Contemporary art fairs dominate the New York landscape this week, but there are plenty of non-fair activities on offer. Below, a brief look at seven of them.
TUESDAY, MARCH 6
Book Signing: Bill Powers, “What We Lose in Flowers” at Karma
Bill Power’s What We Lose in Flowers, a novella about a Julian Schnabel-like artist in a mid-life crisis, is the latest and greatest from the Karma bookstore. Richard Prince did the cover! The signing party very well might be cool kid central. —Dan Duray
The Karma Bookstore, 21 Downing Street, New York, 6–8 p.m.
Opening: Nicolas Pol, “NeverLodge,” at Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld
Parisian artist Nicolas Pol, known for his abstract canvases which vividly combine graphics and text, is getting an opening unlike most others. Curator Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld hosts the artist at a 22,000-square-foot home for sale by RFR Holding on the Upper East Side. The show, “Neverlodge,” will be the fourth show Mr. Pol has done with Mr. Restoin Roitfeld, the gallery-less curator who gave Mr. Pol a successful show last year on the Lower East Side. —Rozalia Jovanovic
Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, 22 East 71st Street, New York, 6-10 p.m.
Opening: “Heart to Hand,” at Swiss Institute Contemporary Art
Curated by Pati Hertling, the show brings together work by five artists: Zoe Leonard, Klara Liden, Adam Pendleton and Oscar Tuazon/Elias Hansen. The show questions the role of art in times of political turmoil (the press release cites Occupy Wall Street) and highlights the “conceptual disobedience” of each artist. –Michael H. Miller
Swiss Institute Contemporary Art, 18 Wooster Street, March 6, 6-8 p.m.
THURSDAY, MARCH 8
Opening: “RAMMELLZEE: THE EQUATION, The Letter Racers,” at The Suzanne Geiss Company
Graffiti artist Rammellzee had many theories about the ability of graffiti to unlock the transcendental powers of the alphabet, which had been subdued under corruption by Western culture, theories which he worked out in his loft—The Battle Station. “The Letter Racers,” his manifestation of these theories, will be shown in the first public exhibition to be held at the Suzanne Geiss Company. —R.J.
The Suzanne Geiss Company, 76 Grand Street, New York 6-8 p.m.
Opening: Johannes VanDerBeek, “A Head Backwards,” at Zach Feuer
For his third show with Feuer, the enterprising and multifarious young artist Johannes VanDerBeek showcases three new series: spindly, amoeba-shaped sculptures that channel the brick walls of his studio; condensed, almost-Chamberlain-style sculptures on pedestals informed by its floor; and paintings inspired by the colors of the sky. (He explains it all in a soul-searching artist statement.) The mood and palette are more subdued and subtler than in the artist’s past show’s, recalling, at times, his sister Sara VanDerBeek’s nuanced photographs. The show is already open, but there will be a reception during the opening of the Independent art fair in the building above the gallery. —Andrew Russeth
Zach Feuer Gallery, 548 West 22nd Street, New York, 6–8 p.m.
FRIDAY, MARCH 9
Performance: Artliars at the 69th Regiment Armory
Described as “sort of like if Theodor Adorno collaborated with Carrot Top,” Artliars is an improvisational comedy performance organized by artist Nic Rad (perhaps best known for his paintings of public figures with pancakes stacked on their head). The art world’s is in for a skewering, and at the Fountain Art Fair, no less. —D.D.
The Armory, 68 Lexington Avenue at 25th St., 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, MARCH 11
Opening: Alex Israel, “As It Lays,” at Reena Spaulings
“When I think about Los Angeles, I think about the groundbreakers, the iconoclasts and the eccentrics, the individuals who shaped and molded this city,” L.A. artist Alex Israel says in the trailer for his new film As It Lays, which features his interviews with a number of those figures, including producer Rick Rubin, musician Marilyn Manson, Hustler founder Larry Flynn, O.J. Simpson trial witness Kato Kaelin, writer Bret Easton Ellis and hairdresser Vidal Sassoon (“a man who changed the world,” in Mr. Israel’s words). Looks amazing. —A.R.
Reena Spaulings, 165 East Broadway, New York, 7–9 p.m.
