Art & Culture:
This winter, Sperone Westwater gallery on the Lower East Side will mount a solo exhibition of recent work by artist Peter Sacks. Republic showcases paintings in which the layers of history, myth, ritualistic practices and literary references run deep and are deeply informed. The South Africa-born Sacks is an Oxford-educated Rhodes Scholar and Yale Ph.D. Since 1980,
he’s also been an English professor at Johns Hopkins and Harvard (where he still teaches).
Recently described in the pages of The New Yorker as “one of the most exciting painters in America” Sacks utilizes diverse, workaday materials like cotton, burlap, lace, wood and cardboard, some fleetingly imprinted with poetic texts typed on the cloth by the artist using a manual typewriter. Sacks also composes with fragments of Indian textiles, indigo blue cottons from South Africa, antique kimonos from Japan and embroidered linen from Normandy. The twisted, torn and joyful pieces of fabric evoke unfurled banners, flowing rivers, semaphore flags—and, in this new series, the skyline of American cities. The recycling of fabrics from the global textile trade suggests the labor involved in their making, while intimating a sense of impermanence and loss, migration and diaspora. Republic will run until March 13, 2021 and is one of the most unique things to do in New York City.
Shopping:
A celebration of scent, sight and sound, fragrance house D.S. & Durga is rooted in the power of cultural exploration, from music, art and nature to the aromas that accompany these landscapes. David and Kavi Moltz, the husband-and-wife duo behind the fragrance brand, recently opened a Brooklyn atelier in the heart of Williamsburg. The new outpost features a custom cast-in-place concrete island paired with a chandelier from Entler along with other eye-catching design elements. Technology plays a huge role in the store, with QR codes on display for each scent that will play a video describing it.
Food:
Frenchette, the 2019 James Beard award winner for Best New Restaurant located in Tribeca, recently opened a delectable new bakery on nearby Church Street. Offering unique takes on breads (purple barley and oats), pastries (twice-baked croissants with pistachio and hazelnut) and cookies (ginger molasses spelt), Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson’s bakery is sure to satisfy even the snobbiest carb lovers. Frenchette is taking precautions to keep customers safe and is currently available for take out and delivery via Caviar or you can visit the Crepe Truck at 45 Rockefeller Plaza.
Wellness:
The newest self-care destination in New York City has been strategically designed with COVID-19 restrictions as top priorities. The flagship Hydra Studios location on Wall Street opened on January 4, 2021 after construction halted in March due to the pandemic. The founders of this wellness studio, fitness oasis, and luxury outpost used this time to reimagine the space with new industry standards in mind to keep clients as safe as possible. “We immediately needed to rethink and redesign our studio and its operations, pivoting from creating a communal experience to a more private one,” says Hydra Studios co-founder Marie Kloor, who serves as the company’s CEO. At the Wall Street location you will find private suites reserved for individual fitness routines (featuring Peloton, MIRROR workout system, TRX, mats and light weights), locker rooms that include amenities and products from brand partners Brooklinen, Dyson, Verb, Blind Barber, Malin + Goetz, Way of Will, and Seed, as well as rainfall showers, steam rooms, and an infrared sauna to complete your experience. Schedule an individual session at Hydra Studios for a one-off work out or opt for a monthly membership.
Click here to discover other top wellness destinations in New York City.
