James Kalm is out on a brisk late April afternoon aimlessly drifting through the East Village and the lower East Side. Although he’d started out with vague ideas about shows he’d like to visit, the cosmic current of circulation through the city is directing him in unexpected ways. First stop is a tour through another Karl Wirsum show. Kalm brought viewers along for a viewing of the other half of this show last week at Matthew Marks, and it was pure happenstance that he caught the last hour of this show at Derek Eller. Down to the Two Bridges neighborhood, where we walk through a mini retrospective of Mira Schor titled “WET”. Featuring works from Schor’s distinguished career of nearly fifty years, “WET” references the body fluids and “goop” of the female body, as well as the nature and potential of paint to express the experience of living in such a body. On to Stanton Street and a visit to the new JJ Murphy Gallery. “Looking Back at Tomorrow” is Brickhouse’s first solo show in New York in nearly ten years. Many of these quirky works have been accumulating paint and ideas for years, and the resulting pictures have a surface the appears almost geological, rather than painterly. A musical introduction is provided by Jimi Celest. This program was recorded April 20, 2024. #jameskalmreport #jameskalmroughcut #lorenmunk