MotherSister Brooklyn

So I stopped by Gallery Hanahou to pick up my beloved Assunta, and besides interviewing Kana and Gabe, I got a sneak preview of “Summer Sanctuary,” which opens tomorrow. Koko Nakano, Executive Creative Agent and Vice President of CWC International, guided me through the works, which were created specially for the show’s theme of imaginary summer escapes.

The illustrators include Chris Long, who uses Technicolor tones in his tropical scenes; Lotie, whose ink drawings feature nature teeming and rampant; Yuka Katagiri, who weaves intricate lines that seem to undulate as you study them; APAK!, a husband-and-wife team whose universe I’d love to escape to on a hot July day; and Marcus Oakley, whose works for the show include an irresistible owl. They’re all really great, but I think my personal favorites were Team Macho’s collage-like imagery (pictured above) and IMAKETHINGS’s killer skateboard decks (pictured below).

Tokyo-based CWC has been repping illustrators in New York since 1999, and it’s exciting to see Gallery Hanahou highlight an art that’s comparatively underappreciated in the U.S. Try to make it to the “Summer Sanctuary” opening reception tomorrow, July 19, from 6 to 9pm; rsvp to info@galleryhanahou.com. If you can’t make the opening, stop by before August 31 for a visual break from the steamy city.

Pictured from left to right: Gabriel Smith, Anna Hrachovec, Makiko Sasanuma, Koko Nakano, and Kana Togashi. Gallery Hanahou is at 611 Broadway, Ste. 730 (tel. 646/486-6586). Open Monday through Friday from noon to 6pm, Saturday by appointment only.

Saturday, July 14
Bastille Day Celebration at MoCADA, with children’s activities and French food
Free

Big City, Big Trees Celebration at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
From noon to 4:30pm
Free

Sunday, July 15
“Feeling Not So Fresh” by Radical Performance Group
at Union Square East, Broadway and 16th Street, Manhattan
From 1 to 8:20pm
Free

Friday, July 6
Signore & Signore: Leading Ladies of Italian Cinema festival at BAM
Showtimes 2, 4:30, 6:50, and 9:15pm (Fri/Sat/Sun ’til the 29th)
Tickets $11 adults, $7.50 students/seniors/children

Revolution as a Work in Progress (Black Rock Coalition) at the Whitney Museum
From 6pm
Free

Saturday, July 7
Weeksville Farmers Market opening day
From 9am to 1pm
Free

The Boredoms’ 77 DRUM at Brooklyn Bridge Park
From 4pm ’til dusk
Free (RSVP required)

Monday, July 9
The Bronx Is Burning premier on ESPN
10pm

Friday, June 29 (through Saturday, July 7)
Afro-Punk Film Festival at BAM
Tickets $11 adults, $7.50 students/children/seniors

Sunday, July 1
Afro-Punk Block Party, Clinton Avenue btw Willoughby and Myrtle
From noon to 5pm
Free

Wednesday, July 4
31st Annual 4th of July Fireworks
From 9pm
Free

Friday, June 22
Pierrot le fou screening (new 35mm print) at BAM
4:30, 6:50, and 9:15pm (through Tuesday the 26th)
Tickets $11

Saturday, June 23
Big Apple Convention (comics) in Midtown Manhattan
From 10am to 7pm (also Sunday)
Admission $11 (free for kids under 12)

Mermaid Parade (with Lady D’Arbanville herself!), Coney Island
From 2pm
Free

“Racial Dynamics in France” panel discussion, Brooklyn Central Library
From 3 to 5pm
Free

Monday, June 25
Bad Brains at Rocks Off Boat Cruise, World Yacht Marina
From 8pm
Sold out, suckas!

Tuesday, June 26
Manu Chao at the Prospect Park Bandshell
From 6:30pm
Tickets $30 (sold out, too?)

