Scherezade Garcia, ‘Sea of Belonging’ at Praxis Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Hottest ShowPosted on No Comments

The sea is calm but overwhelming in Scherezade Garcia’s paintings at Praxis Gallery.  Swells and currents represented by thick, multi-toned and almost calligraphic lines create a dynamic that competes with the opulent decoration worn by serene, even regal characters.  Titles like ‘Splendor of a New World’ or ‘Map of the World’ harken to the historical arrival of Europeans in the Americas and the cultural intersections that resulted, represented in Garcia’s work by the combination of baroque forms and people with what she calls ‘cinnamon skin.’  Seeing water as a metaphor for transformation and movement, the artist’s opulent vision speaks to the beauty and possibilities of fluidity. (On view in Chelsea through Nov 1st).

A person resting in water in a golden life preserver with elaborate clothing, hair and jewelry.
Scherezade Garcia, Splendor of a New World, Gold Paints acrylic, charcoal, pastel on linen, 72 x 54 inches, 2025.
A person with golden hair, an elaborate collar and jewelry.
Scherezade Garcia, Splendor of a New World, Gold Paints acrylic, charcoal, pastel on linen, 72 x 54 inches, 2025.

The Campus, Claverack, New York

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

If you’ve ever enjoyed exploring MoMA’s PS1, an art space housed in a former Queens public school, you’ll love rambling around the atmospheric new 78,000 sq ft art space The Campus, housed in a former high school just outside Hudson, NY.  Work by nearly 100 artists, mostly represented by NYC galleries Bortolami, James Cohan, kaufmann repetto, Anton Kern, Andrew Kreps and kurimanzutto fills the gym, hallways, classrooms and grounds around the large, low-slung, 1951 building.  Organized by Timo Kappeller, the handsomely installed inaugural show includes a metal butterfly sculpture by Kosovar artist Petrit Halilaj (whose sculpture inspired by graffiti on school desks is currently on the roof of the Met Museum), text pieces by Jenny Holzer (currently showing at the Guggenheim) installed in a boys shower room, Madeline Hollander’s perpetual rolling metal knots (recently part of her solo show at Bortolami) and much, much more.  (Admission is free. Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 12pm – 5pm. On view through Oct 27th.)

The Campus, Claverack, NY

 

 

Petrit Halilaj at The Campus.
Jenny Holzer at The Campus.
Madeline Hollander at The Campus.

Berenice Abbott at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Right on the heels of a show of photographer Berenice Abbott’s Greenwich Village portraits and urban landscapes at Chelsea’s Marlborough Gallery, fans of the iconic early 20th century New York City chronicler can enjoy the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibition of images from Abbott’s 1929 album shot around town.  Freshly back from an eight year-long stay in Paris where she pivoted to photography and established her own successful studio, Abbott arrived in New York and enthusiastically fell to documenting the thriving city as she found it.  Also included in the Met’s show are works by Abbott’s contemporaries and her ‘Changing New York’ series from ’35-’39, including this view of a 9th Ave Automat. (On view on the Upper East Side through Sept 4th).

Berenice Abbott, Automat, 877 Ninth Avenue, gelatin silver print, 1936.

Cynthia Talmadge at Bortolami Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

The streetscape in this painting by Cynthia Talmadge at Bortolami Gallery is a rendition of the gallery’s actual Tribeca location, but created in a pointillist painting style, the place doesn’t quite seem real.  Appropriately, each picture depicts a scene in the imagined life of ‘Alan Smithee,’ a pseudonym used in place of a real film director’s name when (s)he has lost creative control of a film and disowns it.  Talmadge pictures Smithee in various Hollywood haunts (the Scientology Celebrity Center, the Beverly Hilton) and later in New York as he ditches his west coast lifestyle and disastrous film career in favor of a shot at Broadway.  Redemption eludes Smithee but the story – also told with details of Smithee’s life on the cover of various issues of Playbill – entices with its conflict between big dreams and dashed hopes.  (On view in Tribeca through Feb 25th).

Cynthia Talmadge, Maserati (39 Walker), oil and canvas with wood frame, 30 x 24 inches, 2022.

Carrie Moyer’s ‘Pirate Jenny’ at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is switching up its contemporary galleries regularly these days in an exciting change from past years.  For the last month, this lush, abstract painting by Brooklyn-based painter, writer and activist Carrie Moyer has enticed mezzanine visitors, celebrating Pride Month and offering up pure visual pleasure.  Titled ‘Pirate Jenny,’ the piece refers to a song in Bertoldt Brecht and Kurt Will’s ‘Three Penny Opera’ about a hotel maid who triumphs over her scornful fellow townspeople, sailing away to happiness.

Carrie Moyer, Pirate Jenny, acrylic, glitter, and graphite on canvas, 2012.

Olive Ayhens at Bookstein Projects

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Olive Ayhens meets the abundance of people and buildings in New York with a profusion of recorded detail in her new series of ink and watercolor paintings at Bookstein Projects. Painted in a topsy turvy style combining multiple perspectives, Ayhens’ dynamic cityscapes look as if the buildings are in movement, perhaps shuffling down the sidewalk shoulder to shoulder like New York’s notably absent human residents. Painted in her new West Village neighborhood during the pandemic, Ayhens work reflects a sense of jittery nervousness via its architecture.  (On view on the Upper East Side through Jan 7th.  Note holiday hours and closures).

Olive Ayhens, Orange Luxury, watercolor and ink on paper, 23 x 30.5 inches, 2020.

Studio DRIFT at The Shed

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Amsterdam-based design duo Ralph Nauta and Lonneke Gordijn, aka Studio DRIFT, create objects of wonder that range from lights created with dandelion seeds to mysteriously floating concrete blocks.  Both are on view in their current exhibition at The Shed in Hudson Yards through the end of the week, offering the chance to marvel at objects that pair nature and technology.  Here, ‘Fragile Future,’ is a sculpture/lamp that has been created by hand gluing dandelion seeds to LED lights, a juxtaposition of natural and the man-made materials that encourages appreciation of the beauty and possibility of nature’s designs.  (On view through Dec 18th.)

DRIFT, Fragile Future, Dandelions, LED lights, phosphor bronze, printed circuit board, 2007-21.

Mira Dancy at Chapter NY

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

After a recent move from New York to Southern California, Mira Dancy presents new work at Chapter Gallery depicting female figures in her trademark glowing neon colors who now revel in the natural world.  This pregnant goddess holds a ball in her palm that resembles the earth, suggesting a female power on an epic scale.  (On view in Tribeca through Dec 18th).

Mira Dancy, Life Line, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 60 inches, 2021.

Anthony Cudahy at Hales Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Medicinal or deadly depending on its use, Antiaris toxicaria (aka the Anti-bausor tree) is the missing presence in this painting by Brooklyn-based painter Anthony Cudahy at Hales Gallery.  Partly inspired by an antique woodcut featuring two men lying on the ground under the fruit-bearing tree, here it’s the artist and his husband who lie prone.  But while it’s uncertain if the characters in the original woodcut are alive, Cudahy and partner appear to enjoy a peaceful sleep, occupying a subconscious realm complicated by the spider and webs in the upper register.  Alluding to Kate Bush’s ‘Coral Room,’ a song featuring a web-spinning ‘spider of time,’ the references place the couple in a poetic realm of dreams and memory.  (On view through Oct 30th in Chelsea.  Masks required).

Anthony Cudahy, Anti-bausor tree (protected sleepers, wolf’s-bane and spider around), Oil on canvas, 96 x 72 in, 2021.

Jennifer J. Lee at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Closeups of a yellow cable knit sweater, acne scars, popcorn and other objects with textured surfaces draw viewers into Jennifer J Lee’s tiny representational paintings at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery.  Colorful and complex, they engage the senses on multiple levels; painted on rough panels of jute, Lee accentuates the tactility of her subjects.  Here, cacti crowd the frame of this 13 x 12 inch piece offering a lively dynamic of sharp thorns and strong light.  (On view on the Lower East Side through June 26th.  Masks and social distancing required).

Jennifer J. Lee, Prickly Pear, oil on jute, 13 x 12 inches, 2021.

