Yes, the Armory Art Show is happening right now—and so is Volta and SCOPE and NADA and Art on Paper and Spring/Break. NYC is on fire with art this weekend, but a ticket for the Armory alone will set you back the wallet busting sum of $47. And last year it was crowded as hell. Good news, North Brooklyn has a handful of FREE art events this weekend (including free massages as an unusual form of performance art, but who cares because it’s a free massage and dammit you DESERVE it) so you can get your culture on without breaking the bank.
1,000 Things / My First Solo Show
Dusty Rose Vintage | 251 Greenpoint Avenue
Opening Reception Friday, March 9th, 6–9 pm
More info
Jo Rosenthal’s works tell candid, self-reflective and intimate stories—she handpainted portraits of men she’s kissed and turned it into a zine, and a peek at her Instagram account shows fearlessly quirky selfies. She’s the non-annoying, gutsy art girl you both want to be bff’s with and weirdly aspire to become some day. For her show at Greenpoint vintage shop Dusty Rose, the walls will be covered with one thousand of her drawings, set at a palatable price of $10 each. And they won’t be hanging up for the entire show—buyers can take them home on the spot, so arriving earlier is advantageous if you’re looking to buy something or check out the breadth of her work. We also hear that her mom will be making cupcakes (adorable!), and there will be wine. Cupcakes, wine, truly affordable art, what more do you need on a Friday night?
FREE Massages, Miao Jiaxin Studio
Mothership NYC | 252 Green Street
Sign up for a 60-min time slot Saturday March 10, 12-6pm and Sunday March 11, 12-6pm. Email your name and phone number to info@mothership.nyc to reserve your spot.
More info
In a popup that’s purely artist as performance, artist Miao Jiaxin is offering up free hour long massage sessions as part of his latest immersive performance work, Miao Jiaxin Studio. In exchange for a Google review, Miao will provide a massage free of charge. According to the reviews, he sets the mood with candles and relaxing spa music. Where a lot of performance art is meant to make the audience uncomfortable, this piece will probably leave you feeling relaxed—provided you don’t think too hard about it. It examines the trust we put not only in online reviews, but also the intimate level of trust we assign to service providers that we discover via the internet.
Hiding In Plain Sight
SHIM | 289 Meserole Street
Opening Reception Friday, March 9th, 6–9pm; Artist Panel Discussion Sunday March 10th, 12pm
More info
This exhibit is the culmination of three years of art study for MFA students at Syracuse University and features painting, photography, sculpture, video, and installation. The theme Hiding in Plain Sight explores our current era of fake news and alternative facts by showing “inconspicuous opposition,” reflecting the ridiculousness of our current state of affairs. SHIM has its own unique gallery model, representing the under-represented by offering up space and applying the sharing economy to the art world.
NON GRATA: Worldwide Caravan of Performance Madness
Last Frontier NYC | 520 Kingsland Ave, 3rd Floor
Saturday, March 10, 9pm–1am
More info
This performance art/party promises a “lucid dream” with Estonian performance collective NON GRATA’s Diverse Universe Festival and Finnish art collective Kinobox. Judging from the vague info provided and images with wild costumes and fireballs, you can expect some weird and wild shit to go down.
Dyke TV
Light Industry | 155 Freeman Street
Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at 7:30pm (box office opens at 7pm)
Tickets $8, More info
Launching in 1993, Dyke TV was the first TV show ever from, by, and for lesbians and based out of NYC. The show dropped off around 2005 and past episodes are rare to come by. Light Industry will be screening some best-of segments from the mid 90s, followed by a Q&A with some of the shows founding women. The show’s “topics ranged from the killing of Brandon Teena and the conviction of Aileen Wuornos, to the latest Madonna sex-gossip and the daily joys and grievances of gay cowgirls, immigrants, athletes, cops, artists, you name it.”