Tag: nyc

Sydney Vernon in ‘Black Femme: Sovereign of WAP and the Virtual Realm’ at Canada Gallery

Pretty in pink but commanding her space, the subject of this portrait by Sydney Vernon at Canada Gallery is full of life.  Along with an accompanying video the mixed media portrait is actually a memorial to a family matriarch, ‘a tender reflection on familial love and loss.’  A pelvic x-ray to the left, a photo of two children on the right along with living spaces and artwork suggest episodes from a life while writing on the column to the left offers sage advice including ‘beauty is only skin deep.’ (On view in Tribeca through April 10th.  Masks and social distancing is required and occupancy is limited).

Sydney Vernon, Tying Loose Ends, pastel, charcoal, acrylic and collage on paper, 52 x 46 inches, 2020.

Rosson Crow at The Hole NYC

LA based painter Rosson Crow’s recreation of the Garden of Eden, seen here in detail and part of her current show ‘Trust Fall’ at The Hole, was inspired by a creationism theme park that looked more like a cheap film set than an idyllic landscape.  Splashed and dripped paint on the canvas surface makes it clear this is a painted representation, alluding to notions of ‘fake’ and ‘real’ that define political discourse today.  Meanwhile, a Greek-inspired urn abandoned in the foliage reading ‘how does it feel to want?’ speaks to contemporary concerns about extremes of wealth and poverty.  (On view on the Lower East Side through Dec 29th).

Rosson Crow, Garden of Eden Recreation, acrylic, spray paint, photo transfer, oil and enamel on canvas, 96 x 120 inches, 2019.

 

 

Matthew Hansel in Post Analogue Studio at The Hole NYC

17th century Dutch still life painters delighted in the effect of light hitting rich fabric or shiny glass; contemporary Brooklyn artist Matthew Hansel is into optical delights of a different sort as he mimics digital distortion in oil and flashe paint.  Included in The Hole’s continuing investigation of how digital techniques have impacted non-digitally created art, this shaped painting throws a little fun-house mirror effect into a traditional momento mori.  (On view on the Lower East Side through May 19th).

Matthew Hansel, The Tide That Left and Never Came Back, oil and flashe paint on linen mounted on panel, 30 x 44 inches, 2019.

Theo A. Rosenblum in ‘Clay Today’ at The Hole NYC

Ceramics get comic and weird in The Hole NYC’s sprawling exhibition of art made from clay.  Theo A. Rosenblum’s ‘King Carrot’ grins enthusiastically in the main gallery, setting the tone for a show that includes Alice Mackler’s amorphous female figures, a delinquent Bart Simpson portrait by FriendsWithYou and much, much more.  (On view on the Lower East Side through May 6th).

Theo A. Rosenblum, King Carrot, epoxy clay over wood and foam, acrylic paint, 52 x 38 x 38 inches, 2010.

Joakim Ojanen at The Hole NYC

Swedish artist Joakim Ojanen’s odd ceramic heads resemble gourds and various animals, in this case, a bird. The creatures formerly manifest themselves in two dimensions as drawings. Now in the round, they allow Ojanen’s strange vision to inhabit space with us. (On view at The Hole on the Lower East Side through July 7th).

Joakim Ojanen, Monday Face, glazed stoneware, 17.5 x 12 x 13 inches, 2017.