Tag: gold leaf

Jessie Henson at Broadway Gallery

Jessie Henson’s sewn works on paper at Broadway Gallery’s project room are unabashedly beautiful, harnessing the allure of gold to draw viewers in.  Abstract yet evoking natural forms – earth’s strata, a horizon – Henson composes patterns with thread and her industrial sewing machine.  Waves of textured color wash across the surface of each piece, made more dynamic by the literal bending of paper loaded with thread.  Abundant use of 12, 18 and 24K gold – together with areas of day-glo orange, flecks of blue or pink – resist the suggestion of realistic representation, creating a kind of hybrid beauty derived from nature and the man-made. (On view in Tribeca through July 28th).

Jessie Henson, You are Many All on Your Own, II, 12, 18 and 24K gold with polyester and rayon thread on paper, 35.5 x 26.25 x 3 inches, 2023.

Chen Fei at Galerie Perrotin

Beijing-based artist Chen Fei channels Dutch still life in his painting of tempting foodstuffs but substitutes dumplings for bread and banana leaf wraps for grapes.  He cites Renaissance historian Vasari to question whether still life can be as engaging as portraiture, forcing the issue by presenting figurative painting in the downstairs gallery and still life upstairs.  While the large-scale nude characters downstairs steal the show with their unconventional personalities, the still lifes still wow with their sheer abundance.  (On view at Perrotin on the Lower East Side through Dec 21st).

Chen Fei, detail from Painting of Harmony, acrylic, gold and silver foil on linen mounted on board, 39 3/8 x 78 ¾ inches.

Robert Kushner at DC Moore

Robert Kushner’s latest paintings at DC Moore include this gorgeous rendition of a fern, which blends modernist stripes with Japanese-style gold leafing and complex surface texture in a radiant homage to the natural world. (In Chelsea through Feb 14th).

Robert Kushner, Fern, oil, acrylic and gold leaf on linen, 84 x 60 inches, 2014.

Ry Rocklen at Untitled Gallery

LA based artist Ry Rocklen takes self-branding into actual product marketing with a tongue-in-cheek installation of the clothing in his wardrobe, cast in porcelain or copper plated. A graffiti-covered door is also preserved for the ages with copper, silver and gold leaf infill turning the banal into the beautiful. (At Untitled Gallery on the Lower East Side through June 15th).

Ry Rocklen, installation view at Untitled, foreground: To be Titled (Tagged Door), wood door, hardware, copper leaf, silver leaf and gold leaf, 2014. Shoes: copper plating, 2013-14. Wall: Porcelain casts of clothing, 2008-14.