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).
Tag: exhibition
Nick Cave in ‘Anti/Body’ at Jack Shainman Gallery
Nick Cave’s original Soundsuit, a costume made from hundreds of small twigs that rustled when the suit was worn, was a protective gesture prompted by Rodney King’s violent treatment at the hands of LA police in 1991. His latest series of suits, now on view in Jack Shainman Gallery’s group exhibition ‘Anti/Body,’ are collectively titled 8:46, referring to the amount of time (recently understood to be longer) that Derek Chauvin took to kill George Floyd. Larger than life and composed of bright floral and patterned textiles as well as synthetic flowers, each suit celebrates and mourns a lost life. (On view in Chelsea through July 2nd. Masks and social distancing required).
Gareth Cadwallader in ‘and I will wear you in my heart of heart’ at the Flag Art Foundation
Inspired by moments of tenderness, Flag Art Foundation’s 35 artist summer group show explores a variety of expressions of affection, from a child asleep in a parent’s arms to a beautifully hand-stitched scene of self-care. British artist Gareth Cadwallader’s Orange Juice, a small oil painting with a lot of detail, suggests we pause to appreciate the pleasures of the natural world, from the orange that produces juice to the jumble of plant life to the left, topped by two bird-of-paradise. (On view in Chelsea through Aug 13th. Masks and social distancing required).
Brianna Rose Brooks in ‘Drawing 2020’ at Gladstone Gallery
‘Don’t think too much about it,’ advises the title of this colored pencil drawing by young Yale MFA candidate Brianna Rose Brooks, but the awkward closeness and intimate immediacy of woman and butterfly is arresting. Brooks’ two portraits are standouts in Gladstone Gallery’s blockbuster ‘Drawing 2020’ exhibition, which includes recent work by over 100 artists. (On view in Chelsea. Masks and social distancing are required and appointments are recommended.)
Loie Hollowell at pacegallery.com
Loie Hollowell’s abstracted portraits made during and after her first pregnancy inspired the curving organic forms showcased in her Fall ’19 show at Pace Gallery and pictured here. Recent drawings now on view in an on-line show at pacegallery.com “…convey the uneven roundness of my body,” explains the artist. Created around the time of her recent second pregnancy during quarantine this spring, the new work follows the changes of her morphing body and the bond between infant and mother. (On view through July 14th).