.DRIFT in ‘Group Presentation’ at Pace Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

It’s not unusual to consider where and how our everyday consumer goods were manufactured, but Amsterdam-based design team Studio Drift goes deeper.  Via their ‘Materialism’ project – samples of which are now on view in Pace Gallery’s current tech-friendly group show – Drift practices a kind of reverse engineering by breaking down light bulbs, cell phones and water bottles, as well as historic weapons and this bicycle, into component parts which are then displayed as pleasingly tidy arrangements of colorful cubes.  Guessing what each piece represents is an engaging game that ultimately prompts viewers to question how much we know about the goods we consume.  (On view on 25th Street in Chelsea through April 24th).

.DRIFT, Bicycle, rubber, polyurethane, steel, aluminum, lacquer paint, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyoxymethylene (POM), gel, stainless steel, polycarbonate, brass, magnet and glass fiber sculpture: 7 7/8 x 31 ¼ x 13 3/16 inches, 2019.

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian at James Cohan Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Geometric forms offered endless opportunity for experimentation in late artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian’s painted glass and mirror sculptures, meticulously created with craftspeople in Iran.  Now on view at James Cohan Gallery’s Tribeca location, pieces such as ‘Hexagon Maze’ were inspired by geometric principles in Islamic art and design, the ways in which a maze can alter everyday reality, and the possibilities of creating artwork within a framework of rules.  (On view through March 6th. Masks and social distancing are required).

Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Hexagon Maze, Mirror and reverse glass painting on plaster and wood, 47 1/4 x 47 1/4 in, 2014.

Mernet Larsen Paintings at James Cohan Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Mernet Larsen continues to break with traditional Western linear perspective in new, irresistibly cheeky canvases at James Cohan Gallery that pay homage to Russian constructivist El Lissitzky.  Larsen explains that decades ago, she broke a taboo by imagining that the early 20th century avant-gardist’s abstractions could be read figuratively.  She takes things a step further here, turning El Lissitzky’s circles bisected by long rectangles into an astronaut floating in front of a planet or a restaurant table attending by a plank-like waiter bearing cocktails.  (On view in Tribeca through Jan 23rd .  Masks and social distancing are required).

Mernet Larsen, Astronaut: Sunrise (after El Lissitzky), acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 49 ½ x 49 inches, 2020.

Elle Street Art at Hudson Yards

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Renowned and prolific international street artist Elle has transformed the 11th Ave approach to Hudson Yards with this 2,000 sq ft mural.  Hoping “to instill passion and hope and peace in the people who see it,” Elle pictures a mother and daughter looking forward into a brighter future.  (On view on 11th Ave in Hudson Yards through 2020).

Han Qin in ‘Blue’ at the Nassau County Museum of Art

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Created in Hangzhou, China last summer and now on display just outside of New York City at the Nassau County Museum of Art’s ‘Blue’ exhibition, Han Qin’s ‘The Direction of Migration’ was inspired by the artist’s own journeys between China and Long Island.  Using a cyanotype process that involves exposing treated paper to sunlight, Han Qin – a professional dancer who choreographed a dance to accompany this work – arranged emigrant friends in dance poses on the paper.  Ethereal and suggesting natural upward movement, the piece pictures hopeful journeys.  (On view through Nov 1st.  Tickets must be purchased in advance).

Han Qin, The Direction of Migration (Diptych), cyanotype on paper, 3307 x 94.5 cm, 2019.

New York Art Tours Goes Remote!

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Contemporary art inspires.  Take your on-line engagement with art to a deeper level on a remote gallery tour.  Join Merrily on an hour-long virtual walk through of some of the most beautiful and thought-provoking shows of the moment, seeing and discussing images and video.   Tours take place via Zoom. 50% of profits in April go to New York City’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.

JR, The Chronicles of New York City at Galerie Perrotin

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

After famously taking his mobile photo studio to Times Square for his ‘Inside Out’ portrait project in 2013, French street artist JR hit New York’s streets again in Spring ’18 to make detailed photo collages championing the everyday New Yorker, now on view at Galerie Perrotin.   Titled ‘Chronicles of New York City,’ the project follows ‘Chronicles’ in Paris and San Francisco and is also currently featured in Brooklyn Museum’s Great Hall.  JR invited over a thousand New Yorkers to step into his truck turned studio to ‘present themselves as they’d like to be seen and remembered.’  The resulting collages bring the city’s citizens together in harmony and common purpose. (On view on the Lower East Side through Oct 26th.)

JR, detail from ‘The Chronicles of New York City, Lightbox, USA, print on duratrans, led backlight, steel frame, 2018.

Brian Alfred at Miles McEnery Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Would New York be better without the people?  An empty subway entrance at West 4th Street, Rockefeller Center buried by snow and a deserted Coney Island beach – all scenes included in Brooklyn-based painter Brian Alfred’s latest show at Miles McEnery Gallery – suggest that if the city’s human inhabits would step aside, the views would improve.  Here, two city bridges silhouetted by a gorgeous sunrise or sunset may or may not be busy with traffic, but they appear as tranquil as the country-side.  (On view in Chelsea through Oct 5th).

Brian Alfred, Two Bridge(s), acrylic on canvas, 60 x 72 inches, 2019.

Thomas Holton in ‘Interior Lives’ at the Museum of the City of New York

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Despite the pressures of a busy life, whether she was at home, at work or at her mother’s house, Shirley Lam always put a meal on the table for her family.  Thomas Holton’s documentary photos of the Lam family’s life in their 350 sq ft apartment on Ludlow Street is one of three remarkable photo series now on view at the Museum of the City of New York that elaborate on capability and sacrifice in New York’s Chinese communities.  (on view through March 24th).

Thomas Holton, Dinner for Seven, 2011, installation view of ‘Interior Lives’ at the Museum of the City of New York, January 2019.

Morteza Khakshoor at the International Print Center New York

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Male behaviors and rituals occupy Ohio-based printmaker and current International Print Center New York resident artist Morteza Khakshoor’s colorful, dream-like prints.  This piece, ‘Men of High Culture’ is a standout in the IPCNY’s current juried exhibition of new prints.  Including a homogeneously dressed cast of male wall flowers and two figures grappling with eccentric creatures and separated by a vase of flowers, Khakshoor’s setup reinterprets the uber-male cockfight.  (On view through Sept 22nd).

Morteza Khakshoor, Men of High Culture, screenprint on paper mounted on panel, 29 ¼ x 42 ¾ inches, 2018.

Julie Bena at Chapter NY

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Whether they’re teeth or a quadrupled epiglottis, the line of metal balls in each of these three mouth sculptures by Julie Bena suggests ways in which language might follow Newton’s laws.  If each of these joyous, dismayed or just loud mouths spoke, would their words have a momentum that wouldn’t diminish?  How would the energy of each person’s thoughts change form as it manifested in each individual?  (At Chapter NY as part of the multi-gallery group exhibition Condo New York.  Chapter is hosting Adams and Ollman).

Julie Bena, installation view at Chapter NY, July, 2018. Foreground: 3 Mouths Are Largely Enough (Hearthy), powder coated metal, 8 ¾ x 11 x 2 ¾ inches, 2017.

Luke Murphy at Canada New York

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

A campfire made of LED matrix panels, a slightly misshapen monolith in cool blue light and this glowing quilt with changing patterns are standouts in computer programmer/ artist Luke Murphy’s latest show at Canada NY.  Here, both subject matter and execution exude homey charm.  (On view on the Lower East Side through July 15th).

LogCabin Quilt, 62 x 41 x 5 inches, 2018.

Tim Gardner at 303 Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

British Columbia based artist Tim Gardner revisits his college-day haunts in vibrant, precise watercolors of a surprisingly tranquil New York, now on view at 303 Gallery.  A Statue of Liberty with stars brightly shining above (light pollution magically banished), a quiet (!) High Line park and a subway station with a train arriving are magical moments.  This bike messenger (actually waiting at a light?) helps interpret the scale of the pleasingly symmetrical terracotta-colored building framing the scene.  (On view in Chelsea through July 13th).

Tim Gardner, Bike Messenger, watercolor on paper, 16 x 12 inches, 2018.

