WEDNESDAY, JULY 18

Discussion: Otto Piene with Massimiliano Gioni at the New Museum
German artist Otto Piene, who's been a pioneer in using cutting-edge technologies in art for more than half a century, will speak with the New Museum's associate director, Massimiliano Gioni, who is the co-curator (with Gary Carrion-Murayari) of the museum's new exhibition, "Ghosts in the Machine," which looks at the "shifting relationship between humans, machines, and art," and includes Mr. Piene's work.
New Museum, 235 Bowery, New York, 7 p.m., $10

WEDNESDAY, JULY 18

Opening: Stan VanDerBeek, "Writings, Drawings and Collages," at American Contemporary
American Contemporary will present a variety of works by the late, great Stan VanDerBeek—some that have never before been shown publicly, according to the gallery. Stop here before or after seeing the reconstruction of his epic Movie-Drome (1963–66/2012) in the New Museum's "Ghosts in the Machine" show.
American Contemporary, 4 East 2nd Street, New York, 6–8 p.m.

THURSDAY, JULY 19

Art Fair: ArtMrkt Hamptons at the Bridgehampton Historical Society Grounds
Forty U.S. galleries will offer their wares at this contemporary-focused fair. Among the exhibitors are New York's P.P.O.W., DC Moore and Lennon, Weinberg, Inc. galleries, as well as some favorites from the area, like East Hampton's Halsey Mckay and Eric Firestone. Opening night includes a "four-star BBQ" by chef Leon Gunn, who's served as sous chef of Brooklyn's meat-heavy Traif restaurant. The fair runs through the weekend.
ArtMrkt Hamptons, 2368 Mountauk Highway (Rt. 27), Bridgehampton, N.Y., 6–10 p.m., $100/$110

Opening: "In Plain Sight" at Mitchell-Innes & Nash
Mitchell-Innes & Nash's summer group show explores how contemporary artists are investigating representational painting. Some of the participants include Andrew Kuo, Anna Conway, Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, Jeanette Mundt, Mamie Tinkler, Nancy de Holl, Nolan Simon, Roger White, Timothy Hull and Van Hanos. —Michael H. Miller
Mitchell-Innes & Nash, 534 West 26th Street, New York, 6-8 p.m.

FRIDAY, JULY 20

Talk: "Josef Albers in America: Painting on Paper" at Morgan Library
Isabelle Dervaux, the curator of modern and contemporary drawings at the Morgan Library, will talk about the German-born Albers and his time in America, where he was a teacher first at Black Mountain College and later at Yale. —M.H.M.
Morgan Library, 225 Madison Avenue, New York, 7 p.m., museum admission is free on Friday evenings

SATURDAY, JULY 21

Opening: “Creature from the Blue Lagoon,” at Martos Gallery Bridgehampton
For the third and final installment of his yearly group show at Martos Gallery, curator and Vice columnist Bob Nickas presents “Creature from the Blue Lagoon,” a group show with 40 artists, including Darren Bader, Anne Collier, Chris Martin, Tamara Gonzalez and Chris Johanson. Inspired by Jack Smith’s play The Secret of Rented Island, this show is presented on the lawn and throughout the summer home of gallerist Jose Martos in Bridgehampton. So before or after checking out ArtMrkt Hamptons, make a stop at this presentation, and drop in at 5 p.m. for a performance by transcendental metal band Liturgy. —R.J.
Martos Gallery, 112 Sagaponack Road, Bridgehampton, New York 2-6 p.m.

Screening: Iwan Schumacher, "Urs Fischer," at New Museum
Iwan Schumacher's documentary, Urs Fischer, makes its U.S. premiere at the New Museum, presented by Gavin Brown's Enterprise and the Swiss Institute. --Michael H. Miller
New Museum, 235 Bowery, New York, doors at 6:30 p.m., screening 7 p.m. RSVP to rsvp@swissinstitute.net.

Talk: Georgia Sagri and Stephen Squibb at Artists Space Books & Talks
One of the really amazing and exciting things about the art world is that it is willing to tolerate and even celebrate (for better or worse) all sorts of unusual behavior from artists. To wit, a little more than six months after she was involved in an occupation of Artists Space, artist Georgia Sagri is back with the institution, speaking at its new Tribeca Books & Talks location. She'll be speaking with Stephen Squibb about "Working the No Work," an idea tied to her supremely and wonderfully peculiarWhitney Biennial installation/performances. —Andrew Russeth
Artists Space Books & Talks, 55 Walker Street, New York, 7 p.m. 

THURSDAY, MAY 31

Opening: Lawrence Schiller, "Marilyn & Me," at Steven Kasher
Lawrence Schiller, Norman Mailer's collaborator on The Executioner's Song, will have his first solo exhibition in the U.S., showing his photographs of Marilyn Monroe.  The exhibition, "Marilyn & Me," coincides with Mr. Schiller's book of the same name. --M.H.M.
Steven Kasher Gallery, 521 West 23rd Street, New York, 6:00 p.m.

