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The Stakes Are High:
An Interview with Noam Chomsky
No slight challenge, but the stakes are very high: literally, survival of organized human society in any decent form.
Æthelred Eldridge
By William CorwinThere is little to guide one through the twistings and turnings of the fervid imaginings and aphorisms of Æthelred Eldridge in this beautifully curated exhibition at Essex Flowers, but the enigmatic approach is in keeping with the artist’s own practice of ambiguous and oracular image-making and writing.
Carolee Schneemann
By Ann McCoyIn this time of war and uncertainty, Carolee Schneemann, the best artist embodiment of Aphrodite we have, has brought us two exhibitions that take us, with her uncompromising authenticity, into places rarely visited.
A YEAR IN ART BOOKS
Negative Publicity: Artefacts of Extraordinary Rendition
By Benjamin Gottlieb
To mark the end of the year, the Rail’s Art Books editors, Ben Gottlieb, Phillip Griffith, and Greg Lindquist, and Managing Director Sara Christoph each selected a notable book from the past year to share with our readers. This is not a list of the best books of the year. Instead, it is an informal survey meant to highlight the diversity of art book publishing now.
I Thought That We Were Winning: In Remembrance of Leonard Cohen
By Marshall YarbroughNear the end of James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen Dedalus is explaining to his friend Cranly that he is leaving the Catholic church. Cranly asks if he intends to become a Protestant. Dedalus responds, “What kind of liberation would that be to forsake an absurdity which is logical and coherent and to embrace one which is illogical and incoherent?”
From the Publisher & Artistic Director
Dear Friends and Readers,
By Phong BuiLike many Americans, and many others around the world, we were profoundly saddened by the news of Donald J. Trump’s electoral-college victory as the president.
Editor's Message Guest Critic
What is Criticism, Now?
By David Levi StraussThe election of Donald Trump as President of the United States is a self-inflicted wound that will not heal anytime soon. It will fester and infect other parts of the Social Body for years to come.
Critics Page
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Reparative Criticism
– By Kareem Estefan -
A Shelter for Shadows
– By Sam Swasey -
Critics of the Corners
– By Alexandra Nicolaides -
Criticism and Civility
– By Jessica Holmes -
Why I Am Not a Tech Writer
– By Will Fenstermaker -
How to Value Criticism?
– By Noah Dillon -
What is Art Criticism?
– By Clay Matlin -
The Promise of Mutability
– By Emmanuel Iduma -
Embracing the Unseen
– By Aimee Walleston -
The Ineluctable Task
– By Eric Sutphin -
Words as Necessities
– By Sabrina Mandanici -
Art Is Our Last Hope
– By Tatiane Schilaro -
Critical Catastrophes
– By Amelia Rina -
Dear Grace & Quinn
– By Charles Schultz -
A Sequence of Coherent Words
– By Sara Christoph
ArtSeen
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Philip Guston: Laughter in the Dark
– By William Corbett -
Max Beckmann in New York
– By Tom McGlynn -
William Eggleston The Democratic Forest
– By Sara Christoph -
Beverly Buchanan Ruins and Rituals
– By Jared Quinton -
Gimme Shelter
– By Michelle Standley -
The Democracy of Touches: A New Reading of Richard Pousette-Dart
– By Phong Bui -
Carrie Mae Weems
– By Matthew Biro -
Pipilotti Rist Pixel Forest
– By Lara Atallah -
Æthelred Eldridge
– By William Corwin -
Doris Salcedo The Materiality of Mourning
– By Timothy Francis Barry -
Kerry James Marshall Mastry
– By Hovey Brock -
Zao Wou-Ki No Limits
– By David Carrier -
Ragnar Kjartansson Scenes from Western Culture/Architecture and Morality/World Light
– By Jason Rosenfeld -
Carolee Schneemann
– By Ann McCoy -
Alex Da Corte A Man Full of Trouble
– By Osman Can Yerebakan -
Tetsumi Kudo
– By Ciara Moloney -
Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art 1905-2016
– By Charlene K. Lau -
Decolonize This Place
– By Terence Trouillot -
Julia Rommel Man Alive
– By Phong Bui -
Leah Raintree: Another Land: After Noguchi
– By Taney Roniger -
Black Pulp!
