Yashua Klos at Sikkema Jenkins & Co

Curious to know what African cultures were part of his ancestry, New York artist Yashua Klos took a DNA test that unexpectedly ended up reconnecting him with his large Detroit-based family.  New work now on view at Sikkema Jenkins Gallery includes a handsomely presented row of masks that merge a welding mask – symbol of Detroit’s automobile industry and part of his own family’s history – with various masks influenced by African examples.  Klos considers each a symbol of ‘invocation and protection’ and torches the exterior as a transformational act akin to activating the mask’s power.  (On view in Chelsea through Dec 3rd).

Yashua Klos, Dan Protection Power Welding Mask, stained and charred wood, 13 ¼ x 10 ¾ x 11 1/8 inches, 2021.

Lucas Samaras in ‘Wild Strawberries’ at 125 Newbury

“I continuously shift my attention to things that bother or frighten me,” Lucas Samaras wrote in a statement from 1966.  These two angled chairs, covered in geometric patterns with yarn and resting on a bed of pins, signal discomfort and precarity despite their attractive colors.  Part of 125 Newbury’s inaugural show in Tribeca, titled ‘Wild Strawberries’ after a surreal and disturbing scene in Ingmar Bergman’s film by the same name, the chairs suggest a threat that’s unclear but palpably present.  (On view through Nov 19th).

Lucas Samaras, Two Chairs, mixed media, 19 x 16 ½ x 21 inches, c. 1970s.

Clementine Keith-Roach at PPOW Gallery

Clementine Keith-Roach’s sculptures at PPOW Gallery combine found vessels with casts of her own body to explore her experience of motherhood.  During her first pregnancy, the artist felt as if she was a ‘labouring vessel’ and made the connection literal by joining carefully painted limbs to used and worn ceramics.  Paired with her husband Christopher Page’s paintings depicting mirrors with no reflection and cloud-filled windows, the exhibition explores interiority in both the physical and psychological realms.  (On view through July 1st in Tribeca).

Clementine Keith-Roach, Lost Object, terracotta vessel, jesmonite, paint, 22 ½ x 21 ¼ x 17 ¾ inches, 2022.

Alex Anderson at Deli Gallery

Roses float through the air in Alex Anderson’s wall-mounted earthenware sculpture at Deli Gallery, evoking a romantic daydream. But whimsy turns to horror as it becomes apparent that the flowers are being severed from their stems by flying needle-like forms, resulting in tiny spurts of blood that suggest human, not plant anatomy.  Presented on a mirror-like form (other shapes resemble serving platters and emoji hearts), in which we should expect to see our reflection, the piece prompts self-examination. Set against blue skies and wispy clouds, the piece warns of vulnerability in the virtual realm.  (On view in Tribeca through May 7th).

Alex Anderson, Stratospheric Destruction of Romance, earthenware, glaze, gold luster, 21 x 17 x 2 inches, 2022.

Claudette Schreuders at Jack Shainman Gallery

Known for medium-sized, uncannily still wooden figures, South African sculptor Claudette Schreuders explores the notion of doubling with new work at Chelsea’s Jack Shainman Gallery.  In response to the experience of social isolation over the last two years, Schreuders has been picturing the self as constant presence and company.  Titled Accomplice, this piece considers how a lack of communication can lead to polarization and extreme thinking; however, at the same time, the hand gestures were inspired by a tender moment in a 14th century medieval church sculpture of Christ’s mother Mary greeting her relative, Elizabeth.  (On view through April 2nd).

Claudette Schreuders, Accomplice, Jelutong wood, enamel and oil paint, 27 ¾ x 20 x 11 inches, 2021.