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Reviews

Twice a week, Sasha Patkin reviews Boston-area cultural events, art exhibitions and restaurants, as part of the Independent Review Crew.

More about Patkin.

By Sasha Patkin - 1/4/24 - 2:27 pm
Detail of In Harmony #86

Detail of In Harmony #86.

It's often said that photography is one of the hardest art forms by which to create anything original. Nature photography has always felt to me as particularly hard hit by this phenomenon. There's so much beauty inherent in nature that it seems especially difficult for a photographer to avoid trite, overseen tropes, lend a unique perspective, or tell a story that hasn't already been told. As anyone who has ever tried to photograph a landscape can attest to, attempting to convey the vastness and wonder of nature into a flattened, limited frame, stripped away from all other sensation, almost invariably leads to disappointment. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 12/26/23 - 10:05 am
 'Gluskabe Comes Home' by Richard Steitmatter-Tran

'Gluskabe Comes Home' by Richard Steitmatter-Tran.

Sitting in the middle of a gallery at MassArt Art Museum is a giant beaver. Ripping out of its belly in horror-movie fashion is what seems to be an infant.

The effect is disorientating, strange, and perhaps a little morbidly comical. It's weird, and that may be the point. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 12/20/23 - 9:07 am
The T-Rex nativity at 61 Putnam

The T-Rex nativity at 61 Putnam.

How many different ways can you decorate your yard for the holidays? You might opt for the classy, minimal look with classic winter colors. You might choose a whimsical aesthetic with bright and multicolored lights, or you might prefer an over-the-top look with giant inflatables. Or, if you're 61 Putnam St. in Somerville, you might decide to create a portal to a prehistoric hellscape featuring a T‑Rex nativity and elves being torn to shreds by the skeletons of demon hellhounds while a raptor skeleton in a Santa hat flies overhead. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 12/17/23 - 12:02 pm
Atikilit Beyayinetu

Atikilit Beyayinetu.

As the weather turns from bright and autumnal to dull early winter, corners of Boston can feel like rows of endless gray, beige, and brick. This was the oppressively drab mood as we headed through Malden last week, past leafless trees and dead, brown yards in search of some lunch. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 12/10/23 - 3:44 pm
Cast of The Band's Visit. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

Cast of The Band's Visit. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.

“Once, not long ago, a group of musicians came to Israel from Egypt. You probably didn't hear about it. It wasn't very important."

So begins The Band's Visit, with three sentences written in Hebrew, Arabic, and English and projected on a screen over the stage. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 12/7/23 - 9:29 am
The cast of T: An MBTA Musical

The cast of T: An MBTA Musical. Photo by Dan Fox.

Loving to hate the absurd incompetence of the T is a time-honored Boston tradition as old as the train itself. The cathartic experience of venting about the T is a bonding and a uniting force of frustration in a diverse city, as easy to spark a conversation with as talking about the weather.

T: An MBTA Musical proudly carries on this tradition. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 12/1/23 - 3:05 pm
Veggie pide

Veggie pide.

Close your eyes. Imagine a sunny corner cafe with tiny outdoor tables, where there are always people milling about and chatting. A place that is open until 3 in the morning six days a week. The space is small, but the staff is neighborly and attentive, the menu is full of items you won't find anywhere else, and the bakery cases are full of colorful treats.

Are you on an international vacation? Is the smell of falafel drifting from a Mediterranean cafe? Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 11/24/23 - 1:58 pm
From Motherhood Undone

"I never expected to be a mother," Jennifer McClure writes in her artist statement. "I was forty-six when she was born, and I spent twenty-one days in the hospital after. When I got home, we had a long process of getting to know each other. She became more of her own person, while I let go of the self I thought I knew." Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 11/22/23 - 9:35 am
Adrian Todd Zuniga hosting Boston's 17th Literary Death Match

Adrian Todd Zuniga hosting Boston's 17th Literary Death Match.

When I think of a literary reading, I think of cardigan sweaters, stuffy rooms, and restrained academic earnestness. When I think of a death match, I think of an all-out, no holds barred, brutal and unholy spectacle.

So if I hear of something called a "Literary Death Match," there's a 100 percent chance I'll attend. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 11/14/23 - 9:00 pm
Decorated lunchbox

One of the lunchboxes created at a Boston workshop.

When did you realize that you were different?

For most of us, there isn't just one singular moment. We have entire lifetimes of collected memories where we come in and out of focus, blending in and contrasting against the world around us and noticing how we, our cultures, our families, or our traditions are or are not the norm.

The idea of a "lunchbox moment" has emerged as one such familiar point of connection for many within the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. It can be defined as a formative moment in which a traditional Asian meal was brought to school and elicited some sort of reaction from non-Asian peers. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 11/12/23 - 1:16 pm
Dried bean curd salad

Dried bean curd salad. Photo by Sasha Patkin.

