One wall is not enough for Denise Kupferschmidt’s abstracted human figures at Eleven Rivington. On the gallery floor, two feet and a head lie like scattered afterthoughts while solid figures run along the wall as if rendered in an extra bold font. The effect is strong yet comic, drawing us into Kupferschmidt’s imagined population. (On the Lower East Side through Oct 18th).
Installation view of wall mural and sculpture by Denise Kupferschmidt at Eleven Rivington Gallery, Sept 2015.
Is digital technology making physical bodies less important? LA artist Peter Harkawik addresses this very contemporary concern with a sculpture that is both a musical instrument and a paean to the human body. Colors on the armature reference brands (like Home Depot orange) while a carefully rendered hand, ear, scrunched bottle and more signal the human touch. (At Derek Eller Gallery through July 10th).
Peter Harkawik, (detail of ) Everything But (Klondike Blue/Pepto Bismol Pink, UPS Brown, Pluot Purple/Home Depot Orange, Risperdal Green/Tiffany Blue, Post-It Note Yellow/Wiffle Ball Yellow, T-Mobile Pink/John Deere Green, Aquafresh Blue, Tiffany Blue), mechanically polished cast stainless steel, electropolished cast stainless steel, 316 stainless steel, 308 stainless steel, carbon steel, Imron fleet paint, SAE F-55 felt, hardware, rubber mallet, 68 x 60 x 16 inches, 2015.
Behind a pleasantly printed pastel sheet strung across one corner of the gallery, a quirky little donut-bodied character by young British artist Jonathan Baldock instructs (according to the title) ‘How to Open Your Third Eye.’ (At Nicelle Beauchene Gallery on the LES through Feb 8th).
Jonathan Baldock, Screen with Peep-holes, muslin, acrylic, thread, 105 ½ x 141 ½ inches, 2014. And Jonathan Baldock, How to Open Your Third Eye, felt, wadding, silk thread, ceramic polymer, 23 ½ x 12 x 6 inches, 2015.
The title of New York sculptor Mark di Suvero’s latest monumental steel sculpture, ‘Luney Breakout,’ says it all. Resembling a zany all-elbows-and-knees character with wild swooping hair, the 22 foot tall piece is either mad, exuberant or both. (At Paula Cooper Gallery’s 534 West 21st Street location, through Oct 22nd.)
Mark di Suvero, Luney Breakout, 22 ft, 3 inches, x 22 ft, 6 inches x 12 ft, 6 inches, steel, 2013.
Inspired by the tradition of Americans finding escape in wilderness living, northern Minnesota-based artist Aaron Spangler’s latest work suggests totems for the modern frontiersman. ‘Idol’ is based on the form of a boli, or sacred object, and Spangler’s abstract designs suggest a secret language between human and the divine. (At Horton Gallery on the Lower East Side through Oct 20th).
Aaron Spangler, Idol, carved and painted basswood with a touch of graphite, 2013.
