body of work investigates the formalistic aspect of these shapes without regard for their linguistic meaning. The resulting accumulations resemble totems or snippets of calligraphy. The weathered and faded surfaces evoke a romantic nostalgia yet Pierson’s arrangements remain elegant, humorous and formally satisfying.

James Kalm has been watching the work of Frank Stella since his days as a student in the Far West. This icon of New York Modernism presents “Polychrome Reliefs” as his statement of where painting is today. Though not properly reliefs, nor paintings, these extravagant works employ the latest in high tech composites, stainless steel and lustrous lacquers. These works juxtapose curving organic forms with pierced and engineered struts and ribbing, contrasting the mechanical with the romantic and continuing Stella’s theoretical investigations of color and form. With appearances by Kenny Scharf, Irving Sandler, Adam Weinberg, Mark Kostabi and of course Stella.

James Kalm makes a must see stop for this double bill during the 2009 season opening night in Chelsea. Both Kara Walker and Mark Bradford have gained recognition for their work with paper, cut silhouettes for the former and grand scaled collage for the latter. Walker weaves a narrative derived from the history of slavery and repression, while Bradford imbues his work with an abject elegance capturing the essence and life of contemporary urban neighborhoods. Includes an interview with Kara Walker discussing her views on the painterly direction of some recent work.

James Kalm partakes in the press preview for this icon of American Modernism. Over twenty years in the making, this exhibition surveys the lesser known but perhaps more profound side of O’Keeffe’s work, her abstraction. Beginning with her discovery and eventual relationship with Alfred Stieglitz in 1916, O’Keeffe was thrust to the stratosphere of the New York art scene. She was at the forefront of pursuing a type of organic abstraction that Stieglitz championed as America’s contribution to Modernism. Examples of O’Keeffe’s paintings covering nearly fifty years of development are on view. Includes brief statements by Director Adam D. Weinberg and the curatorial team lead by Barbara Haskell, Barbara Buhler Lynes and Sasha Nicholas.

James Kalm returns for the 2009 season opener on the LES (Lower East Side). This sampler features run-throughs of five openings that give viewers an idea of the tastes and trends we likely to see more of as the year unwinds. Beginning with the zippy tape stripes of Franklin Evans at Sue Scott, we dash up Freeman Alley to take a peek at the work of one name wonder Carter at Salon 94. From there we visit Khalif Kelly’s “Metamorphosis” at Thierry Goldberg Projects, and take a glance at the video installation of Adam Shecter at Eleven Rivington. Finally it’s up to East 2nd Street to check out the most recent offering at Museum 52.

James Kalm drifts into Soho to kick off the new season with a pair of highly anticipated exhibitions. Tauba Auerbach’s “HERE AND NOW/AND NOWHERE” presents five bodies of work that are all related to the duality of space, the here, and, time, the now. Illusionistic paintings are contrasted with “Auerglass” a custom made pipe organ. Kehinde Wiley explores the photographic medium with “Black Light” a series of digitally manipulated photos that continues his studies of young black males. Using various lighting sources, decorative backgrounds, gestures and poses that relate to medieval religious iconography, Wiley creates images that balance precariously between “Boys in the Hood” and “GQ Magazine”.

James Kalm visits some of the artsy sites on West 11th Street before dropping in spontaneously on Rick Prol. Prol has been a controversial long time presence on the New York painting scene. Coming to prominence during the ascension of the East Village, he maintained a studio/gallery on East 6th Street a stones throw from the original Pat Hearn Gallery for decades. In his involvements he’s seen the tragic culmination of the EV community close up and personal, having worked with Jean-Michel Basquiat Despite the challenges, he’s maintained his artistic practice, as well a serious commitment to music and poetry.

James Kalm endures sweltering heat and summer ennui to bike to the center of Chelsea for this blockbuster show. The inequality of female representation within museum collections is an almost endemic refrain. While not reconciling this state of affairs, “The Female Gaze” does provide examples of some of today’s most influential and accomplished artists’ work. From stalwarts of Post-War American art like Louise Bourgeois and Joan Mitchell, to the essential Feminist works of Lynda Benglis, to the Post-Modern Conceptual works of Cindy Sherman, Jenny Holzer and Deborah Kass, this exhibition displays prime examples of reflective works inspired by images of women.

The following are brief excerpts from a Facebook dialog that’s taken place over the last four days on the Loren J. Munk page. The impetus of the original post was a demand received through YouTube from a supposed dealer, who threatens “getting ugly” if his demands aren’t met. This subject seems like prime territory for the investigation of “New Media” and some of its implications. Thanks here to those who contributed. I’ve edited due to space limits, but tried to capture the general tone.

Is there such a thing as "Meta-Art"? Ward Shelley delves into the aestheticization of art history, mapping movements and individuals from art and pop cultural history. Despite his neutral approach, these works tend to show how the narrative is shaped, bent and fitted.

James Kalm catches up with conceptual artist Ward Shelley on the closing day of his exhibition “Who Invented the Avant-Garde and other half truths”.