When we think of comfort food - food that warms our hearts and bodies and makes the world OK again - we think of noodles. Ramen, pho, macaroni and cheese. There's nothing like coming inside from a brisk fall day and sitting down to food that's clearly been prepared with care and delighting in the comforting textures and sensations of a warm noodle dish.

That's exactly what we found at Home Taste. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 11/7/23 - 2:54 pm
Jamaica by Just Bloom'd Weddings

"Jamaica" by Just Bloom'd Weddings.

Even as the weather outside hurtles ever forward toward the wrong side of fall, the inside of the Prudential Center was full of flowers and life for Voyage, a temporary installation created in partnership with Fleurs de Villes and featuring the work of local floral artists. Eighteen mannequins, each decorated by a different florist, were adorned with stunning arrays of flowers to represent different global destinations. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 10/26/23 - 3:04 pm
The cast of Lizzie, The Musical, from left: Temma Beaudreau, Liza Giangrande, Sophia Muharram and Nora Sullivan

The cast of Lizzie, The Musical, from left: Temma Beaudreau, Liza Giangrande, Sophia Muharram and Nora Sullivan. Photo by Jim Sabitus.

The grisly Fall River murders have captivated public imagination for over 130 years, with truth often taking a backseat to fiction. That's certainly true of Lizzie, The Musical, which is being performed at the Umbrella Arts Center and reimagines the murders and trials as a riot grrrl power rock musical. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 10/20/23 - 9:37 am
Arepa Jardinera

Arepa Jardinera.

We'd heard many good things lately about Orinoco, a Latin kitchen inspired by "taguaritas," rustic, family-run eateries found along Venezuelan roadsides, so we decided to drop by and check their array of Venezuelan and Latin American cuisines for ourselves. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 10/18/23 - 4:08 pm
The Damned Guy, by Clarence Leroy Hinds

"The Damned Guy," by Clarence Leroy Hinds.

I was gazing upon a Michelangelo. Except, it wasn't a Michelangelo. It was an artist's painstakingly recreated version of "The Damned Man," a figure in The Last Judgement fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel who realizes he has been condemned to spend eternity in Hell. The oil on canvas before me, titled "The Damned Guy," was painted by Clarence Leroy Hinds and hangs in The Museum of Bad Art. A caption on the wall nearby reads: "The artist sought to improve upon Michelangelo's masterpiece by clothing him in a bright green Speedo, and adding a disjointed eyeball over his left shoulder spewing what appears to be toxic slime." Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 10/10/23 - 9:41 pm
HONK!ers on the move

Photo by Sasha Patkin.

A ring had formed in Davis Square. In its center, a woman sang into a bullhorn while a row of trombones behind her seemed to lean into their music, taking steps forward as they played. They closed the gap with members of the surrounding crowd, who were also banging their heads, dancing to the music, and unconsciously marching closer to the musicians, until it became hard to tell who was who. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 10/7/23 - 11:08 am
Irene Schwachman's 1962 photograph of Washington Street, Adams Square

Irene Schwachman's 1962 photograph of Washington Street, Adams Square. See it larger.

Cities tell stories. This is particularly evident (if not inescapable) in Boston.

Developing Boston: Berenice Abbott & Irene Shwachman Photograph a Changing City, which is on view at the Boston Athenæum through the end of the year, is a clear demonstration of the stories that surround us. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 10/5/23 - 10:47 am
Girl Sküll performs at Brookline Porchfest

Girl Sküll performs at Brookline Porchfest. Photo by Sasha Patkin.

"Everyone hydrating?" Grace Buchanan, the lead singer of Girl Sküll, called out to the small crowd which had gathered outside on the quiet, leafy Brookline street.

“As we say in my household, hydrate or die straight!!" Buchanan cried, pulling a series of faces and then leading the band into a thunderous, appreciatively garage-grunge, punk-screamo number that shook up the gray, sleepy day and caused passing children on scooters to plug their ears and hurry past. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 9/28/23 - 11:41 am
Big Boy Pants

Raquel Fornasaro, "Big Boy Pants," photo by Sasha Patkin.

What does it mean to be Latinx? What is the significance of heritage? And what does it mean to have a "Latinx History Month" when Latinx is an identity that exists year-round?

These were some of the questions curator Jessica Hernandez had in mind when she put out an open call for "Latinx Identities: Struggles, Perspectives, and Critiques," which is currently on display at the Unbound Visual Arts Exhibit Gallery at the Arthaus in Allston. Read more.

By Sasha Patkin - 9/26/23 - 4:12 pm
 Loaded Latkes with smoked salmon and dill sour cream

Loaded Latkes with smoked salmon and dill sour cream. Photo by Sasha Patkin.

“Knish Happens," "Love you a latke," "Almost Kosher," and "Got Matzo Balls?"

Zaftigs in Brookline knows its brand, and its tongue-in-cheek T‑shirts are as iconic as the fresh takes on Jewish cuisine that it serves. Read more.

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