Opening: "Carl Andre/John Wesley: Serial Forms" at Mitchell-Innes & Nash
Here's a great idea. Take work by one of postwar art's wittiest painters and combine it with pieces by one of its most austere, innovative sculptors. The focus here is on their use of serial forms. This seems likely to be a soothing, refreshing combination, a crisp, clean counterpoint to the messy summer group shows that will soon be hitting the city's galleries. —A.R.
Mitchell-Innes & Nash, 534 West 26th Street, New York, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.

Gala: Madison Square Park Conservancy Honors Martin Friedman at Prince George Ballroom
The organizers of the Madison Square Park art program toast the newly created Martin Friedman Curator position with a gala at the Prince George Ballroom honoring the man himself. Philip Glass, Frank Gehry, David Hockney, Cindy Sherman, Charles Long, Leo Villareal, Agnes Gund and Adam Weinberg are to attend. —Dan Duray
The Prince George Ballroom, 15 East 27th Street, New York 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m., tickets only

FRIDAY, JUNE 1

Talk: TEDxChelsea
We once heard TED Conference founder Richard Saul Wurman describing his conference as a really great dinner party. Conversation breaks between the inspiring short talks are really important. Like it’s predecessor, this local spinoff event, TEDxChelsea, will present a day-long series of thought-provoking short lectures, this time around on the subject of art. As the lecturers include artists Jennifer Dalton and Eric Doeringer, art advisor Candace Worth, former Whitney Museum director David A. Ross and Pace Gallery public relations maven Sarah Goulet, it promises to be interesting. But don’t just come for the ideas, open yourself up to the “full program,” which means communicating with fellow “TEDsters.” It’s okay to let down your guard, even in New York. You’ve all been accepted. —Rozalia Jovanovic
School of Visual Arts, 335 West 16th Street, New York, 12-6:30 p.m.

Opening: "Everyday Abstract - Abstract Everyday" at James Cohan Gallery
White Columns director Matthew Higgs curates this show, a proposal for the 6th Berlin Biennale. Oh shoot, why not just run the whole artist list? Walead Beshty, Alexandra Bircken, Sarah Braman, Wolfgang Breuer, Tom Burr, Ernst Caramelle, Andy Coolquitt, Paul Cowan, N. Dash, Tony Feher, Michel François, Joe Fyfe, Kim Gordon, David Hammons, Richard Hawkins, Ann Cathrin November Høibo, Bill Jenkins, Sergej Jensen, Udomsak Krisanamis, Jason Loebs, Agnes Lux, David Moreno, Virginia Overton, Manfred Pernice, Judith Scott, Nancy Shaver, Gedi Sibony, Michael E. Smith, Josh Smith, Shinique Smith, Al Taylor, Bill Walton, Andy Warhol, Hannah Wilke, Philadelphia Wireman, B. Wurtz, Amy Yao. — Dan Duray
James Cohan Gallery, 533 West 26 Street, New York, 6-8 p.m.

SATURDAY, JUNE 2

Fair: Bushwick Basel at Starr Space
Artist Jules de Balincourt may hate art fairs, but that hasn’t stopped him from putting on his own. Mr. de Balincourt hosts 11 of Bushwick’s leading galleries including Storefront Bushwick, Norte Maar and Regina Rex (which is actually in Ridgewood, Queens) for an art fair that’s “kind of a parody, kind of not.” On the one hand, it’s a scrappy riff on Art Basel, Frieze, NADA and their ilk. On the other, it will be carefully curated, takes itself somewhat seriously and will offer art for sale. If trolling hundreds of art studios during Bushwick Open Studios is too overwhelming for you, Mr. de Balincourt gives you a one-shot deal. The brave ones can venture beyond. —R.J.
Starr Space, 108-110 Starr Street, Brooklyn, 12–7 p.m.

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

Opening: Dustin Yellin at Half Gallery
The weather's warming up so why not brave Half Gallery this Tuesday for an the opening of a new show by Dustin Yellin? Even if you have to wait on the street, which is likely, the weather's fine and you can casually chat with famous people. --Dan Duray
Half Gallery, 208 Forsyth Street, New York, 6–8 p.m.

Opening: Emergency Index at The Kitchen
The Chelsea performance space launches a new annual book series called Emergency Index, which documents performances in the words of their creators. The first volume was published by Ugly Duckling Presse, who will be hosting  a party with performances by Marilyn Arsem, Joyce Cho & Machiqq, Lindsey Drury, Allie Avital Tsypin and Gabrielle Herbst, and Ariel Goldberg. --Michael H. Miller
The Kitchen, 512 West 19th Street, New York, 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

Opening: Virginia Overton at the Kitchen
Ms. Overton has the rare ability to build grand objects, tinged with a bit of drama, out of quotidian materials. Some examples: three long sheets of plywood propped carefully between columns to form a triangle, an orange ladder wedged between two walls (in SculptureCenter's basement in 2009) and an old Chevy pickup truck sitting in a gallery. She'll have a show at Mitchell-Innes & Nash later this year. Join the fan club now. —Andrew Russeth
The Kitchen, 512 West 19th Street, New York, 6–8 p.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 22

