The exhibition Sound & Vision goes live at Morrison Gallery Jan. 22.
The work of visionary David Bowie is being celebrated at Morrison Hotel Gallery, with Sound & Vision, a web-exclusive Bowie retrospective as seen through the singular lens of Mick Rock. The exhibition goes live January 22nd at morrisonhotelgallery.comand select works from it will be on view at Morrison Hotel Gallery’s New York City location, at 116 Prince Street.
This online exhibition explores the enduring, collaborative masterworks of two prolific artists spanning more than 30 years. From Rock’s renowned imagery of a bombastic Bowie to rarely-seen moments of unmasked intimacy, Sound & Vision offers a captivating and comprehensive look into the proliferation of a beloved icon and the fundamental role photography plays in capturing the staying power of thin air.
Rock is often considered “The Man Who Shot the 1970s,” and the iconic lensmen had privileged access to Bowie. Rock met Bowie in 1972 and became his official photographer for a time, shooting some of the most defining images of Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust finery. Rock also produced and directed the music videos for Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” “Jean Genie” and “John, I’m Only Dancing.” Rock passed away on November 18, 2021, and this retrospective will unveil rare pictures and feature renowned works from the legendary British photographer’s archive.
Silken-voiced siren Janita releases her latest single recalling passions of true love called simply, I Do.
This lovely number arrives on the heels of her triumphant October 2019 single release, Bliss I Once Had This, which garnered national TV, press, and media in the United States and in her native Finland. This new single recalls the passions of true love, and will be released on February 14th, 2020 (Valentine’s Day).
“I have a restless soul, an innate curiosity which pushes me to learn, and to change,” says Janita. “Uncharted territory is terribly exciting for me. I often feel like I’m on the edge of something new, even with those I’ve loved for years and years. I Do is about the renewal of one’s love for someone––love being the most thrilling of all uncharted territories––and a renewal of one’s commitment to exploring all the corners of the map of that relationship.”
I Do is an anthem of clarity and hope after the battles have been fought and lessons learnt; about opening your heart to the possibility of something better. It is all advice we can learn from and evolve as empathetic humans. What a Valentine.
Photo: Alice Teeple
Look around us, dear…It’s a new frontier
Janita stunned the audience during her last performance at Mercury Lounge, with her rich, emotional voice and commanding stage presence. At that show, she played an array of her past work and introduced some of the new songs from her upcoming album, Here Be Dragons.
Janita’s striking gender-bending look and mesmerizing ice blue eyes bring to mind Annie Lennox and Bowie’s Thin White Duke-era guise; her voice is pure lilting compassion. I Do is unapologetically full of heart: intelligent, thoughtful pop for those who have loved, lost, and are ready to get back in the saddle.
Janita’s new album, Here Be Dragons, arrives May 1st, 2020. “Here be dragons” means dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of a medieval practice of putting illustrations of dragons, sea monsters, and other mythological creatures on uncharted areas of maps where potential dangers were thought to exist. For those about to slay the next proverbial dragon, Janita salutes you with this soundtrack, released through independent label ECR Music Group.
Photo: Alice Teeple
Janita will perform at the legendary Rockwood Music Hall on the eve of the album’s release, April 30th. This is not to be missed.
Raquel Cion in Me & Mr. Jones, photo by Steven Menendez
Me & Mr. Jones: My Intimate Relationship with David Bowie is writer/performer Raquel Cion’s homage to the music icon’s artistry and his humanity, and to her own lifelong Bowie “soul love.” In her 90-minute cabaret performance at Pangea (178 Second Ave., New York), Cion takes us through her highs and lows, bracketed by David Bowie’s music, his life, and his death, told with humor, emotion, and passion. She describes her youthful misadventures growing up in Connecticut, her relationships, and her battle with breast cancer, and connects all of those things through the words and mysticism of an artist who meant so much, to so many.
The New York Times described Cion as “half witch… half cabaret performer,” and she lives up to that accolade. She is not an impersonator, or a cover artist. She seems somehow to embody the very spirit of David Bowie, the ultimate shape-shifter, the master of multiple personas, and the creative genius who challenged every single idea in the world of art, performance, music, and beyond.
Raquel Cion channels David Bowie, photo by Deborah Martin
Cion weaves her own story into the Bowie timeline, finding parallels with wry humor, sharing her pain, and her joy. She quotes Bowie, “I’m a born librarian with a sex drive,” and reveals that she is, in fact, a librarian. After the artist’s untimely death from cancer in 2016, Cion was diagnosed with breast cancer, and while being treated with radiation, she discovers that her tech’s name is Aladdin, like the Bowie alter ego, Aladdin Sane. She notes that during treatment she was a block away when Bowie’s art collection was auctioned off by Sotheby’s. She delights in the fact that her home in Brooklyn is in the same zip code as the Brooklyn Museum’s massive David Bowie Is retrospective, and slyly reveals that she found an error in one of the displays. Naturally she sought out the curator to inform him.
Cion is a true Bowie fan but this show is so much more than just a true fan’s tribute to a great artist. Her experience will resonate with anyone who has ever taken solace in music, with anyone who has been considered “other” in any capacity. It is a tale of love, and of finding something meaningful in a world that can sometimes work hard to strip away the meaningful things. Cion’s performance is theatrical and unapologetically emotional, and while the show is seen through the mournful lens of the death of David Bowie, it is also delivered with a spirit of joy, and a lesson about cultivating and celebrating individuality.