Will Cotton in ‘Paper/Print’ at the International Print Center

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Will Cotton’s paintings of models and confectionery merge erotic desire and the temptation of sweets; here, sugar wins out as a tower of cake takes center stage at the International Print Center in Chelsea.  If this looks like a sculpture that won’t age well, don’t be fooled; this indulgent stack of goodies is made of handmade paper – a standout in the Print Center’s show of American hand paper-making since the 60s.

Will Cotton, The Pleasure Principle 2, cast pigmented handmade paper, published by Pace Editions, Inc, papermakers: Ruth Lingen, Akemi Martin and Emily Chaplain, 2014.

Katherine Bernhardt at Canada New York

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

There’s trouble in the tropics in Katherine Bernhardt’s latest solo show of pattern paintings at Canada New York. Watermelons appear alongside toilet paper, birds in flight next to cigarettes as nature contrasts man-made products in paintings with ominous titles like ‘Climate Change.’ Here, in ‘Dole + Darth Vader,’ the Sith lord is surrounded by Dole bananas, linking a fictional face of evil to a company criticized for damaging the environment and harming workers. (On view on the Lower East Side through Feb 11th).

Katherine Bernhardt, Dole + Darth Vader, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 72 x 60 inches, 2017.

Matt Connors at Canada NY

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Taking the history of painting, particularly 20th century modernism as one major influence, painter Matt Connors shapes color and form into optical experience in new paintings at Canada NY on the Lower East Side. (On view through Dec 10th).

Matt Connors, Yet to be titled, oil, acrylic and colored pencil on canvas, 35 ¼ x 31 ¼ inches, 2017.

Matthew Pillsbury at Benrubi Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Using his signature long exposure technique, Matthew Pillsbury turns his lens for his latest show, ‘Sanctuary’ at Benrubi Gallery, on basic rights – assembly and expression – that are often taken for granted. Here, a participant pauses in front of Matthew Chavez’s ‘Subway Therapy’ project, which provided pens and post-its for New Yorkers to express their thoughts after the 2016 presidential election. (On view in Chelsea through Nov 22nd).

Matthew Pillsbury, Subway Therapy 2, Union Square, New York City, Dec 3, 2016, 50 x 60 inches, 2016.

Eva Rothschild at 303 Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Branch-like, bead-covered forms wrap around a hollow, multicolored cast of a forearm in Eva Rothchild’s latest show at 303 Gallery. Dark, glittery and talismanic, her latest sculptures offer an almost tactic experience for the eyes, turning surface and form into territory to be minutely explored. (On view in Chelsea through Oct 28th).

Eva Rothschild, (detail of ) Arm of the Rainbow, glass beads, aluminum, fiberglass, fabric, jesmonite, rebar, 77 ½ x 17 x 16 ¼ inches, 2017.

Patrick Hughes at Flowers Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

British painter Patrick Hughes continues to explore what he terms ‘reverspective,’ or the upending of our expectation that paintings will appear to be in one fixed place. Walk past one of Hughes’ projecting paintings on board, and the rooms he paints appear to shift; the device is acutely appropriate to his depiction of the Barnes Foundation, the art museum which itself shifted locations by moving to downtown Philadelphia in 2012. (On view at Flowers Gallery in Chelsea through Oct 14th).

Patrick Hughes, The Barnes Foundation, oil on board construction, 59 x 207.5 x 24 cm, 2016.

Chris Ofili at David Zwirner Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Four paintings hang against chain link fencing at David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea, inaccessible to the public except by a narrow corridor between the fence and the wall, which has been painted with towering figures of sinuous dancers, themselves depicted behind a painted fence. The show is titled ‘Paradise Lost’ and follows Ofili’s ‘The Caged Bird’s Song’ at London’s National Gallery, for which the artist alluded to the practice in his adopted home, Trinidad, of raising caged songbirds. Here, aggressive fencing suggests that it is not the song of the caged bird that is sweeter. (On view through Oct 21st).

Chris Ofili, installation view of ‘Paradise Lost’ at David Zwirner Gallery’s 533 West 19th Street space, Sept 2017.

Harold Feinstein in ‘I Scream, You Scream’ at Robert Mann Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Robert Mann Gallery’s ice-cream themed summer group show runs the gamut from glossy commercial images of fake ice cream to this gritty 1950s shot by Harold Feinstein of New York urchins enjoying a treat while Christ appears to ‘let the little children come to him’ in the background. (In ‘I Scream, You Scream’ at Robert Mann Gallery through August 18th).

Harold Feinstein, Storefront Christ and Children, NYC, silver print, 14 x 11 inches, 1951.

Mairead O’hEocha at Callicoon Fine Arts

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Mairead O’hEocha’s floral still life evokes paintings by 17th/18th century painter Rachel Ruysch while offering a more abstracted take on the genre. Flowers from around the world which may have bloomed at different times combined in the Netherlands to testify to Dutch trade power. Here, the rose at center signals waning strength as it begins to lose its petals. (At Callicoon Fine Arts hosting mothers tankstation limited, Dublin, for Condo New York on the Lower East Side through July 28th).

Mairead O’hEocha, Bouquet with Rose after Rachel Ruysch, oil on board, 31 ½ x 24 ½ inches, 2017.

Anne Neukamp at Marlborough Contemporary

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Anne Neukamp’s post-analogue paintings picture office tools in large-scale, graphically simple images that look as if they’ve been composed in digital space, yet are manifest before us in oil, tempera and linen. Titled ‘Morsel,’ this tantalizing icon offers a puzzle piece and a mystery envelope, dangling meaning in front of viewers. (At Chelsea’s Marlborough Contemporary through June 24th).

Anne Neukamp, Morsel, oil, tempera, acrylic on linen, 39 3/8 x 31 ½ inches, 2017.

Yoonmi Nam in ‘New Prints’ at the International Print Center New York

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

It’ll be no problem to ‘Please recycle this bag,’ in this case, as artwork. Yoonmi Nam’s plastic carrier bags are in fact lithographs on gampi paper containing not plastic food containers but glazed slipcast porcelain. They subvert the notion of disposability powerfully. (At the International Print Center’s ‘New Prints 2017/Winter’ exhibition through April 1st).

Yoonmi Nam, Take Out (Thank You for Your Patronage), lithograph on gampi paper and glazed slipcast porcelain. Edition: unique, 2016. And Take Out (Thank You Gracias), 2015.

Nathaniel de Large at 247365

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

The chemical smell of ‘Stockpot’ – a Porta potty on rockers – hits immediately at Nathaniel de Large’s solo show at 247365 on the Lower East Side.   This surprising sculpture opens a show inspired by de Large’s time spent camping in a Brooklyn parking lot. Further in, the artist displays a puffer jacket the size of a camper (which serves as a screening room) and freshly poured concrete ‘sidewalks’ into which friends have carved their marks. (On view through March 10th).

Nathaniel de Large, Stockpot, Porta potty, steel, aluminum, motor, shirt, concrete, 42 x 82 x 99 inches, 2017.

Johannes VanDerBeek at Marinaro

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Johannes VanDerBeek’s thick aqua-resin paintings at new Lower East Side gallery Marinaro look like highly colored views from under the microscope. Looser than Joan Miro and freer and more abstract than Yves Tanguy, the work still channels Surrealism and early 20th century abstraction. (On view through March 19th).

Johannes VanDerBeek, Medieval Blossom, aqua-resin, fiberglass, steel, clay, silicone and paint, 65 x 45 inches, 2017.

Richard Mosse at Jack Shainman Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Richard Mosse pictures European refugee camps like you’ve never seen them in monumental new photos taken with a military grade telephoto camera. Normally used for combat and border surveillance, the camera detects thermal radiation, turning individuals into ghost-like presences. (At Jack Shainman Gallery’s 20th Street location in Chelsea through March 11th).

Richard Mosse, (detail of) Idomeni Camp, Greece, digital c-print on metallic paper, 40 x 120 inches, 2016.

Uta Barth at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Inspired by the light in her adopted home-city of LA and by the still life arrangements of Italian painter Giorgio Morandi, Uta Barth employs everyday glassware as lenses. Transparent objects in various shapes, colors and combinations shift light to harness the properties of nature in service of art. (At Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in Chelsea through March 11th).