– By Terence Trouillot -
Francis Picabia: Our Heads Are Round so Our Thoughts Can Change Direction
– By Jason Rosenfeld -
No Man's Land: Women Artists from the Rubell Family Collection
– By Joyce Beckenstein -
Siah Armajani
– By Jonathan Goodman -
Reflections on The Sea is Mine: 2016 Qalandiya International in Palestine
– By Elliot Josephine Leila Reichert -
MICHAEL MANDIBERG | SIMON DENNY
– By Ian Cofre
Table of Contents
Co-Founder's Message
-
Dear Friends and Readers,
– By Phong Bui
Editor's Message
-
What is Criticism, Now?
– By David Levi Strauss
Art
-
AI WEIWEI with Phong Bui
-
TROY BRAUNTUCH with Allie Biswas
-
PRABHAVATHI MEPPAYIL with Laila Pedro
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RUSSELL CONNOR with Eleanor Heartney
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When Artists Choose Artists
– By Joyce Beckenstein -
SARAH SCHULMAN with Jarrett Earnest
-
Carolee Schneemann with Jarrett Earnest
ArtSeen
-
Philip Guston: Laughter in the Dark
– By William Corbett -
Max Beckmann in New York
– By Tom McGlynn -
William Eggleston The Democratic Forest
– By Sara Christoph -
Beverly Buchanan Ruins and Rituals
– By Jared Quinton -
Gimme Shelter
– By Michelle Standley -
The Democracy of Touches: A New Reading of Richard Pousette-Dart
– By Phong Bui -
Carrie Mae Weems
– By Matthew Biro -
Pipilotti Rist Pixel Forest
– By Lara Atallah -
Æthelred Eldridge
– By William Corwin -
Doris Salcedo The Materiality of Mourning
– By Timothy Francis Barry -
Kerry James Marshall Mastry
– By Hovey Brock -
Zao Wou-Ki No Limits
– By David Carrier -
Ragnar Kjartansson Scenes from Western Culture/Architecture and Morality/World Light
– By Jason Rosenfeld -
Carolee Schneemann
– By Ann McCoy -
Alex Da Corte A Man Full of Trouble
– By Osman Can Yerebakan -
Tetsumi Kudo
– By Ciara Moloney -
Dreamlands: Immersive Cinema and Art 1905-2016
– By Charlene K. Lau -
Decolonize This Place
– By Terence Trouillot -
Julia Rommel Man Alive
– By Phong Bui -
Leah Raintree: Another Land: After Noguchi
– By Taney Roniger -
Black Pulp!
– By Terence Trouillot -
Francis Picabia: Our Heads Are Round so Our Thoughts Can Change Direction
– By Jason Rosenfeld -
No Man's Land: Women Artists from the Rubell Family Collection
– By Joyce Beckenstein -
Siah Armajani
– By Jonathan Goodman -
Reflections on The Sea is Mine: 2016 Qalandiya International in Palestine
– By Elliot Josephine Leila Reichert -
MICHAEL MANDIBERG | SIMON DENNY
– By Ian Cofre
Critics Page
-
Reparative Criticism
– By Kareem Estefan -
A Shelter for Shadows
– By Sam Swasey -
Critics of the Corners
– By Alexandra Nicolaides -
Criticism and Civility
– By Jessica Holmes -
Why I Am Not a Tech Writer
– By Will Fenstermaker -
How to Value Criticism?
– By Noah Dillon -
What is Art Criticism?
– By Clay Matlin -
The Promise of Mutability
– By Emmanuel Iduma -
Embracing the Unseen
– By Aimee Walleston -
The Ineluctable Task
– By Eric Sutphin -
Words as Necessities
– By Sabrina Mandanici -
Art Is Our Last Hope
– By Tatiane Schilaro -
Critical Catastrophes
– By Amelia Rina -
Dear Grace & Quinn
– By Charles Schultz -
A Sequence of Coherent Words
– By Sara Christoph
Books
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Intimations and Hints
– By Weston Cutter -
The Underground Railroad
– By Weston Cutter -
Requiem for a Great America
– By Joshua Alvarez -
What the Darkness Was For
– By Dustin Illingworth -
A Poet’s Guide to Death
– By Gillie Collins -
A Poet is a Mood
– By J. C. Hallman -
Flower or Whip?
