Miriam Katzeff is the deputy director of Artists Space in new york. She is also the cofounder of Primary Information, a nonprofit publisher of artists' books, writings, and recordings.
1
STEVEN PARRINO (SKARSTEDT, NEW YORK)
With their broad range of subcultural and art-historical influences, Parrino’s twisted and torqued paintings often overwhelm their surroundings. Yet the grand setting of Skarstedt’s town house muted the harshness of this work, revealing its rich dialogue with postwar artists such as Lucio Fontana, Piero Manzoni, and Frank Stella. The combination of horror, violence, and punk nihilism that permeates Parrino’s art in other settings was not absent entirely, however: A selection of “Amphetamine Monster-Mill” collages, 1994, exposed a sinister undercurrent of disaster and dread.
2
RASHID JOHNSON, NATIVE SON
Johnson’s feature film updates Richard Wright’s classic
Artforum print subscribers have full access to this article. If you are a subscriber, sign in below.
Not registered for artforum.com?
SUBSCRIBE NOW at the discounted holiday rate of $45 a year—70% off the newsstand price—and receive the print magazine plus full online access to this issue and our archive.*
Order the PRINT EDITION of the December 2019 issue for $17 or the ONLINE EDITION for $5.99.
* This rate applies to U.S. domestic subscriptions.