Wednesday, June 27
Günter Grass and Norman Mailer at NYPL
7pm
Tickets $15 ($5 seniors/students)

Thursday, June 28
Afro-Punk Festival: Discussion with Bobby Seale at BAM
From 7pm
Tickets $15

Saturday, June 16
Artisan Market at Fort Greene Park
From 9am to 6pm
Free

Juneteenth Arts Festival in Cuyler Gore Park (at Cumberland/Greene)
From noon to 6pm
Free

Renegade Craft Fair, Lorimer St. (btw Driggs/Bayard), Williamsburg
From 11am to 6pm
Free

Backyard Kids Disco at Beezu, 221 DeKalb Ave. (btw Clermont/Adelphi)
From 3 to 6pm
$10 adult, $5 child

Sunday, June 17
Edible Plant Walk, Central Park (at corner of 79th St. and Fifth Ave.)
From 2pm
$5

Clowns Without Borders Fundraiser at Brooklyn Lyceum
From 4 to 7pm
$10

Thursday, June 21
The Great NYC Sing, citywide
7pm sharp

Saturday, June 9 and Sunday, June 10
NYC Native American Heritage Celebration, Gateway NRA in Brooklyn
From 11am to 7pm
$10 adults, $5 kids and seniors, free for kids under age 6

Atlantic Avenue Artwalk, between Hicks St. and Flatbush Ave.
From 1 to 6pm
Free

Sunday, June 10
Loving Day Celebration at Solar 1, 23rd St./East River in Manhattan
From 3 to 7pm
Free

Puerto Rican Day Parade, Fifth Ave. from 44th to 86th St. in Manhattan
From 11am
Free

Wednesday, June 13
“The Future of Black America” lecture at Donnell Library in Manhattan
From 6:30 to 8pm
Free

Thursday, June 14
Juicebox!, the Co-op School fundraiser at Sputnik
8pm
$25

Pencil it in
June 16: Panela kid food tasting at Corduroy Kid, 613 Vanderbilt Ave. in Prospect Heights
June 21: The Great NYC Sing
June 26-27: Manu Chao at the Prospect Park Bandshell

I’ve been a fan of Stockholm-based illustrator Stina Persson’s work for some time now; somehow she makes even a cup of coffee look evanescent. I notice she has a “Products” page under construction on her website, and I’m pretty sure I’ll buy anything she sells with this image on it.

Gallery Hanahou is hosting a solo exhibit of Persson’s work until July 6, and I highly recommend catching it while you can. The show, “Immacolata and Her Friends,” features provocative images of Sicilian women, and it’s full of the dark, edgy beauty that characterizes Persson’s depictions of women. I couldn’t resist snapping up Assunta, below. What I especially love about this illustration — besides her defiant strength and razor-sharp sexuality — is that she could be any and every woman, ethnically speaking.

I can’t wait to see what Gallery Hanahou presents next. Kana Togashi (a Fort Greene girl) says their next show, “Summer Sanctuary,” is a group exhibit that opens on July 19. Details TK — watch this space.

Friday, June 1
First Friday at RePOP (68 Washington Ave.)
From 7:30 to 11pm
Free wine reception

Saturday, June 2
Faith Ringgold Talk at the Brooklyn Museum of Art
From 2 to 4pm
Free with museum admission

DUMBO Block Party, featuring Audra Rox, Toxic Muffin, and activities sponsored by the Brooklyn Children’s Museum
From 1pm to dusk
Free

Rooftop Films’ Summer Shorts in Fort Greene Park
9pm
Free

Sunday, June 3
Brownstone Brooklyn Garden District Garden Walk
From 11am to 5pm
Tickets $15 in advance, $20 same day; purchase at Tillie’s (248 DeKalb Ave.) or the BAM Triangle Garden (Fulton St./Lafayette Ave.)

Pencil it in
June 23: “Racial Dynamics in France” panel discussion at the Brooklyn Central Library
June 29–July 7: Afro-Punk Festival at BAM
July 14: Bastille Day Celebration at MoCADA