Dawn Clements at Pierogi Gallery

Dawn Clements isn’t bothered about artful arrangement of the still life objects she paints, yet each object’s deliberately placement gives them all equal weight, from a smiley face made of fruits and a banana, to lip balm, rubber bands and a small belt buckle. (At Pierogi Gallery on the Lower East Side through May 7th).

Dawn Clements, Table (MacDowell), watercolor on paper, 81 x 99 inches, 2015.

Jim Torok at Pierogi

Sandwiched on the wall between two roughly lettered signs reading, ‘The End is Here’ and the enigmatic ‘You Are Pretty Good,’ Jim Torok’s photo-realist renderings of friends and acquaintances like ‘Jennifer’ bring the artist’s thoughts and his community together in the quiet of the gallery. (At Pierogi through Feb 12th).

Jim Torok, Jennifer, oil on panel, 9 x 7 inches, 2015.
Jim Torok, Jennifer, oil on panel, 9 x 7 inches, 2015.

John O’Connor at Pierogi Gallery

Every word in Brooklyn artist John O’Connor’s text stories packs a punch. Drawing in colored pencil using myriad fonts, he employs brand logos, emojis and pictograms to tell the tale of a young consumer whose life has taken a turn for the bizarre.   (At Pierogi through Nov 13th).

John O’Connor, detail of Tim (Butterfly), colored pencil and graphite on paper, 70 7/8 x 48 7/16 inches, 2016.
John O’Connor, detail of Tim (Butterfly), colored pencil and graphite on paper, 70 7/8 x 48 7/16 inches, 2016.

Sarah Walker at Pierogi Gallery

Digital technology allows us to be (at least in our conscious minds) in more than one place at a time. Abstract painter Sarah Walker engages the possibility of seeing multiple dimensions at once in her ‘space machine’ paintings, canvases that seem to offer portals into parallel universes. (At Pierogi on the Lower East Side through Oct 9th).

Sarah Walker, Sungate, 16 x 16 inches, acrylic on panel, 2015.
Sarah Walker, Sungate, 16 x 16 inches, acrylic on panel, 2015.

Roxy Paine in ‘False Narratives’ at Pierogi

A generic meeting room, scaled down to doll-size and crafted in minute detail by Roxy Paine is the centerpiece of Pierogi’s summer group show ‘False Narratives.’ The absence of tables as protective barriers suggests that honesty and vulnerability will be part of whatever discussions take place here; a bulletin board on the wall offers topics of conversations that include ‘captives and fugitives’ and ‘chance and fate.’ (On the Lower East Side through July 31st).

Roxy Paine, Meeting, birch, maple, epoxy, apoxie, LED lights, acrylic light diffusers, enamel, lacquer, oil paint, damar varnish, paper, steel, aluminum, stainless steel, 130.25 x 97.5 x 58.5 inches, 2016.
Roxy Paine, Meeting, birch, maple, epoxy, apoxie, LED lights, acrylic light diffusers, enamel, lacquer, oil paint, damar varnish, paper, steel, aluminum, stainless steel, 130.25 x 97.5 x 58.5 inches, 2016.