David Hammons in Subliminal Horizons at Alexander Gray Associates

David Hammons’ untitled bottles from the mid-80s are a standout in Alexander Gray Associates’ summer group show, which features artists of color who have a relationship to the Hudson River Valley.  Evoking messages cast adrift in bottles or carefully constructed ships in bottles, each curious form invites and eludes easy interpretation.  A white lightning bolt suggests magically captured electricity, a fish somehow survives in a glass enclosure and the zippers from the flies of pants become living insects, a series of transformations that invite wonder.  (On view through Aug 14th).

David Hammons, installation view of untitled bottles from 1985, Alexander Gray Associates.

Kay Rosen at Alexander Gray Associates

Often political, never shy, Kay Rosen’s text-based wall art is bold and outspoken at Alexander Gray Associates.  Just four letters speak volumes in this installation titled ‘White House v. America.’  (On view in Chelsea through April 7th). 

Kay Rosen, White House v. America, paint on wall, dimensions variable, 2018.

Betty Parsons at Alexander Gray Associates

Famed art dealer Betty Parsons never gave up on her own artistic practice; this piece from her later years references Native American art, referring in its title to the Oglala Lakota. Created from driftwood she scavenged from the beach near her Long Island home, this colorful organic abstraction demonstrates her interest in mysticism that takes us beyond the every day realm. (At Alexander Gray Associates in Chelsea through July 14th).

Betty Parsons, II Oglala, acrylic on wood, 31 h x 33 w x 16 d, 1979.

Vera Neumann at Alexander Gray Associates

Blue, green, yellow, orange and red walls at Alexander Gray Associates are the perfect backdrop for a show of gorgeously colored paintings by late artist and housewares designer Vera Neumann, famous in the ‘60s and ‘70s for producing colorful, nature-inspired textiles, scarves, wallpapers and more. (In Chelsea through Aug 7th).

Vera Neumann, Installation view at Alexander Gray Associates, July 2015.