Tag: Mitchell-Innes and Nash

Rita Mawuena Benissan in ‘Worldmaking’ at Mitchell-Innes and Nash Gallery

Rita Mawuena Benissan’s royal umbrella is a standout at Mitchell-Innes and Nash Gallery’s summer group exhibition of work by artists who live in Ghana.  At eight by ten feet, Benissan’s large, regal cover – traditionally employed to protect a king or queen and show authority – was crafted with help from professional chief umbrella makers and connects to a tradition of royal use.  At the same time, the artist explains in a statement that she intends viewers to ask questions about how the umbrella might be used today – for royalty?  A community?  Viewers?  Titled ‘The Damsen of Succession,’ damsen refers to the deep, attractive purple color, while the notion of succession prompts consideration of the object in new contexts. (On view through Aug 25th).

Rita Mawuena Benissan, The Damson of Succession, umbrella, fabric and wood, 100” diam. X 120” height, 2023.

Eddie Martinez at Mitchell-Innes and Nash

A practical mentality dominates Eddie Martinez’s current two gallery solo show at Mitchell-Innes and Nash. Not finding a studio last summer, he painted in his yard. Finding inspiration in his daily drawings on family stationery, he scaled them up as eight-foot tall paintings. Titled ‘Love Letter,’ the second body of work would seem to refer to his wife’s name at the top of each painting though given the significance of drawing to his evocative abstract forms, he may have another muse in mind. (On view in Chelsea through Feb 24th).

Eddie Martinez, Love Letter #13, silkscreen ink, oil, spray paint and enamel on canvas, 96 x 75 inches, 2017.

Amanda Ross-Ho at Mitchell-Innes & Nash

Oversized wineglasses, cups, a fork and other objects litter worktables in Amanda Ross-Ho’s latest solo show at Chelsea’s Mitchell Innes & Nash, where the LA based artist spent August making paintings of clock faces (see the normal-sized glass holding goldfish crackers at middle right). Based on vintage paper clock surfaces that she purchased from eBay and used for note-taking, the clocks unmoor time (Ross-Ho recently lost her long-term studio) and the surreally enlarged elements from everyday life become inexplicably important. (On view through Oct 14th).

Amanda Ross-Ho, installation view of ‘My Pen is Huge’ at Mitchell-Innes & Nash, Sept 2017.

Anthony Caro at Mitchell-Innes & Nash Gallery

Mid-20th century American minimalist sculptors rebelled against the relationship of parts in Anthony Caro’s abstract sculptures; later in life, Caro was the one to break out, introducing Perspex into his sculptures when he was in his mid-80s. Here, a thick sheet of clear Perspex turns two pieces of rusted steel into characters in an untold story –a customer and a bank teller, or a prisoner and her visitor? (At Mitchell-Innes & Nash Gallery in Chelsea on the Upper East Side through Feb 4th).

Anthony Caro, Sackbut, steel and clear Perspex, steel rusted and waxed, 48 x 70 x 46 inches, 2011/2012.
Anthony Caro, Sackbut, steel and clear Perspex, steel rusted and waxed, 48 x 70 x 46 inches, 2011/2012.

GCC at Mitchell-Innes & Nash Gallery

Against the backdrop of rapid urban development in the Persian Gulf countries, the artist collective GCC examines the parallel trends toward the pursuit of happiness and health. Here, a woman practices a new age, healing therapy on her son. They stand in sand, a symbol of the landscape, inside a racing track reminiscent of the region’s many new urban walkways. (At Chelsea’s Mitchell-Innes and Nash through Nov 23rd).

GCC, installation view of Positive Pathways (+), at Mitchell-Innes & Nash, Oct 2016.
GCC, installation view of Positive Pathways (+), at Mitchell-Innes & Nash, Oct 2016.