– By John Domini -
DAN SIMON with Phong Bui
-
By Godlis! DAVID GODLIS with Jacquelyn Gallo
Music
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Brooklyn Rail Highly Selective Music Events
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LIMPE FUCHS with Cammisa Buerhaus
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The Return of the Legendary Pink Dots
– By Dan Joseph -
The Maestro and His Double
– By Jeff Tompkins -
Outtakes
– By Steve Dalachinsky -
I Thought That We Were Winning: In Remembrance of Leonard Cohen
– By Marshall Yarbrough -
Diary of a Mad Composer
– By George Grella
Dance
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India, Illuminating and Inspiring
– By Ryan Wenzel -
End of Party Ionesco Meets Beckett
– By Ivan Talijancic
Film
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Idle in Ireland: Albert Serra’s Singularity
– By Samuel Adelaar -
Drifting Architectures: Deborah Stratman’s The Illinois Parables
– By Joe Bucciero -
Wild and Vocal: Flaherty NYC Autumn 2016
– By Irina Leimbacher -
Artist and Models: Bresson’s Interviews and Writings
– By Michael Blum -
Urban Legend: Matt Tyrnauer’s Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
– By Erica Peplin
Theater
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Letter From Queens: Reflections on a Homegrown Disruption
– By Ben Gassman -
From Great Lakes to Porto KATE BENSON with Ariel Stess
-
Manifesting Destiny Playwrights Traverse the Theater and TV Divide
– By Addie Johnson Talbott -
Playwright, Citizen, Educator Lucy Thurber at The New School
– By Emily Morse -
Breaking the Theatrical Fundraising Mold Lesser America Launches The Dare Fund
– By Dorit Avganim -
Exponentially Inclusive: Brooklyn’s January Performance Festival
– By Adam R. Burnett -
In Mariah MacCarthy’s World, “Weirdos” Take the Lead
– By Leah Nanako Winkler
Fiction
-
The Manifesto of the 121 (On the Right to Refuse Military Service)
– translated from the French by Mitchell Abidor -
an extract from Fractals in a Box
– by Luis Othoniel Rosa, translated from the Spanish by Noel Black -
inSerial: part four Delusions of Being Observed
– By Lewis Warsh -
LOST AND FOUND ANIMALS a misplaced bestiary Part 4: Sound Spiders (Sondifera terrastis)
– By Sid Gershgoren -
New Routes in Fiction: TAYLOR LARSEN with Alec Niedenthal
-
23 Clinton Street
– By Tom Daly -
Tragic Strip
– By Tom Motley
Poetry
-
Jury
– By Ann Lauterbach -
Seven
– By Barbara Jane Reyes -
Three
– By Edwin Torres -
Three
– By Andrei Codrescu -
Homage to Ralph Nader
– By Garrett Caples -
My Little Envoi, For Nancy, Travis, and Roswell
– By Jennifer Bartlett -
Make America Again
– By Greg Fuchs -
Trump Morning, A Grief Sequence
– By Sue Landers -
Opinion Sonnet
– By John Yau -
A nasty woman has a vision
– By Allison Cobb -
November 9th, 2016
– By Robert Booras -
Four
– By Uche Nduka
Verbatim
Art Books
-
ON DONALD JUDD’S WRITINGS Mirror and Bridge
– By Greg Lindquist -
“Judd’s Answer”
– By Colleen Asper -
bent reflections: a response to Judd’s writings
– By Joan Waltemath -
Reply to “It’s Hard to Find a Good Lamp”
– By Jose Dávila -
Distance Learning
– By Ethan Greenbaum -
God is Dead! Painting is Dead?
– By James Kalm -
[Untitled]
– By Marjorie Welish -
6 September 1986
– By Martha Tuttle -
A YEAR IN ART BOOKS Negative Publicity: Artefacts of Extraordinary Rendition
– By Benjamin Gottlieb -
Working Conditions: The Writings of Hans Haacke
– By Greg Lindquist -
Float
– By Phillip Griffith -
How To See the World: An Introduction to Images, from Self-Portraits to Selfies, Maps to Movies, and More
– By Sara Christoph
Field Notes
-
SPECIAL SECTION: AFTER THE ELECTION
– Editor's Note by Paul Mattick -
The Stakes Are High: An Interview with Noam Chomsky
-
The Road Not Taken
– By Steve Fraser -
Donald J. Trump, or How He Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Establishment
– By Adam Theron-Lee Rensch and Nicoletta Rousseva -
The Presidential Election of 2016: The Rise of the Kakistocracy
– By Peter St. Clair -
A Door to the Unknown
– By Jose A. Tapia -
Delete Your Account: A Brief History of an Election Night Collapse
– By Dane A. Wisher -
Infinite Crisis
– By Jacob Blumenfeld -
White Noise: Gun Deaths in the Background
– By Stephanie Skaff -
Take It Off!: An Evening on the Jersey Shore with God and Michael Bolton
– By Dane A. Wisher
The Well
-
KGB Bar
– By Mitchell Kuga
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