by Francis Lewis
Chemistry
photos: falstaff, © catherine ashmore / royal opera; mariko mori, “ring,” 2012, © faou foundation, new york. photo: royal academy of arts / london / m. leith; al hirschfeld, “jack lemmon,” © the al hirschfeld foundation; alvin ailey american dance theater’s alicia graf mack and jamar roberts, andrew eccles; winter’s eve, lincoln square bid; chris botti, dino perrucci
The Ring Cycle Rebirth: Recent Work by Mariko Mori is the Japanese pop artist’s first solo exhibition in New York in more than 10 years, an ambitious multimedia, immersive installation consisting of 35 interrelated sculptures, drawings, photographs, sound and video works, dating from the period 2001-2013. Mori (b. 1967) takes as her theme the circle of life, from birth to death to birth anew. She has divided the exhibition into four thematic units: Emergence, Origin, Rupture and Rebirth. It is in the first section, Emergence, that visitors confront “Ring” (right, 2012), a Lucite sculpture, four feet in diameter, which acts as the prelude to and summation of the exhibit’s narrative. Suspended from and in front of the waterfall in the Japan Society’s indoor water and bamboo lobby garden, the work symbolizes the life force, which is not only cyclical but also continuous, having neither beginning nor end.
» Japan Society, 333 E. 47th St., 212.832.1155, thru Jan. 12
There are partnerships in ballet that make the heart—and time itself—stand still. Perhaps the most idolized pairing from yesteryear is that of Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. The Fonteyn and Nureyev of today may very well be Alicia Graf Mack and Jamar Roberts of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (below). Audiences fall under their spell, so well-matched are they in grace and stature—she has legs that go on forever, while he rises to an Olympian 6 feet 4 inches. “Liquid, seamless sexuality” is how the critic for California’s Berkleyside news site praised their performance in April in choreographer Jiri Kylian’s “Petite Mort.” » Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Center, 131 W. 55th St., 212.581.1212, Dec. 4-Jan. 5
Where’s Nina? In his distinguished and thankfully long career as a caricaturist, Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003) immortalized showbiz greats. To be “Hirschfelded” was a sure sign that one had arrived. But it was on his daughter, Nina, born in 1945, that he arguably bestowed the greatest fame. Following her birth, he began to hide her name in most of his drawings. Searching for “Nina” soon became a game for his legions of fans. Can you spot the “Nina” in the 1979 drawing of actor Jack Lemmon (left), included in the New York Public Library’s retrospective? Hint: Check out the fringe of hair at the nape of Lemmon’s neck. And for even more Hirschfelds, visit Henri Bendel department store, whose main window and holiday installation pay homage to the incomparable artist. » The Line King’s Library: Al Hirschfeld at The New York Public Library, Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, 40 Lincoln Center Plz., 917.275.6975, thru Jan. 4; Henri Bendel, 712 Fifth Ave., 212.247.1100, thru Jan. 2
dec. 17-Jan. 5
dec. 17-28
2013 Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter Chris Botti toots his own horn during a three-week holiday engagement at the Blue Note. 131 W. 3rd St., 212.475.8592
Singer, pianist and leading proponent of the Great American Songbook, Michael Feinstein entertains at Birdland. 315 W. 44th St., 212.581.3080
Dec. 25 The New York Knicks play the Oklahoma City Thunder in newly renovated Madison Square Garden. Seventh Ave., btw W. 31st & W. 33rd sts., 877.465.6425
for more “Skyline” news, turn to entertainment (p. 56), museums (p. 76) and visit innewyork.com
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