Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – TUESDAY, JAN. 14, 2014

Parsons Dance (through Jan 26)
“Parsons Dance brings its blend of athleticism, stunning ensemble work, and pure joy to the stage for evenings of high-energy dance. The program includes the world premiere of David Parsons’ For EK, set to music by Steve Reich, a multi-media experience using the work of major American 20th century painters as a visual backdrop.

The season also includes Nascimento Novo, performed to music by South American legend Milton Nascimento and Caught, the stroboscopic masterwork that continues to wow audiences around the world. In addition, four special family matinees will include kid-friendly repertory and an opportunity to meet the dancers.” (NYC guide)
Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave.,
At 7:30 pm / $35-$59
212-242-0800, joyce.org

Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates shares his memoir, Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War, during his only New York City book tour stop.
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, at Richard Gilder Way (77th St.)
At 6:30 p.m./ $30
212-873-3400 / www.nyhistory.org

Habitats: Private Lives in the Big City.
Explore the private lives of New York City with author of Habitats: Private Lives in the Big City Constance Rosenblum. She was also the longtime editor of The New York Times‘s City section and former editor of the paper’s Arts and Leisure section.
Skyscraper Museum, 39 Battery Place
AT 6:30 p.m. / FREE
212-968-1961 / skyscraper.org

David Broza
“A superstar in his native Israel, Mr. Broza regularly visits New York to croon his evocative folk-rock. (He has also called Cresskill, N.J., his home.) His next album, “East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem” (S-Curve), for which he tellingly covers Nick Lowe’s peaceable jam “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace Love and Understanding,” will be released on the day of this show.” (Anderson-NYT)
Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th Street, Chelsea,
At 8 p.m./$30 to $45 at the door.
414-5994,highlineballroom.com

Ute Lemper: Last Tango in Berlin
“Whether attracting or repelling her audiences, the superb international chanteuse Ute Lemper is never less than magnetic. Her style is perversely polymorphic: One moment she tears into a song with predatory hunger, then she might purr out a dreamy croon or toss back her head for a brassy squeal of jazz. At 54 below, she applies her subversive irony and aquiline glamour to a polyglot selection of songs from around the world.”
(TONY mag)
54 Below, 254 W 54th St (btw Broadway and Eighth Ave)
9:00pm / $40–$60 plus $25 minimum
866-468-7619 / 54below.com

Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change. ===============================================================================

Chelsea is the heart of the NYCity contemporary art scene. Home to more than 300 art galleries, the Rubin Museum, the Joyce Theater, and The Kitchen performance spaces, there is no place like it anywhere in the world.

Come here to browse free exhibitions by world-renowned artists and those unknowns waiting to be discovered in an art district that is concentrated between West 18th and West 27th Streets, and 10th and 11th Avenues.

Afterwards stop in the Chelsea Market, stroll on the High Line, or rest up at one of the many cafes and bars and discuss the fine art – my fave is Ovest on W 27th St., where the aperitivo is like Happy Hour on steroids.

WHAT’S ON VIEW: Here are 3 Special Exhibitions in Chelsea Galleries that you may want to see:

Bing Wright (through Jan 18)
Over the years, Wright’s photography has been marked by a focus on surface as metaphor for the photograph itself, with his work achieving a poetical stillness as a result. The photos here, for example, include his color series “Broken Mirror/Evening Sky,” in which the setting sun is seen reflected within the cracks of a shattered mirror, scattering the oranges and violets of dusk to an almost stained-glass effect.
Paula Cooper Gallery 521 W 21st St, (between Tenth and Eleventh Aves)
Tue-Sat 10am-6pm
212-255-1105 / paulacoopergallery.com

“Martin Thompson: Positive/Negative” (through Jan 18)
This self-taught artist and mathematician from New Zealand creates mind-bogglingly intricate felt-tip pen drawings on graph paper that resemble the pixelated results of an Amish quilt mating with an old-school video game such as Pac-Man or Space Invaders.

Each piece is made according to a numerical formula that Thompson follows as he precisely fills in each square. When he makes a mistake, which he sometimes does, he excises the offending part of the composition with a scalpel, replacing it with a Scotch-taped piece of corrected paper that exactly fits over the elided area—creating, in the bargain, a textural effect. Suffering from a mental disorder that makes it difficult for him to interact with people, Thompson views making art as a coping mechanism for dealing with the world.
Ricco/Maresca Gallery, 529 W 20th St, third floor, (btw 10th/11th ave)
Tue–Sat 11am–6pm
212-627-4819 / riccomaresca.com

Richard Serra, “New Sculpture” (until Sat. Jan. 25, 2014)
Gagosian’s double dose of Richard Serra presents dueling sides of the sculptor: the popular artist name checked in a Vampire Weekend song, and the confrontational figure familiar from his earlier career.

The gallery’s West 21st Street location presents the former in fine form, with a single massive work. Curling ribbons of steel, set on edge and towering to ceiling height, nestle together to create Serra’s signature bowing and curving of space. They swallow viewers up in a phenomenological ecstasy one usually associates with, say, walking along a narrow canyon. The metal’s russet color only adds to the sensation of experiencing something more natural than man-made.

The tone, if not the scale, of the work shifts on West 24th Street, with a group of sculptures and nary a bend in sight. Hard-edged steel plates, patinated a carceral gray, get in your way like barricades around a government building. A set of enormous blocks serves as a memorial to the recently deceased sculptor Walter De Maria, a friend of Serra’s. Experiential warmth gives way to cold truths as Serra employs his legendary toughness to challenge not only gravity, but death itself.—(Howard Halle/TONY mag)
Gagosian Gallery, 522 W 21st St, btw 10th/11th Aves
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
212-741-1717 / gagosian.com

For a listing of 25 essential galleries in the Chelsea Art Gallery District, organized by street, which enables you to create your own Chelsea Art Gallery crawl, see the Chelsea Gallery Guide (nycgo.com)

Or check out TONY magazine’s list of the “Best Chelsea Galleries” and click through to see what’s on view.

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For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in the right Sidebar: “Selected Events + Special Exhibitions : Manhattan’s WestSide” dated (01/12) and (01/10).