Uta Barth, In the Light and Shadow of Morandi (17.03), face mounted, raised, shaped, Archival Pigment print in artist’s frame, 48 ¾ x 52 ¾ inches, 2017.

Natalie Baxter in ‘Old Glory’ at Mulherin New York

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Brooklyn-based artist Natalie Baxter’s glitzy flag hangs from the ceiling of Mulherin New York’s compact space like a disco ball, adding humor to the flag-centric group show ‘Old Glory.’ (On the Lower East Side through March 5th).

Natalie Baxter, People will Think You’re Making a Trump Flag V, fabric and polyfill, 22 x 39 x 3 inches, 2017.

Elliott Hundley, Until the End at Andrea Rosen

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

A woman calmly looks out from a storm of activity in this detail from a new collage by Elliott Hundley at Andrea Rosen Gallery, suggesting that she is uniquely adapted to life in an environment of overload.   Countless masks, eyes and assorted circular shapes – from lotus slices to flowers – are equal parts portal to another world and big brother. (In Chelsea through March 11th).

Elliott Hundley, (detail of )Until the end, paper, oil, pins, glass, lotus, plastic, foam and linen over panel, 96 ½ x 80 ¼ x 8 ½ inches, 2017.

Steve Wolfe at Luhring Augustine Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

This well-worn tome isn’t a book at all but a meticulous painting by the artist Steve Wolfe. Not only does it memorialize a classic novel but serves as a tribute to Wolfe himself, who passed away last year.  Well-known for creating trompe l’oeil paintings of favorite books and records, Wolfe indirectly created a portrait of himself and his era. (At Luhring Augustine Gallery through March 11th).

Steve Wolfe, Untitled (Portrait of the Artist), oil, silkscreen, modeling paste, and linen on stretcher, 7 ¾ x 5 x ½ inches, 1991.

Jaume Plensa, Silence at Galerie Lelong

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Jaume Plensa’s latest exhibition at Galerie Lelong continues his investigation of portraiture, featuring several of his signature, elongated heads with closed eyes that suggest unseen inner lives. In Chelsea, they are arranged on wooden beams and are joined by spectral faces on the wall that transform the gallery into a contemplative space. (On view through March 11th).

Jaume Plensa, Silence, melis wood, variable dimensions, 2016.

Jordan Kasey at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Young Brooklyn-based artist Jordan Kasey channels Picasso’s monumental females, Botero’s swollen figures and a sense of the surreal in her huge paintings, now on view at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery. With faces mostly cropped out, ‘Poolside’ foregrounds log-like stacks of limbs belonging to a brand new breed of weighty Titans. (On the Lower East Side through March 12th).

Jordan Kasey, Poolside, oil on canvas, 77 ½ x 108 inches, 2017.

Pieter Hugo, Portrait #9 at Yossi Milo Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Are children born in Rwanda after the genocide freer, having not had their lives disrupted by that violence? How will their understanding of history impact their lives? South African photographer Pieter Hugo asked these questions while also questioning the post-Apartheid legacy of his own children and their generation in a series of photos at Chelsea’s Yossi Milo Gallery. Here, the landscape and its histories act as backdrop to a portrait of a self-possessed young person. (On view through March 4th).

Pieter Hugo, Portrait #9, Rwanda, digital C-Print, 47 ¼ inches x 63 inches, 2015.

Kader Attia at Lehmann Maupin Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

In an eighteen-screen installation set in a warren of cubicles at Lehmann Maupin Gallery, French-Algerian artist Kader Attia explores western vs non-western approaches to mental health in a series of monologues by European and African health professionals. The dehumanizing office environment contrasts the intimacy of each screening space, resulting in an unsettling experience that invites new discoveries. (At Lehmann Maupin’s Lower East Side location through March 4th).

Kader Attia, Reason’s Oxymorons, 18 films and installation of cubicles, duration variable, 13-25 minutes, 2015.
Kader Attia, Reason’s Oxymorons, 18 films and installation of cubicles, duration variable, 13-25 minutes, 2015.

Rudolf Bauer at Leila Heller Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Leila Heller Gallery compliments the Guggenheim’s current ‘Visionaries’ exhibition with a show featuring artworks by early 20th century ‘non-objective’ painters, including mature works by German avant-gardist Rudolf Bauer. Though this painting from the ‘30s brings to mind a planet on the left and the built environment to the right, Bauer’s focus was art as expression of the spirit. (In Chelsea through March 4th).

Rudolf Bauer, Green Form, oil on canvas, 51 ¼ x 66 7/8 inches, 1936.
Rudolf Bauer, Green Form, oil on canvas, 51 ¼ x 66 7/8 inches, 1936.

Rafael Gomezbarros in ‘Naturalia’ at Paul Kasmin Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Paul Kasmin Gallery and Sotheby’s Gallery team up this month to bring the vanitas still life and memento mori up to date in an impressive exhibition of Dutch genre painting and contemporary art touching on the theme of life’s brevity. Columbian artist Rafael Gomezbarros’ smarm of ants – constructed with cast human skulls – opens the show with a bang. (At Paul Kasmin Gallery in Chelsea through March 4th).

Foreground: Rafael Gomezbarros, Casa Tomada (Taken House), five parts: resin, fiber glass, screen cotton, ropes, wood, sand and Cerrejon coal, each 37 3/8 x 17 ¾ inches x 6 ¼ inches, 2016.
Foreground: Rafael Gomezbarros, Casa Tomada (Taken House), five parts: resin, fiber glass, screen cotton, ropes, wood, sand and Cerrejon coal, each 37 3/8 x 17 ¾ inches x 6 ¼ inches, 2016.

Paul Sharits in ‘Infected Foot’ at Greene Naftali Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Paul Sharits’ painting ‘Infected Foot III’ doesn’t regard the pain of others; we’re looking down at the purple, throbbing mass as if it’s our own. Beads and glistening cords of paint look as if they’d be part of a cheerier composition; instead, they add to the surprise of a rogue body part that threatens to bring down the whole. (At Greene Naftali Gallery through Feb 25th).

Paul Sharits, Foot Infection III, acrylic on purple Mylar, mixed media, foamcore attachment, 69 x 53 inches, 1982.
Paul Sharits, Foot Infection III, acrylic on purple Mylar, mixed media, foamcore attachment, 69 x 53 inches, 1982.

Sohei Nishino at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Sohei Nishino’s charmingly idiosyncratic maps of cities around the world track the Japanese globetrotter’s exploration of metropolitan architecture and populations. Each bricolage results from hundreds of images shot at various vantage points around a given city. In this detail from Nishino’s New Delhi diorama map, the crowds and traffic encroach on the India Gate war memorial, though it retains a space and aura of its own. (At Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in Chelsea through March 4th).

Sohei Nishino, Diorama Map New Delhi, light jet print on Kodak Endura, 70.87 x 79.53 inches, 2013.
Sohei Nishino, Diorama Map New Delhi, light jet print on Kodak Endura, 70.87 x 79.53 inches, 2013.

Diedrick Brackens in ‘Los Angeles Bound’ at Thomas Erben Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Maybe it’s the descending pattern of dots or the black rainbow shape in Diedrick Brackens’ tapestry but the text, ‘everything is lovely now’ isn’t quite believable. Instead, this shaggy banner seems to announce a still transitory state. (At Thomas Erben Gallery in Chelsea through Feb 18th).

Diedrick Brackens, get in where you fit in, woven cotton and polyester yarn, 71 x 67 inches, 2016.
Diedrick Brackens, get in where you fit in, woven cotton and polyester yarn, 71 x 67 inches, 2016.

Katharina Grosse at Gagosian Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

From the depths of Katharina Grosse’s huge abstractions, shapes materialize and invite interpretation. The Berlin-based artist describes her new works as “portals to a small room, where all the color has been crammed into a tiny space.” Peering into these openings is an intense optical experience. (At Gagosian Gallery’s 24th Street Chelsea location through March 11th).

Katharina Grosse, Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 117 11/16 x 79 ½ inches, 2016.
Katharina Grosse, Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 117 11/16 x 79 ½ inches, 2016.

Anh Thuy Nguyen in ‘Surface Unrest’ at Miyako Yoshinaga

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Female hands, eyes, mouths and other body parts transferred onto stones by Anh Thuy Nguyen resemble a smashed frieze, carefully reassembled on the floor. Titled ‘Burden,’ the sculpture grapples with the difficulties of representation and with the pressures placed on the female body. (At Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery through Feb 18th).

