Featured Articles
The Stakes Are High:
An Interview with Noam Chomsky
Field Notes
No slight challenge, but the stakes are very high: literally, survival of organized human society in any decent form.
Æthelred Eldridge
by William CorwinArtSeen
There 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 McCoyArtSeen
In 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
Art Books
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 YarbroughMusic
Near 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?”
FROMTHE
CO-FOUNDER&ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
CO-FOUNDER&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.
GUESTCRITIC
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.
CRITICSPAGE
- 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
- 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 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
- No Man’s Land: Women Artists from the Rubell Family Collection by Joyce Beckenstein
- Siah Armajani by Jonathan Goodman
- Black Pulp! by Terence Trouillot
Table of Contents
Art
ArtSeen
- 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 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
- No Man’s Land: Women Artists from the Rubell Family Collection by Joyce Beckenstein
- Siah Armajani by Jonathan Goodman
- Black Pulp! by Terence Trouillot
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
- 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
- Brooklyn Rail Highly Selective Music Events
- LIMPE FUCHS with Cammisa Buerhaus
- 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
- India, Illuminating and Inspiring by Ryan Wenzel
- End of Party Ionesco Meets Beckett by Ivan Talijancic
Film
- 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
- 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
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 A Talk with Taylor Larsen, author of Stranger, Father, Beloved (Gallery Books) by Alec Niedenthal
- 23 Clinton Street by Tom Daly
- Tragic Strip by T. 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
Editor's Message
- What is Criticism, Now? by David Levi Strauss
Co-Founder's Message
- Dear Friends and Readers, by Phong Bui
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