Me & Mr. Jones: My Intimate Relationship with David Bowie will return to Pangea on Friday, February 21 and Saturday, February 22, and again on March 13 and 14.
David Bowie left this dimension four years ago today, after liver cancer ravaged his mortal form. He was just 69 in Earth years, but his music and artistic legacy remain immortal. Ever productive ’til the bitter end, Bowie released Blackstar and the musical Lazarus, just weeks before his death: the mark of a true Capricorn.
This morning, on the anniversary of his passing, an anonymous street artist (or perhaps the Puckish spirit of David Bowie himself?) modified the Crosby Street entrance to the Broadway-Lafayette station.
Blink and you’ll miss it. The artist fashioned the usual BDFM subway letters into a modified “BOWIE 4,” for the four years he’s been gone. Underneath, stick on letters added to the entryway sign read “STATION TO STATION” in shiny futuristic letters, a nod to his 1976 album of that name.
The New York City Transit Authority itself weighed in on Twitter for the EV Grievetweet about the tribute:
Its subtlety is pure genius; it does take a moment to register, but it’s a touching tribute to the Starman. Looming above the station entrance is 285 Lafayette Street, Bowie’s former home.
The title track of Station To Station opens with the sound of passing trains, a nice tribute the sounds roaring below the pavement. Trains featured heavily in David Bowie’s lyrics, and he was known to ride the MTA anonymously, famously pretending to read a Greek newspaper to keep from being detected. Who knows, perhaps you too once sat next to him on the D train.
In 2018 the Broadway-Lafayette station became a virtual Bowie shrine as Spotify sponsored a promotion for the Brooklyn Museum retrospective that showcased the icon’s paintings, costumes, creations, instruments and personal items.
Hats off to you, anonymous street artist, hero/ine “just for one day.”
Since David Bowie passed away in January of 2016, tribute art collections, concerts and other events have helped fans and colleagues pay their respects. Now, in Maui, Los Angeles and the Morrison Hotel Gallery here in NYC, some of the best music photographers to ever pick up a camera chronicle the career of the late icon in their BOWIE exhibition.
Photographers Mick Rock & Bob Gruen. Photo: Courtesy of Dan Bassini
Legendary photographers Duffy, Gerald Fearnley, Lynn Goldsmith, Bob Gruen, Guido Harari, Markus Klinko, Geoff MacCormack, Terry O’Neill, Neal Preston, Mick Rock, Masayoshi Sukita and others combine their photography portfolios of David Bowie to create an exclusive, one-of-a-kind look into his life, love and pursuit of Rock ‘N’ Roll stardom. This exciting and nostalgic tribute is beckoning foot traffic from die-hard fans and celebrities alike, with recent gallery appearances by actress Mena Suvari and musician Billy Morrison.
Photo: Courtesy of Zack Whitford
BOWIE follows the late rock star from his shy beginnings as David Jones through his Ziggy Stardust and Thin White Duke eras before following him throughout the rest of his illustrious career and life as the very definition of “celebrity.” From vulnerable moments in the dressing room to instances of invincibility on stage in front of speechless, adulating crowds, this collection of some of the most telling photographs of the artist reveals every brilliant shade of The Man Who Fell to Earth.
The exhibition runs from February 23rd to March 23rd in the Morrison Hotel Galleries in Los Angeles, New York and Maui. All exhibited photos are for sale.
Art Miami — the leading producer of international contemporary and modern art fairs — will present the third edition of Art New York and the second edition of CONTEXT New York at Pier 94, opening Wednesday, May 3.
The two highly-anticipated fairs will showcase more than 120 international contemporary and modern galleries from 50 countries, representing more than 1,200 artists who have exhibited at Art Miami, Art Basel, Design Miami, The Armory Show, Masterpiece, Expo Chicago and Art Dealers Association Of America’s The Art Show. The sister art fairs will give collectors, curators and art advisors the opportunity to view and acquire the most prestigious works available to the market from the 20th and 21st centuries.
This year, Art New York will display the finest work of the modern, post-war and pop eras, and feature paintings, photography, prints, drawings, design and sculpture from masters including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Willem de Kooning and Ed Ruscha.
“This will be our most exciting year yet,” said Katelijne De Backer, Director of Art New York. “In addition to high quality blue chip works, we will be offering some truly unique immersive experiences, which promise to engage seasoned and new collectors alike. Art New York will be the perfect launch to New York Art Week, showcasing the most important works from the masters to the emerging artists ready to take fairgoers by storm.”
Gary Lichtenstein Editions will show images by famed photographer Bob Gruen and — for the first time — and works by Metallica’s Jason Newsted in the combined exhibition Rockers Rawk. Gruen’s exhibit features images of John Lennon, David Bowie, Debbie Harry and The Rolling Stones. Half of all sales from both artists will be donated to the Perry J. Cohen Foundation. On Saturday, May 6, the duo will be on-hand for a Q&A session.
“The fair will highlight a selection of work by emerging and mid-career artists that are primed to become contemporary masters within the next few years,” said CONTEXT New York Director Julian Navarro. “The artists for this year’s special projects are taking a vested interest in social awareness and are putting forth works that will drive visitors to ask questions and to participate in the ever-changing social conversation.”