Anh Thuy Nguyen, Burden, laser inkjet prints transferred on stones, 84 x 72 inches, 2015.
Anh Thuy Nguyen, Burden, laser inkjet prints transferred on stones, 84 x 72 inches, 2015.

Adrian Ghenie at Pace Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

‘Rest During The Flight Into Egypt’ broaches the subject of migration in Romanian artist Adrian Ghenie’s latest solo show at Pace Gallery in Chelsea. Here, two kids wait on a railroad track in front of a heaving, blood-red landscape wearing masks that disguise their faces but not the damage inflicted upon them. (On view through Feb 18th).

Adrian Ghenie, Rest During the Flight Into Egypt, oil on canvas, 7’ 10 ½ inches x 9’ 6 ¼ inches x 2 inches, 2016.
Adrian Ghenie, Rest During the Flight Into Egypt, oil on canvas, 7’ 10 ½ inches x 9’ 6 ¼ inches x 2 inches, 2016.

Portia Munson at PPOW Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

From the pervasive musty scent of perfume to the claustrophobic, tented ceiling of PPOW’s transformed back gallery, Portia Munson’s installation ‘The Garden’ assaults the senses and may induce panic in the clutter-adverse. The overload of frilly and feminine things is oppressive – calculated to send visitors gasping for more gender-neutral territory. (In Chelsea through Feb 11th).

Portia Munson, installation view of The Garden, mixed media installation, 1996-98 at PPOW Gallery, Jan ’17.
Portia Munson, installation view of The Garden, mixed media installation, 1996-98 at PPOW Gallery, Jan ’17.

Channing Hansen at CRG Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Using fiber from sheep selectively bred to increase genetic diversity, Channing Hansen creates abstract knit works that derive their patterns from an algorithm that makes use of his own DNA. Complicated back story aside, the artworks entice by evoking the body and the landscapes in vivid color and a wealth of texture. (At CRG Gallery on the Lower East Side through Feb 25th).

Channing Hansen, RFLP:6:29840382:CT, Bluefaced Leicester, California Variegated Mutant (Latham), California Variegated Mutant (Myth), Cashmere, Corriedale, hybrid California Variegated Mutant/Rambou/Cotswold/Border Leicester (Cessna), hybrid Cotswold/Border/Leicester/California Variegated Mu, 54 ¼ x 55 ¼ x 1 ¼ inches, 2016.
Channing Hansen, RFLP:6:29840382:CT, Bluefaced Leicester, California Variegated Mutant (Latham), California Variegated Mutant (Myth), Cashmere, Corriedale, hybrid California Variegated Mutant/Rambou/Cotswold/Border Leicester (Cessna), hybrid Cotswold/Border/Leicester/California Variegated Mu, 54 ¼ x 55 ¼ x 1 ¼ inches, 2016.

Matt Johnson Sculpture at 303 Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

The text on this box – ‘Enjoy your delicious moments!’ – is supposed to be an encouragement to appreciate pizza, but it’s also a good way to describe the feeling of realizing that this realistic food box is actually a meticulously crafted, hand painted wooden sculpture by trompe l’oeil master Matt Johnson. (At 303 Gallery in Chelsea through Feb 25th).

Matt Johnson, Untitled (Small Pizza Box), carved wood and paint, 17 ½ x 14 ½ x 7 inches, 2016.
Matt Johnson, Untitled (Small Pizza Box), carved wood and paint, 17 ½ x 14 ½ x 7 inches, 2016.

Mark Dion in ‘We Need to Talk’ at Petzel Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Petzel Gallery’s current must-see show, ‘We Need to Talk,’ is a tour de force of heart-felt political statement, from a video shot at Standing Rock to a neon sign reading, ‘What if Women Ruled the World?’ In between, Mark Dion’s 1991 ‘FBI Tool Bag of Dirty Tricks’ is a standout that’s turning into a classic. (In Chelsea through Feb 11th).

Mark Dion, F.B.I. Tool Bag of Dirty Tricks, fabric bag, nine tools covered in liquid rubber with enamel, extra item: plunger, 1991.
Mark Dion, F.B.I. Tool Bag of Dirty Tricks, fabric bag, nine tools covered in liquid rubber with enamel, extra item: plunger, 1991.

Lee Bul, Souterrain at Lehmann Maupin

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

The mirrored, cave-like entrance to Lee Bul’s latest solo show at Lehmann Maupin Gallery dazzles. Once inside, however, the ceiling height diminishes rapidly and visitors emerge into the main gallery at an uncomfortable crouch. Failed promises are a recurring theme in Lee Bul’s oeuvre; here she sends a strong message from the beginning of the exhibition. (Through Feb 11th).

Lee Bul, Souterrain, plywood on wooden frame, acrylic mirror, acrylic paint, LED lighting and electronic wiring, 107.87 x 141.73 x 188.98 inches, 2012/16
Lee Bul, Souterrain, plywood on wooden frame, acrylic mirror, acrylic paint, LED lighting and electronic wiring, 107.87 x 141.73 x 188.98 inches, 2012/16

Emil Lukas, Liquid Lens at Sperone Westwater

by Merrily KerrFeatures & Commissions, Hottest Show, Inside ViewPosted on Comments are Disabled

At over eight feet tall, this structure of welded aluminum tubes by Emil Lukas not only dominates Sperone Westwater’s small back gallery, it commandeers our vision. By leading our gaze toward a single point on the wall behind, it melds sculpture with the role of painting and drawing by creating one-point perspective. (On the Lower East Side through Feb 11th).

Emil Lukas, Liquid Lens, aluminum, 107 x 136 x 40 inches, 2016.
Emil Lukas, Liquid Lens, aluminum, 107 x 136 x 40 inches, 2016.

Gladys Nilsson, Not Easily Pared at Garth Greenan

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

In the early 90s, an LA Times critic commented on the ‘silly sort of dignity’ possessed by the eccentric characters in Gladys Nilsson’s large watercolors. The phrase perfectly characterizes these figures from the ‘80s, whose exaggerated physical characteristics and twisting bodies are equal parts grotesque and intriguing. (At Garth Greenan Gallery in Chelsea through Feb 18th).

Gladys Nilsson, Not Easily Pared, watercolor on paper, 40 x 60 inches, 1987.
Gladys Nilsson, Not Easily Pared, watercolor on paper, 40 x 60 inches, 1987.

Daniel Heidkamp at Derek Eller Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

The huge portal dominating Daniel Heidkamp’s hotel room painting leads us into more than we might expect. From what looks to be one of the Maritime Hotel’s distinctive windows, Heidkamp shuffles the New York skyline and offers glimpses of a ballet rehearsal in a building that only exists in this painting. It feels surprisingly daring to rearrange New York’s built environment and particularly appropriate as construction booms in the city. (At Derek Eller Gallery through Feb 5th).

Daniel Heidkamp, Dreams, oil on linen, 96 x 72 inches, 2016.
Daniel Heidkamp, Dreams, oil on linen, 96 x 72 inches, 2016.

Lino Lago in ‘Flat Earth Conspiracy’ at George Adams Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Spanish artist Lino Lago’s recent ‘Reality (Show)’ series jumbles art and artifacts from pop culture and art history together on the flat surface of a canvas. This shaped artwork in the form of a chair, part of the same series, allows collectors to make their own groupings. (At George Adams Gallery in Chelsea through Feb 11th.)

Lino Lago, Point of View, oil on wood, 14 x 10 ½ x 1 inches, 2016.
Lino Lago, Point of View, oil on wood, 14 x 10 ½ x 1 inches, 2016.

Lois Dodd at Alexandre Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Plants, ponds and (for a time) cows generated New York painter Lois Dodd’s subject matter as she painted the natural world in canvases that provocatively mix figuration and abstraction. This 1963 image, painted on summer vacation in Maine, continued Dodd’s studies in pattern, merging avant-garde painting style with bucolic pleasure. (At Alexandre Gallery in the 57th Street area, through Feb 25th).

Lois Dodd, Cows, oil on linen, 72 x 76 inches, 1963.
Lois Dodd, Cows, oil on linen, 72 x 76 inches, 1963.

