The Lookout: A Weekly Guide to Shows You Won't Want to Miss by aia staff 01/26/12

With an ever-growing number of galleries scattered around New York, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Where to begin? Here at A.i.A., we are always on the hunt for thought-provoking, clever and memorable shows that stand out in a crowded field. Below is a selection of shows our team of editors can't stop talking about.

This week we check out Thomas Scheibitz's blocky, collage-inspired compositions at Tanya Bonakdar, wander among Ross Knight's elegantly spare sculptures at Team, and discover Japanese model/curator Mie through the eyes of 35 artists, in a group portrait show at Freight + Volume.

"Mie: A Portrait by 35 Artists" at Freight + Volume, through Feb. 25
Having posed for some 10 paintings by Alex Katz, Mie Itwatsuki—a Japanese model and independent curator based in New York—collaborated with dealer Nick Lawrence to solicit portraits of her by an additional 34 artists, ranging from Robert Frank to DJ Spooky, from New York's David Humphrey to China's Lin Yilin and Korea's Min Hyung (who, in one of the show's most imaginative leaps, depicts Itwatsuki as a male Maasai warrior in Kenya).

http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-opinion/finer-things/2012-01-26/the-lookout-01262012/

MIE: A PORTRAIT BY 35 ARTIST at FREIGHT + VOLUME Gallery

Mie, Maasai Warrior, Min Hyung, 2011, oil on canvas on board, 48 x 60 inches

Press Release

Long a muse and subject of many contemporary masters in the art world, curator/model Mie Iwatsuki joins forces with gallerist/curator/artist Nick Lawrence, of Freight+Volume, to create a very special, intimate portrait show, aptly titled MIE: A Portrait By 35 Artists….

GROUP EXHIBITION
Opening: January 21, 6 to 8pm

MIE: A PORTRAIT BY 35 ARTISTS
Co-Curated by Mie Iwatsuki and Nick Lawrence

Exhibition Dates: January 21 - February 25, 2012

Freight + Volume Gallery
530 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10011