Sharks Eat Meat: October 2018

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

POP UP BOOK SHOP - Review

   Dayanita Singh’s works in the show “POP UP BOOK SHOP” blend the lines between traditional book formats and contemporary gallery photography. In a pop-up space in New York’s Lower East Side hosted by Callicoon Fine Arts are delicate and uniquely displayed black and white photographs. The works are presented in an original way that expands upon how people usually interact with the photography or book media.

   Uniquely crafted frames showcase the fact these photos are books, by allowing an opening on top of the frame to view and remove the books. While creatively bound books and zines are nothing new, the clean journalistic presentation here is superb. The photos are subtly lit, and full of detailed textures. They are warmly intimate and personable.

   While the Lower East side gallery scene can be as much of a gamble as Chelsea or Bushwick, Dayanita Singh’s show was refreshing. Check out their website and Callicoon Fine Art’s as well, and as always, check Sharks Eat Meat daily for all your art and culture news.

Review by John Coulter
@sharks_eat_meat
@callicoonfinearts
@dayanitasingh

DAY 2924 - Yosemite Falls with Containers

Mixed Media by Mary Iverson

Friday, October 19, 2018

Review | Esquina & Susan Brown

While La Esquina is known throughout New York for its amazing tacos, the space also host artists that not just rival but trump the shows you’d find in Chelsea.

Susan Brown’s painted series ‘Mother’ have all the charm and rawness of a folk artists like Howard Finster. The images use a grid and pattern to portray hundreds of figures, a format similar to a year book or Instagram feed. The simple gracefulness of the figures and the sheer variety makes each work enjoyable. Grab some amazing tacos and see the best art at La Esquina.

https://www.purevisionarts.org/artist/susan-brown/

@sharks_eat_meat

@purevisionarts

@esquinanyc

DAY 2920 - Vases!

SHARKS EAT MEAT's 8 YEAR ANNIVERSARY - 8 years of Daily Art.

Vases by Kristen Liu-Wong

NEW MUSIC ANNOUNCMENT

" It's a little early for Holiday announcements, but here is a sneak peak at a cool project by Jacob Sibi-Okumu. Singer Robert Varela collaborated with Sibi-Okumu adding passionate vocals to the synthy back beats. The track is funky and builds on past themes from holiday tunes that remind you of warm times growing up. " - John Coulter

Boston, Massachusetts, 2018 – Kenyan guitarist/producer/arranger Jacob Sibi-Okumu has collaborated with soulful singer, Robert Varela to give us an exclusive sneak peak to a refreshingly original holiday album.“The Joy Christmas Brings” is the title track of what will be a Christmas EP, geared towards embracing musical and cultural diversity. “This is a single that mixes elements of traditional Christmas jazz standards with contemporary funk and R&B inspired grooves,” says Sibi-Okumu. “It’s a song about Christmas that carries a musical mood and message for the whole year - Robert’s smooth vocals bridge a soothing gap between ‘jazz crooner’ and ‘soulmaster.’”

Check out a lyric video for “The Joy Christmas Brings” here!

The rest of the album, which will be released one song at a time across all platforms (including Spotify and YouTube) following Thanksgiving weekend all the way up to Christmas Eve, will see Sibi-Okumu collaborating with artists from all around the globe. After arranging the Bulgarian Christma ssong “Ч удоподарими(ChudoPodariMi)” last year, Sibi-Okumu felt inspired to create new Christmas music that would encompass styles ranging from traditionally expressive a capella to groovy African-inspired rhythms. “Christmas is a holiday that is celebrated all over the world,” says Sibi-Okumu. “The aim is to create a collection of new songs that uphold the traditional spirit of Christmas as we know it, and then juxtapose those songs with different cultural flavors that haven’t really been explored before commercially. It will hopefully be a little something for everyone - to help us celebrate where we come from and appreciate each other even more through the joy Christmas brings!”

Sibi-Okumu’s Kenyan upbringing, coupled with secondary and tertiary education in largely international environments (including the Berklee College of Music), has given him a unique outlook on cultural diversity. He has been an active guitarist for several international artists in the Massachusetts area including highly recognized Malagasy singer, Niu Raza who describes him as one of the ‘coolest guitarists.’

“He brings those African unique vibes to my music, which are impossible to replace when he cannot make my gigs because his sound is so unique!” she continues. Sibi-Okumu has also collaborated as an arranger/producer with various international musicians such as Japanese artist, Taiga Kunii, who describes him as “ one of the most uniquely versatile musical minds in popular music that [he’s] ever worked with.