Roger White at Rachel Uffner Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Roger White’s new oil paintings at Rachel Uffner Gallery approach the wondrous in the everyday – a mirror reflects light, an array of mushrooms grows from a bag – but the artist amps up the drama in this picture of fire on a river. Has there been a chemical spill? Is this a miracle? A sci-fi scene? This small, intriguingly moody canvas asks good questions. (On the Lower East Side through Feb 19th).

Roger White, Touristic Scene with Burning River, oil on canvas, 10 x 17 inches, 2017.
Roger White, Touristic Scene with Burning River, oil on canvas, 10 x 17 inches, 2017.

James Siena at Pace Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

James Siena continues to produce mesmerizing patterned images with his latest show of drawings at Pace Gallery. However, instead of repeating an initial mark that establishes a rule system, Siena’s new work glories in interlocking patterns that boggle the mind with their detail and their complex consideration of space. (At Pace Gallery’s 25th Street location through Feb 11th).

James Siena, Manifold X, ink and watercolor on paper, 11 5/8 x 9 ¼ inches, 2015.
James Siena, Manifold X, ink and watercolor on paper, 11 5/8 x 9 ¼ inches, 2015.

Karen Heagle at On Stellar Rays

by Merrily KerrFeatures & Commissions, Hottest Show, Inside ViewPosted on Comments are Disabled

Karen Heagle’s sumptuous, gold leaved paintings of scavengers, predators and fallen prey are irresistible, even at their goriest moments. On a solitary drawing, the text ‘The Unwashed Masses’ hints that Heagle’s interests stray beyond the lifecycle of animals to reflect on humanity’s ‘natural’ inclination to violence. (At On Stellar Rays on the Lower East Side through Feb 19th).

Karen Heagle, Untitled Scene (three vultures and a carcass), acrylic, ink, collage, gold and copper leaf on paper, 22 ½ x 29 ½ inches, 2016.
Karen Heagle, Untitled Scene (three vultures and a carcass), acrylic, ink, collage, gold and copper leaf on paper, 22 ½ x 29 ½ inches, 2016.

Henry Gunderson at 247365 Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Fit for a student or a teacher, this monumental painted shoe not only holds scissors, pens and other school supplies, it’s a history lesson all on its own, from the cave paintings to a digitally rendered portrait in green lines. Titled after Magritte’s Le Modele Rouge (a painting of boots that take on the appearance of bare feet), Henry Gunderson’s update is more practical than surreal, but no less fun to ponder. (At 247365 Gallery on the Lower East Side through Feb 5th).

Henry Gunderson, Le Modele Rouge, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 96 inches, 2016.
Henry Gunderson, Le Modele Rouge, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 96 inches, 2016.

Hannah van Bart at Marianne Boesky Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Despite her assertive pose, Dutch painter Hannah van Bart’s enigmatic young lady appears to literally blend into the background as a shape-shifting wall the color of her dress manifests over her chest. (At Marianne Boesky Gallery through Feb 4th.)

Hannah van Bart, Untitled, oil on linen, 39 3/8 x 25 5/8 inches, 2016.
Hannah van Bart, Untitled, oil on linen, 39 3/8 x 25 5/8 inches, 2016.

Jim Torok at Pierogi

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Sandwiched on the wall between two roughly lettered signs reading, ‘The End is Here’ and the enigmatic ‘You Are Pretty Good,’ Jim Torok’s photo-realist renderings of friends and acquaintances like ‘Jennifer’ bring the artist’s thoughts and his community together in the quiet of the gallery. (At Pierogi through Feb 12th).

Jim Torok, Jennifer, oil on panel, 9 x 7 inches, 2015.
Jim Torok, Jennifer, oil on panel, 9 x 7 inches, 2015.

Michele Grabner at James Cohan Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Handmade blankets rendered in bronze and boldly colored paintings based on the blankets’ patterns orient Michele Grabner’s latest body of work toward the domestic, the personal and the tactile. Each blanket’s form looks ghostly, harkening back to the bodies that used it to stay warm. As 2-D images on the wall, the cozy factor is replaced by a reference to the grid, the ubiquitous underlying principle to much mid-20th century art. Grabner suggests that context is key. (At James Cohan Gallery’s Chelsea location, through Jan 28th).

Michele Grabner, Untitled, bronze, 43 ½ x 20 x 12 ½ inches, unique, 2016. Background painting: Untitled, oil on burlap and canvas, 86 ½ x 120 inches, 2016.
Michele Grabner, Untitled, bronze, 43 ½ x 20 x 12 ½ inches, unique, 2016. Background painting: Untitled, oil on burlap and canvas, 86 ½ x 120 inches, 2016.

Nell Blaine at Tibor de Nagy

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

The vibrant colors and domestic setting rich with decorative details in this gorgeous still life by late New York painter Nell Blaine betray her captivation by 19th/20th century European painters like Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard. (On view in midtown at Tibor de Nagy Gallery through Jan 28th).

Nell Blaine, White Lilies, Pink Cloth, oil on canvas, 24 x 27 inches, 1990.
Nell Blaine, White Lilies, Pink Cloth, oil on canvas, 24 x 27 inches, 1990.

Samuel Levi Jones at Galerie Lelong

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Using the covers of old encyclopedias, law books and African American reference books, Samuel Levi Jones makes collages on canvas that question what changes as time passes. Jones employs books as symbols of obsolescence to further represent how the ideas expressed therein can also run their course. (At Chelsea’s Galerie Lelong through Jan 28th).

Samuel Levi Jones, 101, deconstructed encyclopedias, law books and African American reference books on canvas, 49 x 60 inches, 2016.
Samuel Levi Jones, 101, deconstructed encyclopedias, law books and African American reference books on canvas, 49 x 60 inches, 2016.

Rebecca Morris at Mary Boone Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

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.

Sopheap Pich, Rang Phnom Flower at Tyler Rollins Fine Art

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Silhouetted against natural light, the translucent petals of a blossoming flower from the cannonball tree contrast tightly shut pods in the foreground, but each indulges our pleasure in organic forms. Cambodian artist Sopheap Pich’s largest flowering plant sculpture to date sprawls across Tyler Rollins Gallery’s floor in Chelsea, recalling trees planted near Buddhist temples. Though they resemble the sal tree associated with Buddha’s birth, the plants arrived in Southeast Asia from the Americas via Sri Lanka, a reminder of complicated histories. (Through Feb 4th).

Sopheap Pich, Rang Phnom Flower, bamboo, rattan, metal wire, plywood, steel, metal bolts, 325 x 180 x 65 inches, 2015.
Sopheap Pich, Rang Phnom Flower, bamboo, rattan, metal wire, plywood, steel, metal bolts, 325 x 180 x 65 inches, 2015.

Charles Long at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

The human body meets cold hard metal in LA sculptor Charles Long’s eerie new sculptures that pair geometric forms covered in flesh-like platinum silicon rubber with mirror polished stainless steel forms. Here, RealSenseSapient2 includes the appearance of moles, veins and wrinkles, suggesting a quasi-human futuristic living being. (At Tanya Bonakdar Gallery through Feb 4th).

Charles Long, RealSenseSapient2, platinum silicon with pigment, stainless steel and pedestal, sculpture (without pedestal): 20 x 14 x 13 inches, 2016.
Charles Long, RealSenseSapient2, platinum silicon with pigment, stainless steel and pedestal, sculpture (without pedestal): 20 x 14 x 13 inches, 2016.

Liz Glynn Scupture at Paula Cooper Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Dramatic and monumental, Rodin’s 1890s sculpture of Balzac is a figure set apart. LA sculptor Liz Glynn changed the character’s remote quality during a 2-day performance/workshop at LACMA, during which she cast several of the museum’s Rodin bronzes and recombined them to striking effect. Here, a face from Rodin’s Burghers of Calais joins Balzac’s in a dual portrait that suggests strong emotion. (At Chelsea’s Paula Cooper Gallery through Feb 11th).

Liz Glynn, (detail) Untitled (after Balzac, with Burgher), bronze, 2014.
Liz Glynn, (detail) Untitled (after Balzac, with Burgher), bronze, 2014.

