9 Must-See Art Shows Opening This Week

 Michael Stipe put together an "evolving exhibition project" called "New Sights, New Noise" at the 80 WSE Gallery (80 Washington Square East) that runs from September 30 to November 8.  The gallery's director, Jonathan Berger, asked Stipe "to be in residence as both an artist and teacher, repurposing the space as a studio, classroom, and laboratory that will exist in a constant state of flux for the duration of the exhibition."  Lots of "contributors" are also involved including Douglas Coupland, Peaches and Jefferson Hack; as well as several BFA students.

Instagram post from @uncuttart via Artnet.com

This Friday, October 3rd, is Free Art Friday in New York City.  Held on the first Friday of every month, it's your chance to go on an urban treasure hunt and look for free art, placed around town by various artists.  Artists post images of their works on Instagram -- or clues via Twitter -- and, if you can tell the location by looking at the photos, just dash over and pick up some art.  The concept has been around for a few years and has recently turned into a global, social media event.  The NYC hashtags are #fafnyc and #fafny.

There are two "one-week-only" exhibitions running this week.  The first is "Charles James: Beneath the Dress" at the National Arts Cub (15 Gramercy Park South), on view daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. thru Sunday, October 5.  The show features fashion and erotic drawings, photographs and a film from the private collections of R. Couri Hay and Anton Perich.



The second is a cool, "one-week-only" exhibition by the Irish artist Conor Harrington on view now in the Old Gym at 268 Mulberry Street.  The show, "Eat and Delete," includes several, large-scale paintings and also a series of short film collaborations with Andrew Telling. It was all put together by London's Lazarides Gallery.  Check it out any day this week until 7 p.m.  Last chance is Saturday, October 4.


A group show with an intriguing theme called "BRINK" opens on Thursday, October 2, 7 to 10 p.m. at Conception Gallery (31-00 47th Avenue) out in Long Island City.  The exhibition features 20 artists who share their "experiences standing on the threshold of catastrophe - yielding either survival or surrender."  The artists include Stephen Hall, Sarah Anna Hansen and the New York artists Ken Husband and Eddie Rehm, whose work was influenced by Hurricane Sandy.  It's up until October 30.


What happens when science and art collide?  The answer can be seen in two shows this week: the first, at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery (521 West 21st Street)(), is a solo show by the Polish artist Agnieszka Kurant that includes a work called "A.A.I." that was built by termites after the artist gave them "sand, gold and glitter" and let them construct several, colorful mounds.  It's up until October 8.  The second is a group show called "Where is the Art in Bio Art?" that opens on October 1, 6 to 8 p.m. at The School of Visual Arts Flatiron Gallery (133-141 West 21st Street).  The works by SVA students and faculty are meant to "demystify science and turn it into raw material for the practice of art," the director of the Bio Art Lab, Suzanne Anker, explained to the NYT.  It is on view until October 18.

"Crossing Brooklyn: Art from Bushwick, Bed-Stuy and Beyond" opens on Friday at the Brooklyn Museum (200 Eastern Parkway) and will be up until January 4, 2015. (The members' preview is on Thursday evening.)  The show features 35 Brooklyn-based artists, recognizing "the borough's long-established role as a creative center."  Don't forget that Target's First Saturday,free events are on October 4th.



NIGO -- the Japanese DJ, producer and creator of Bathing Ape -- plans to auction 250 pieces from his own collection at Sotheby's Hong Kong on October 7th. The auction is called "NIGO Only Lives Twice" and includes collectibles, jewelry and watches, luxury goods, design furniture and contemporary art. "I wanted to have an estate sale of my own but obviously I couldn't get any enjoyment from it myself if I was dead. So I decided to do it now," he says.

Earlier this month, the Storefront for Art and Architecture (97 Kenmare Street) launched a big, two-month-long project in ten spaces around the world -- plus a digital platform designed by Pentagram -- all selected "for their ability to produce alternative platforms within their local contexts."  This week they are opening a new, site-specific installation, "Situation NY,"  designed by the artist Jana Winderen and the architect Marc Fornes.  The installation opens at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 3rd, and is up until November 21st.  ALSO:  You still have until November 23rd to check out the OfficeUS exhibition in the United States pavilion at the 2014 Architecture Biennale in Venice.