Rebecca Morris at Mary Boone Gallery

Abstract painter Rebecca Morris shows canvases controlled by a grid and, by contrast, images in which forms float freely in a selection of work at Mary Boone Gallery’s 57th Street location. In pieces like this untitled oil on canvas, Morris’ organizational strategy occupies a middle ground as recurring scallop-edged shapes nestle into each other, appearing to both advance towards us and recede. A white border flecked with black recalling ermine fur and a center that brings Dalmatians to mind create associations that drive contemplation. (On view through Feb 25th).

Rebecca Morris, Untitled (#12 – 13), 87 x 80 inches, oil/canvas, 2013.
Rebecca Morris, Untitled (#12 – 13), 87 x 80 inches, oil/canvas, 2013.

Ai Weiwei, Roots and Branches at Mary Boone

A wallpaper of surveillance cameras and the Twitter logo by artist/activist Ai Weiwei at Mary Boone Gallery’s Chelsea space refer to the consequences of his on-line criticism of the Chinese government. On a similar theme, a tree cobbled together from several once-majestic plants suggests disaster and endurance. (On view through Dec 23rd).

Ai Wei Wei, installation view of ‘Roots and Branches’ at Mary Boone Gallery’s 541 West 26th Street location, November 2016.
Ai Wei Wei, installation view of ‘Roots and Branches’ at Mary Boone Gallery’s 541 West 26th Street location, November 2016.

Robert Barry at Mary Boone Gallery

Conceptual art pioneer Robert Barry uses language to transport viewers; in this handsome installation, cast resin letters painted a vibrant red form words like ‘intimate,’ ‘apparent’ that evoke strong associations. (At Chelsea’s Mary Boone Gallery through April 23rd).

robert_barry
Robert Barry, ‘Red Line,’ dimensions variable, paint/cast resin, 2008/2016.

John Miller at Mary Boone Gallery

Game show contestants and reality TV personalities are the subject of John Miller’s paintings and this sculpture at Mary Boone Gallery in Chelsea. Moments of supposedly ‘real’ emotion accompany paintings of empty, dramatically tacky game stages, conjuring a bizarre world of fakeness. (Through Feb 28th).

John Miller, Public Display, 68 x 58 x 58 inches, acrylic/wood, formica, 2013.

Francesco Clemente at Mary Boone Gallery

Angels sleep under rainbows in Francesco Clemente’s ‘Angels’ Tent,’ while top-hatted men act oppressively (one enslaves two figures) in the ‘Devil’s Tent.’ The lushly decorated Mughal style tents signal Clemente’s nomadic lifestyle while making a strong contrast between good and evil. (At Chelsea’s Mary Boone Gallery through Dec 20th).

Francesco Clemente, installation view of Angels’ Tent and Devil’s Tent at Mary Boone Gallery, Nov, 2014.

Jacob Hashimoto at Mary Boone Gallery

For sheer ambition, not much in Chelsea beats New York artist Jacob Hashimoto’s wondrous ‘Skyfarm Fortress’ at Mary Boone Gallery. Thousands of paper and wood ‘kites’ create a space that looks like fantasy architecture or a structure pulled into reality form the digital realm. (Through Oct 25th).

Jacob Hashimoto, Skyfarm Fortress, acrylic, paper/Dacron, wood, dimensions variable, 2014.

Ross Bleckner at Mary Boone Gallery

Titled ‘(In)Security,’ this detail-view of an enticing if creepy new painting by New York artist Ross Bleckner offers the unnerving suggestion that we’re being watched, albeit by a range of characterful eyes. (At Mary Boone Gallery in Chelsea through April 26th).

Ross Bleckner, “(In)Security,” 27 x 144 inches, oil/linen, 2013-14.

Tomoo Gokita at Mary Boone Gallery

Japanese artist Tomoo Gokita’s stark black and white portraits of anonymous women (sometimes accompanied by male companions with zig-zag patterned heads) belies their ambiguous identities.  ‘Sham Marriage’ deliciously includes a hand-like shape pointing off-stage.  (At Chelsea’s Mary Boone Gallery through March 1st.)  

Tomoo Gokita, Sham Marriage, 90” x 72,” acrylic gouache, charcoal, gesso/linen, 2013.

Robert Polidori at Mary Boone Gallery

In the mid-80s, photographer Robert Polidori started photographing the palace of Versailles, focusing not on its opulence but on the realities presented by over 300 years of wear and tear.  The story is told in the details, as in images like these details of well-used doorways, blown up into gorgeous, light suffused prints.    (At Mary Boone Gallery, Chelsea through Oct 26th).

Robert Polidori, Door Detail, Attique du Midi, Versailles & Door Detail, Galerie Basse, Versailles, c-print, 2005/2013.

Marc Quinn at Mary Boone Gallery

British artist Marc Quinn has referred to his gargantuan bronze seashell sculptures as Venus’ pedestal (from Botticelli’s famous painting), a spiraling symbol of the world in motion, and a ‘symbol of a woman’s sex.’  Towering at over eight feet high, what they most symbolize (along with Jeff Koons’ and Paul McCarthy’s current Chelsea shows) is enormous production values. (At Mary Boone Gallery through June 29th).  

Marc Quinn, Map of the Space-Time Continuum, bronze, 2013.

Andrew Masullo at Mary Boone Gallery

Andrew Masullo prefers the term ‘stuff maker’ to ‘artist’ as a way of describing his practice.  Crowns, teeth, mountain ranges and more come to mind with this tiny 5×7 inch canvas with its zippy orange, ardent red and preppy pink/green color combo. (At Chelsea’s Mary Boone Gallery through April 27th.)  

Andrew Masullo, ‘5404,’ 5” x 7,” oil/canvas, 2011-12.

Keith Sonnier at Mary Boone Gallery

In Keith Sonnier’s ‘Ba-O-Ba’ series, lines of neon connect geometric glass shapes and bathe the surrounding space in color.  Placed on the floor against the wall, the pieces originally served as performance sets that would include the performers’ bodies as a further reflected element. (At Mary Boone Gallery’s Chelsea space through Feb 23rd).  

Keith Sonnier, ‘Ba-O-Ba II,’ neon, glass/transformer, 1969.

Ai Weiwei at Mary Boone Gallery, Chelsea

Ai Weiwei, 'Forge,' reinforcement steel, 2008-2012.
Ai Weiwei, ‘Forge,’ reinforcement steel, 2008-2012.

Further to yesterday’s post, Ai Weiwei’s activism continues at Mary Boone’s Chelsea gallery with ‘Forge’ an installation of twisted pieces of rebar.  Though the print and carefully arranged, twisted pieces of metal on the floor appear to be calligraphic abstractions, they’re created from pieces of metal retrieved from shoddily constructed schools that collapsed in the 2008 earthquake, killing thousands of children. (Through 21st.)

Ai Weiwei at Mary Boone Gallery

Ai WeiWei, He Xie (river crab), installation at Mary Boone Gallery, 745 Fifth Ave, 2012.
Ai WeiWei, He Xie (river crab), installation at Mary Boone Gallery, 745 Fifth Ave, 2012.

In Chinese, ‘river crab’ sounds like a euphemistic term used to describe censorship, so when artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei learned in 2010 that his newly built studio was to be demolished by the local government, he hosted a protest feast at which 10,000 river crabs were served. This installation of 2,500 handmade ceramic crabs at Mary Boone Gallery’s Fifth Ave & 57th Street space recalls that event and demonstrates WeiWei’s insuppressible resistance. (Through Dec 21st.)

Ai Weiwei, He Xie detail, 2012.
Ai Weiwei, He Xie detail, 2012.