Davina Semo Sculpture at Marlborough Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

While a single glove evokes Michael Jackson in the glitter of stage lights, this lone accessory – a stainless steel mesh glove encased in concrete – conveys something sinister. Semo’s other minimalist sculptures co-opt possible residue of violence, including chains, broken glass and shell casings as art materials, asking how fine art and conflict connect. (At Marlborough Gallery in Chelsea through Jan 14th).

Davina Semo, SHE LOOKED THROUGH HIS THINGS, CAREFUL TO LEAVE EACH AS IT HAD BEEN, pigmented, reinforced concrete; mica, stainless steel mesh glove, 9 x 6 x 1 7/8 inches, 2016.
Davina Semo, SHE LOOKED THROUGH HIS THINGS, CAREFUL TO LEAVE EACH AS IT HAD BEEN, pigmented, reinforced concrete; mica, stainless steel mesh glove, 9 x 6 x 1 7/8 inches, 2016.

Hai-Hsin Huang in ‘Ref-er-enced’ at Danese Corey Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Phones, cameras and iPads outnumber art objects in Hai-Hsin Huang’s mash-up of Metropolitan Museum of Art treasures, ogled by visitors jockeying for snapshots and selfies. In this detail, a massive, 2,300 year old marble column from the Temple of Artemis at Sardis fails to attract much attention, begging the question of a museum’s purpose in today’s photo obsessed culture. (At Danese Corey Gallery in Chelsea through Feb 4th).

Hai-Hsin Huang, (detail) The MET #1, pencil on paper, 53 x 117 inches, 2014.
Hai-Hsin Huang, (detail) The MET #1, pencil on paper, 53 x 117 inches, 2014.

Edie Nadelhaft at Lyons Wier Gallery

by Merrily KerrFeatures & Commissions, Hottest Show, Inside ViewPosted on Comments are Disabled

Motorcycle road trips all over the U.S. inspire New Yorker Edie Nadelhaft’s new paintings framed by vintage BMW mirror housings. Nadelhaft opts to travel on local roads for a more characterful portrait of the landscape. Looking back through the bike mirrors reveals what is receding in American culture, as evidenced by this classic car and a non-chain restaurant. (At Lyons Wier Gallery in Chelsea through Jan 28th).

Edie Nadelhaft, Mindy’s (Modena, IL), oil on panel, vintage BMW mirror housing, 4.25 inches diameter, 2017.
Edie Nadelhaft, Mindy’s (Modena, IL), oil on panel, vintage BMW mirror housing, 4.25 inches diameter, 2017.

Judith Simonian in ‘Regrouping’ at Edward Thorp Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

New York painter Judith Simonian charts a course through the mist on a curiously empty, fabulously colored ferry in this standout painting in the group exhibition ‘Regrouping’ at Edward Thorp Gallery’s new Chelsea location. It’s unclear what the immediate future holds on Simonian’s vessel, but the journey looks amazing. (On view through Jan 28th).

Judith Simonian, Ferry Boat, acrylic on canvas, 58 x 72 inches, 2016.
Judith Simonian, Ferry Boat, acrylic on canvas, 58 x 72 inches, 2016.

Anna Glantz at 11R

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Young New York painter Anna Glantz enters an odd-dreamlike world in all of her new paintings at 11R, none more so than in ‘Britney’s Season,’ in which we follow a blond figure down a mysterious staircase amid tiny, floating pumpkins and golf tees. (On the Lower East Side through Jan 15th).

Anna Glantz, Britney’s Season, oil on canvas, 70 x 47 inches, 2016.
Anna Glantz, Britney’s Season, oil on canvas, 70 x 47 inches, 2016.

Max Beckmann at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Don’t let the cat fool you. Despite her somber dress and downcast eyes, this actress – who was never identified in this 1926 portrait by Max Beckmann – isn’t relaxing with her pet so much as she seems poised to transform into a new role before our eyes. An intensely colored yellow wall and orange-upholstered chair in the background promise something electrifying as our bolt upright subject leans in towards us. (In ‘Max Beckmann in New York,’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through Feb 20th).

Max Beckmann, The Old Actress, oil on canvas, 1926.
Max Beckmann, The Old Actress, oil on canvas, 1926.

Mierle Laderman Ukeles at the Queens Museum of Art

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Since the 70s, conceptual and performance art pioneer Mierle Laderman Ukeles mopped museum steps, shook the hand of every sanitation worker in New York and devised plans for the public to engage with the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island, all in an effort to revalue the labor involved in maintaining our city, offices and homes. At the entrance to her 40+ year retrospective at the Queens Museum of Art, Laderman Ukeles plants this arch – made of donated work gloves and other items from local and federal agencies – as celebration of and homage to the work of keeping things running. (Through Feb 19th).

Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Ceremonial Arch IV, 5,000 + gloves donated from 10 urban organizations, in steel cages and on steel rods, situated over six columns wrought from materials donated from local and federal agencies, 1988/1993/1994/2016.
Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Ceremonial Arch IV, 5,000 + gloves donated from 10 urban organizations, in steel cages and on steel rods, situated over six columns wrought from materials donated from local and federal agencies, 1988/1993/1994/2016.

Velazquez at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

This 1651-54 portrait by Velazquez of the presumptive heir to the Spanish throne, Maria Teresa, as a fresh-faced young teen is a standout in the Met’s current seven-painting show of work the famed Spanish court painter. Framed by an elaborate wig with butterfly ribbons, Maria Teresa’s round features glow with an innocence that would vanish with her future marriage to French King Louis XIV. (At the Metropolitan Museum of Art through March 12th).

Velazquez, Maria Teresa, Infanta of Spain, oil on canvas, 1651-54.
Velazquez, Maria Teresa, Infanta of Spain, oil on canvas, 1651-54.

Curtis Talwst Santiago at Rachel Uffner Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

A tiny, parched figure gasps for water, a protesting crowd descends to a pool of water and here, an overloaded boat of migrants braves choppy waters in dramatic ring box dioramas by Canadian artist Curtis Talwst Santiago. Seen in Lilliputian scale, Santiago’s characters seem to be at the mercy of the elements and other forces beyond their control as they struggle onward. (At Rachel Uffner Gallery on the Lower East Side through Jan 8th).

Curtis Talwst Santiago, Deluge VII, mixed media diorama in reclaimed jewelry box, 6 x 4 x 4 ½ inches, 2016.
Curtis Talwst Santiago, Deluge VII, mixed media diorama in reclaimed jewelry box, 6 x 4 x 4 ½ inches, 2016.

Eleanor Ray, Isafjordur at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

In her typically understated manner, Eleanor Ray treats the dramatic Icelandic landscape of Isafjordur as almost secondary to its town’s orderly buildings. Long shadows suggest a day drawing to a close or just beginning yet Ray’s painting argues for the importance of this solitary moment. (At Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects on the Lower East Side through Jan 8th).

Eleanor Ray, Isafjordur, oil on masonite, 7 ¼ x 8 3/8 inches, 2016.
Eleanor Ray, Isafjordur, oil on masonite, 7 ¼ x 8 3/8 inches, 2016.

Zaha Hadid at Leila Heller Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

While architect Zaha Hadid’s firm worked on the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Hadid created a collection of related furnishings, including this stunningly sleek desk, currently on view with a selection of Hadid’s other design projects at Chelsea’s Leila Heller Gallery. How could your career fail to take flight, seated behind this desk? (On view through January 21st).

Zaha Hadid, Seoul Desk, fiberglass with high gloss lacquer paint finish, 49.2 x 166.14 x 28.35 inches, 2008.
Zaha Hadid, Seoul Desk, fiberglass with high gloss lacquer paint finish, 49.2 x 166.14 x 28.35 inches, 2008.

Roy Lichtenstein at Castelli Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Like finding shapes in the clouds or interpreting a Rorschach inkblot, Roy Lichtenstein’s brushstroke head sculptures from 1987 build a portrait from a few well-placed marks. Though she’s derived from Pop Art and Abstract Expressionist painting techniques, this blond muse rejects painting altogether, manifesting as a 3-D bronze sculpture. (At Castelli Gallery through Jan 28th).

