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.

Lucas Samaras at Pace Gallery

Conceived of in 1966 and only realized in 2007, Lucas Samaras’ ‘Doorway’ reverses Yayoi Kusama’s mirrored interiors by putting mirrors on the exterior to reflect visitors and surroundings. At Pace Gallery, these include banks of photos from the artist’s life and a frieze of self-portraits in which Samaras in a flowing white beard and long hair resembles Rip Van Winkle or, after 40 years of using himself as subject matter, god of the selfie. (Through June 27th).

Lucas Samaras, installation view, Pace Gallery, May 2015.

Lucas Samaras in ‘Specific Objects’ at Susan Inglett Gallery

Lucas Samaras’ pin-encrusted cube is a standout in Susan Inglett Gallery’s ‘Specific Objects’ show, an exhibition inspired by a pivotal 1965 Donald Judd essay that came to define minimalism.  The piece’s shape is its subject matter, but the pins introduce an element of danger that give it a charge.  (In Chelsea through July 26th).  

Lucas Samaras, Untitled, pins on wood, 1964.