Opening: "New Traditionalists" at Martos Gallery
This group show unites pieces by three emerging painters—Justin Adian, Jess Fuller and Leif Ritchey—with the evergreen work of veteran B. Wurtz. Ms. Fuller and Mr. Richey make inventive, messy abstractions that sometimes involve fusing or tearing apart fabric, while Mr. Adian wraps bulging slices of foam with canvas and sprays them to a sheen, to make what could be pillows for a pleasure-seeking alien race. Mr. Wurtz uses objects like plastic bags, cans and the like to create what critic Bruce Hainley has termed "winsome and utterly particular things." —A.R.
Martos Gallery, 540 West 29th Street, New York, 6–8 p.m.

Opening: Vibha Galhotra, "Utopia of Difference" at Jack Shainman Gallery
For this solo exhibition, Vibha Galhotra's New York debut, the artist presents sewn metal ghungroos (the bells used to make musical anklets tied to the feet of classical Indian dancers) as well as new sculptures through which Ms. Galhotra continues to explore gender and the environment in contemporary society by using domestic, industrial and natural materials. —R.J.
Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 West 20th Street, New York, 6-8 p.m.

Artist Talk: Georgia Sagri, Whitney Biennial Artist Talk at Columbia University
Georgia Sagri’s piece for the press preview for the Whitney Biennial included her recording and looping this statement: “I’m not doing a performance for the press.” Ms. Sagri uses projections, spotlights, cameras and sound equipment to construct an atmosphere of loops, beats and visuals to explore the way technology informs the way we interact. She returns to her alma mater (’06) to speak about her work. —R.J.
Prentis Hall, Columbia University, 632 West 125th Street, New York, 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, MARCH 23

Opening: Grimes at AVA
Claire Boucher, a.k.a. Grimes, is a 23-year old synth pop singer who your little sister probably likes. Stop by Audio Visual Arts this Friday to check out her visual art! "Mob scene" doesn't begin to describe what this will be. --D.D.
Audio Visual Arts, 34 East 1st Street, New York, 6–9 p.m.

Opening: Every Exit is an Entrance: 30 Years of Exit Art
The final exhibition at Exit Art, which was opened in 1982 by Jeanette Ingberman and Papo Colo, culls the alternative space's archives and will include work by a long list of artists. The show is up until May 19, the last day that the space is open to the public before closing permanently. --M.H.M.
Exit Art, 475 Tenth Avenue, New York, 7-9 p.m.

Ms. Sagri at the Whitney Biennial. (Photo by Rozalia Jovanovic)

The 2012 Whitney Biennial kicked off with a well-attended press preview Monday afternoon. The schedule of events had one ambiguous listing: "2:30-3:30 p.m. Georgia Sagri 5th Floor mezzanine."

Walking into the 5th floor's Sondra Gilman Gallery, Ms. Sagri, small, striking and frowning deeply, stood on a piece of white vinyl wearing all black, an outfit that matched her dark crop of hair. The floor was covered in pillows, some of which members of the press were sitting on. Lining the perimeter of the vinyl sheet were various electronics, including a laptop computer; behind these, clothing hung from the walls, on hooks. Near the walls were large, freestanding pieces of wood with doors painted on them.

"So, hi," Ms. Sagri said in a sweet voice, her face still grave.

"I just wanted to let you know you can pick up the pillows if you want," she continued, picking up a pillow. "You can move them around, you can sit on them. Of course, it would be nice if you didn't steal them or anything."

The audience chuckled, but was cut off when Ms. Sagri said, with her deepest scowl yet, "I just wanted to let you know I'm not going to be performing for the press. It's going to be a rehearsal."

"When does it start?" an audience member called out.

"It's already started," Ms. Sagri said, walking over to a laptop and fiddling with the keyboard. A recording of her voice giving the press the speech she had just given began to play through a speaker. She began to lip-sync along with the words, saying some of them aloud. She moved her body in choppy, contrived motions, running in place and bending her arm in the manner of a symphony conductor. She began to repeat the words again. She stuttered over them or said them in slow motion, sometimes doing both at once.

"Iiiiii jjjjuuuuussssttttt wwwwwaaaaaaannntttteeeeeeedddddd tooooooo leeeeettttt yoooooouuuu knnnnoooowwwww," she said. "I'm not doing a performance for the press. I-I-I am going, going, going, going, going."

Ms. Sagri ran to the back of the gallery and dropped her black outfit to the floor in one fluid motion. She hopped behind one of the wooden boards and grabbed a piece of clothing that was hanging from the wall. The recording still played on a loop, reminding everyone it was only a rehearsal. She was out of view for a little while.

"I'm still here!" she said kindly. "I'm in the back!"

She emerged wearing a white gown with a pink naked body printed on it. She strapped her feet onto two wooden blocks that were about a foot high and stood. Taller now, she scanned the room, making eye contact with members of the press. Then she repeated herself.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm not doing a performance for the press."