Roy Lichtenstein, Brushstroke Head II, painted and patinated bronze, 28 7/8 x 13 ¼ inches, 1987.
Roy Lichtenstein, Brushstroke Head II, painted and patinated bronze, 28 7/8 x 13 ¼ inches, 1987.

Hurvin Anderson at Michael Werner Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

A tree acts as a pedestal for a climbing figure and as a screen to stop us from seeing him or her in this painting by British artist Hurvin Anderson. To continue the theme of seeing and not seeing, the painting mimics the effect of both a photographic positive and negative, offering an ethereal image that considers the limits of perception. (At Michael Werner Gallery on the Upper East Side through Jan 14th).

Hurvin Anderson, Rootstock, acrylic, oil on canvas, 110 ¼ x 84 ¾ inches, 2016.
Hurvin Anderson, Rootstock, acrylic, oil on canvas, 110 ¼ x 84 ¾ inches, 2016.

Matthew Brandt Prints at Yossi Milo Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Soon after the scandal over tainted drinking water in Flint, Michigan broke in spring 2016, Matthew Brandt visited the beleaguered General Motors town, creating beautiful images using toxic water. Brandt collected river water and used it to wash over and degrade cyan, magenta and yellow sheets bearing an image of the river’s dam. Recombined in a lightbox, a damaged image represents a devastated landscape. (At Yossi Milo Gallery in Chelsea through Jan 21st.)

Matthew Brandt, From the series Waterfalls, Stepping Stone Falls 8 C3M1Y1, multi-layered Duraclear prints processed with Flint River, Michigan water in LED lightbox frame, 20 x 14 inches, unique, 2016.
Matthew Brandt, From the series Waterfalls, Stepping Stone Falls 8 C3M1Y1, multi-layered Duraclear prints processed with Flint River, Michigan water in LED lightbox frame, 20 x 14 inches, unique, 2016.

Tomas Van Houtryve at Anastasia Photo

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Paris-based Belgian photographer Tomas Van Houtryve captured this eerie scene – dominated by long human shadows and strange white grids – by flying a drone over a school in California as kids played below. Bold geometries and stark tonal contrasts make each picture look strange, playing to Van Houtryve’s point that drones are increasingly prevalent, yet we see little of them and what they see. (At Anastasia Photo on the Lower East Side through Dec 31st).

Tomas Van Houtryve, Schoolyard, gelatin silver print on Baryta paper, 26 x 40 inches, 2013.
Tomas Van Houtryve, Schoolyard, gelatin silver print on Baryta paper, 26 x 40 inches, 2013.

Pipilotti Rist at the New Museum

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Swiss video artist Pipilotti Rist shouts for help in several languages, adding, ‘I am a worm and you are a flower!’ as she reaches up from a burning pit of lava in this 1994 video at the New Museum.  Part of Rist’s retrospective exhibition, it’s a tiny but powerful appeal to our empathic natures. (On the Lower East Side through Jan 15th).

Pipilotti Rist, Selbstlos im Lavabad (Selfless in The Bath of Lava)(Bastard Version), single-channel video and sound installation, color, on mobile phone; 6:20 min, 1994.
Pipilotti Rist, Selbstlos im Lavabad (Selfless in The Bath of Lava)(Bastard Version), single-channel video and sound installation, color, on mobile phone; 6:20 min, 1994.

Mike Kelly at Hauser & Wirth Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Mike Kelly makes a tongue-in-cheek jab at determining value in art by bringing two forms into a kind of balance in this pairing at Hauser & Wirth’s Upper East Side space. Part of Kelly’s Memory Ware series, for which he replicated a popular folk art form by covering objects and flat surfaces with beads, shells and other small keepsake items, this sculpture suggests that the force of personality on the right balances the abundance of work on the left. (Through Dec 23rd).

Mike Kelly, Balanced by Mass and Personification, mixed media, 60 ½ x 25 x 15 inches, 2001.
Mike Kelly, Balanced by Mass and Personification, mixed media, 60 ½ x 25 x 15 inches, 2001.

Augustus Sherman at Steven Kasher Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

An Ellis Island clerk from 1892 to 1925, Augustus Sherman was uniquely positioned to document immigration in all its diversity. Among his photographic portraits of Scottish boys in kilts and Romanian shepherds, this shot of a Russian German family is a standout as each family member stoically waits first for the camera and later, for a new life in North Dakota. (At Steven Kasher Gallery in Chelsea through Dec 23rd).

Augustus Sherman, Jakob Mittelstadt and Family, Russian German, ex SS ‘Pretoria.’ Admitted to go to Kullen, ND, May 9, 1905, vintage gelatin silver print, printed ca. 1905, 4 ¾ x 6 ½ inches, typed inscription “German family.”
Augustus Sherman, Jakob Mittelstadt and Family, Russian German, ex SS ‘Pretoria.’ Admitted to go to Kullen, ND, May 9, 1905, vintage gelatin silver print, printed ca. 1905, 4 ¾ x 6 ½ inches, typed inscription “German family.”

Richard Hughes, Some Werds at Anton Kern

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

British artist Richard Hughes makes his own t-shirts…out of paper pulp in the case of this low-key garment. Deliberate misspellings on the shirts, and here, a disregard for even including a message, take a whatever attitude to a new level. (At Anton Kern Gallery in Chelsea through Dec 22nd).

Richard Hughes, Some Werds, paper pulp, 13 x 12 inches, 2016.
Richard Hughes, Some Werds, paper pulp, 13 x 12 inches, 2016.

Kacper Kowalski at The Curator

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Several years ago, Polish photographer Kacper Kowalski turned his back on his career in architecture and began a new pursuit taking photographs from a paraglider or a gyrocopter at around 500 feet above the central European landscape. This beautiful observation of nature’s seasonal transformations is part of a series documenting the onset and experience of winter from above. (At The Curator in Chelsea, through Dec 17th).

Kacper Kowalski, Seasons/Autumn #29, archival pigment print, 27 x 41 inches, 2015.
Kacper Kowalski, Seasons/Autumn #29, archival pigment print, 27 x 41 inches, 2015.

Vanessa Maltese at Nicelle Beauchene

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Young Toronto-based painter Vanessa Maltese has a different take on the shoe as object d’art. In a show titled, ‘Company,’ it appears that she has invited guests who have removed their shoes in an empty gallery, then disappeared. In fact, each piece of footware is cast aluminum, painted in oil. Too clean to compare to Van Gogh’s famous paintings of heavily used shoes, these sneakers have some travels yet to complete. (At Nicelle Beauchene Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 22nd).

Vanessa Maltese, in the foreground: Ari (company), oil on cast aluminum and socks, 4 x 4 x 12 inches, 2016.
Vanessa Maltese, in the foreground: Ari (company), oil on cast aluminum and socks, 4 x 4 x 12 inches, 2016.

Katharina Wulff at Greene Naftali Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

German painter Katharina Wulff depicts the dusty byways of her adopted city of Marrakech in paintings that harness the strong sun to illuminate bodies and the landscape. Inside the peeling façade of this gym, bodybuilders strive for perfection while feral dogs rove outside.  (At Greene Naftali Gallery in Chelsea through Dec 23rd).

Katharina Wulff, Untitled, tempera on canvas, 15 3/8 x 11 3/8 inches, 2016.
Katharina Wulff, Untitled, tempera on canvas, 15 3/8 x 11 3/8 inches, 2016.

Edward Burtynsky, Salinas #2 at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

This stunning aerial view of irrigation systems in Cadiz, Spain is part of Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky’s Water series, which examines human use of the planet’s most valuable resource, specifically as it is harnessed for aquaculture. (At Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in Chelsea through Dec 23rd).

Edward Burtynsky, Salinas #2, Cadiz, Spain, chromogenic color print, 2013.
Edward Burtynsky, Salinas #2, Cadiz, Spain, chromogenic color print, 2013.

Susan Rothenberg at Sperone Westwater Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Veteran painter Susan Rothenberg’s huge red bird is an arresting standout in a solo show stocked with tense paintings of animals in intense, fraught colors. (At Sperone Westwater Gallery through Dec 20th).

Susan Rothenberg, Red Bird, oil on canvas, 57 x 51 ¼ inches, 2014.
Susan Rothenberg, Red Bird, oil on canvas, 57 x 51 ¼ inches, 2014.