Cool Hunting

The Brooklyn Institute of Contemporary Art's branding goes, "Beyond Boundaries" and last Thursday's opening event (called "Living for the City") proved no exception to that. It was totally refreshing to see art works from all over the globe (literally) and such a diverse crowd of people chilling (sweating actually - no A/C!) and checking out young, old, emerging, and veteran painters, photographers, sculptors, and sound artists from India, Japan, Ethiopia, Spain, Mexico, and more. The work is colorful, conscious, and pleasant to ponder. Veteran curators and founders Trevor Schoonamker and Isolde Brielmaier culled the idea to open a new space for contemporary art in Brooklyn after witnessing the explosion in the creative community in the burgeoning borough. That said, many of these works are smarter and more relevant than anything I've seen in some of Manhattan's blue chip galleries for quite some time. (Not calling anyone out. Not yet.) And for the record, BICA isn't trying to compete - it doesn't have to. For more information visit the BICA web site; the opening show is up at Jack Shainman Gallery In Chelsea through August 5. BICA's projected opening date in Brooklyn is 2007.