So this is how I met Isack Kousnsky, an unassuming man cleaning a window in front of what turned out to be his school bus. I stopped to pet his dog, a beauty I wrote about last year in Wolfdog. Isack turns out to be an accomplished photographer/artist with an unusual portfolio of mixed media work (you can see it here). His work is stored in his bus. He has had shows worldwide and is a SoHo resident. He was located in front of 111 Mercer Street, where his studio was formerly located.
We spoke of the difficulties in working in Manhattan with stratospheric rents. His old studio is now $6000 per month for 1/2 of a floor. He will be most likely relocating to Brooklyn, which, although less expensive, has seen its own very high increases in rents.
Isack Kousnsky, born in Haifa, Israel, in the ’50s, moved to New York City in the early ’80s. Based in the East Village as a strong artist, he became part of the avant-garde movement. He exhibited in many galleries, such as Sixth Sense Gallery, Now Gallery, and Hilo Project, focusing in painting, sculpture, and installation. During that time, he curated one of the largest exhibitions of the ’80s art movement, including artists Salvador, Rosilio, Luca, and Keith Haring. In 1989, he returned to Israel and built and produced an alternative art center in Haifa. In 1990, he started to produce his artwork in photography and developed a new technique combining painting and photography. In 1993, he returned to the city.
I have written before about the danger in New York of judging books by their covers. I am one of the worst when it comes to doing this; I am quick to judge, and frequently, I am way off the mark. These articles are my efforts at redemption…
I think it’s often that appearances are deceiving, so things are often not as bad as they appear to be, but also often not as good as they sound, either. I think you should continue doing these portraits of people, it’s really more the slice of life in NYC.
You are so right about not judging a book by its cover. I think I would have judged the owner of that bus negatively, and very wrongly too.
Thank you.
Great post and amazing story, Brian. I think this grants you some absolution.