Paulo Nazareth at Mendes Wood DM

Positioned on the floor of Mendes Wood DM’s new Tribeca gallery space, Brazilian artist Paulo Nazareth’s water-filled glass vessels and sand-filled ceramic dishes look vulnerable to a careless visitor’s foot, yet each one is a container for something more fragile – a tiny replica of a ship.  Accompanied by a cast-iron sink, its top painted with a globe, the vases, jugs, glasses and dishes appear to represent travel on the earth’s land and seas; the term ‘nau’ in the title referring to the masted sailing ships used from the 14th century by the Portuguese. Fragile and toy-like, the small boats recall child’s play, but given the artist’s fascination with travel from the Middle Passage to the present day, the piece also carries the weight of history.  (On view through June 10th.)

 

Paulo Nazareth, Barquinho sem titulo (da serie nau fragil)[Little boat untitled (from nau fragil series)], installation with glassware, bathroom sink and handmade boats, variable dimensions, 2007.

LA Invitational at Gagosian Gallery

Against Alex Israel’s huge painting of a sky lit by a gorgeous sunset, Chris Burden’s three ‘ghost ships’ dominate Gagosian Gallery’s showcase of work by its LA artists. Equipped with solar panels and GPS, the boats were designed in 1991 to sail alone from Charleston to Plymouth, England. (On view through Dec 16th).

Installation view of LA Invitational at Gagosian Gallery, West 24th Street, Nov 2017. Includes work by Alex Israel, Chris Burden and Jeff Wall.

Paul Resika at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects

Paul Resika’s current solo show, ‘Empty’ at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects defies its title by engaging color field abstraction and also representational painting. A rich blue night sky and curiously intimate sailboats invite enjoyment of saturated color and the beginning of a narrative. (On the Lower East Side through March 19th).

Paul Resika, Blue Nights 2 Boats, oil on canvas, 40 x 31 ¾ inches, 1990.

 

Greer Patterson at Marlborough Gallery Broome Street

Greer Patterson’s new tropical landscape paintings at Marlborough Gallery were inspired by scenes from his Hawaiian shirts; the pool with two remote-controlled boats installed in the basement also uses materials at hand to create pleasant place. It’s not the Central Park boat pond, but on a cold January day, it’s nice to dream. (At Marlborough Gallery, Broome Street, through Feb 15th).

Greer Patterson, Partners in Crime, round metal frame pool with remote controlled boats, 30 x 144 x 144 inches, 2014.

Swoon at the Brooklyn Museum

Shredded and twisted fabric create the bark on a 60-foot tall tree by renowned street artist Swoon that fills the Brooklyn Museum’s fifth floor rotunda. The tree anchors a stunning installation that features huge portraits of the artist’s friends and family along with rag-tag boats that once plied the waters in New York and Venice. (On view through August 24th).

Swoon, installation view of ‘Submerged Motherlands,’ at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, April – August, 2014.