Russian Culture Lesson #2: Go to Garage

Three years ago, oligarch Roman Abramovich’s girlfriend Dasha Zhukova decided she needed something to do and so she opened the Garage Center for Contemporary Art. The space is amazing – located inside a Soviet-era bus garage designed by architect extraordinaire Konstantin Melnikov. Zhukova, trained in homeopathic medicine and formerly a fashion designer, doesn’t have any art training (when asked by an interviewer who her favorite artists are, she once answered: “I’m, like, really bad at remembering names"). But she does have a vast network of connections and what the gallery has become best at is bringing in shows previously curated elsewhere.

Right now, there’s an exhibit up called Cuba in Revolution (it was originally exhibited at New York’s International Center of Photography last year). It’s amazing and well worth the trip. You can see some examples of the photos here. Also up for the next couple of days is Christian Marclay’s The Clock, a 24 hour film constructed from thousands of film clips featuring clocks and time. It’s mesmerizing.

Tomorrow, a new exhibit opens: New York Minute, featuring 50+ artists from the city with works exploring “the drama, danger and speed of New York.” Should be fun.