C12 Y THE NEW YORK TIMES, FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020
Nicola Tyson (@nicola_tyson)
The figures in Nicola Tyson’s drawings often
seem haunted: elongated bodies, faces
composed of blocky shapes filled in with
dense pencil marks. In one, above, that she
posted earlier this month, there are voids
where faces should be; the caption reads, in
a twist of dark humor, “Out for a stroll with
self.” The brooding intensity of these works
perfectly matches our current political and
social mood. Ms. Tyson balances them with
images of nature: donkeys, turtles, drops of
rain. Sometimes, there are stirring
resonances, as in a photo of the sky followed
by a rendering of a person who appears to
look back at it, searching the blue expanse
for a message or meaning.NICOLA TYSON AND PETZELUnited Statues of America (@unitedstatuesofamerica)
Monuments to colonizers and Confederate soldiers have been flash points of protest and debate over which
histories and individuals deserve commemoration. Rightly so. But the public art landscape of the United States
contains much more. On his account United Statues of America, Kevin Cranford Jr. catalogs mostly figurative
sculptures, many of which you’re less likely to know about: for example, a likeness of the Black and Native
American cowboy Bill Pickett wrestling a steer. Mr. Cranford, who travels often for his work as a trial consultant,
said his hobby of learning about places through their public art had turned into something of an obsession. His
project amounts to a quirky national portrait (with occasional posts of statues abroad), and I appreciate his
willingness to chronicle his subjects equally — the good, the bad, the problematic and the definitely weird.Coronavirus cases in New York are at a reassur-
ing low, and the state is on its way to reopening.
That includes art galleries, which are starting to
welcome people back, mostly by appointment. I
recently visited two, but am mostly remaining
cautious and spending the bulk of my time athome. At this point, everything in my apart-
ment looks incredibly uninteresting (except for
my cats), so I’m grateful that Instagram contin-
ues to provide a small portal of escape.
The accounts below make me feel, think and
see in new ways — something I’m always
searching for, but that feels especially vital
right now.New Ways to Notice the World
By JILLIAN STEINHAUERCarmen Argote
(@carmen.argote)The artist Carmen Argote lives in Los
Angeles, a city of cars, yet walking is
her “primary process,” she told Frieze
magazine last year. On her Instagram
account she captures poetic
moments from those jaunts: a
curving streak of red paint on a
concrete barrier, or her gloved fingers
seeming to pinch a light source like
the moon. She intersperses such
images with documentation of her
recent drawings, for which she harks
back to childhood by tracing her hand
to create a figure that recalls a dog.
These elements are part of a coming
solo exhibition, but there’s a
particular intimacy to watching them,
and Ms. Argote’s process, unfold on
social media. It’s a space well suited
to her ability to draw out depths of
possibility from simple materials and
actions.Works on Water
(@works_on_water)Walking the Edge was supposed to be a relay
walk of New York City’s 520 miles of
coastline. When the pandemic caused the
event to be postponed, the organizers deftly
transitioned to the internet, where they
found a way to give the project new life.
Since May, artists have taken over the
Instagram account of the organization Works
on Water each week to present images,
thoughts and prompts, one of which, from
Kamau Ware, is above. They often ask
questions: “Where do we begin and where
do we end?” wrote Mr. Ware, after inviting us
to consider how much of our bodies are
composed of water. The duo Carolyn Hall
and Clarinda Mac Low, working as Sunk
Shore, created a speculative tour of the
future banks of the East River. The posts
might inspire you to not only visit your
nearest waterfront, but also think about it
differently when you get there.Home Cooking (@homecooking)
In March, Asad Raza began talking to some friends. Disappointed by the content that art
institutions were sharing online, he and the artists Marianna Simnett, Dora Budor and
Precious Okoyomon, along with the curator and designer Prem Krishnamurthy, decided to
start an experiment in which artists could share work centered on experiences. More than 50
people have since contributed interviews, performances, cooking videos and more. New
content appears frequently and often in series: Tiffany Sia is currently reading aloud political
and theoretical texts every Saturday at midnight in Hong Kong. Home Cooking feels
unpredictable and unselfconscious — like a genuine experience in itself, born out of and
responding to conditions that are changing every day.CARMEN ARGOTE, VIA COMMONWEALTH AND COUNCILKEVIN CRANFORD JR.HANA MILETI/HOME COOKINGKAMAU WAREFive to Follow
THE INSTAGRAM ART ACCOUNTS THAT BRIGHTEN OUR CRITICS’ DAILY FEED.2003 FERRARI ENZO
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