Kennedy Yanko at Deitch Projects

A quote from John Cage at the entrance to Kennedy Yanko’s show at Deitch Projects declares that silence doesn’t exist; even if nothing at all can be heard, the sounds of the body’s systems functioning will advance themselves.  Yanko’s new sculptures likewise assert the aesthetic potential of humble materials: dried sheets of paint and found metal.  In their contrast between smooth and rough surfaces and complementary colors like the green and purple, sculptures like ‘An Ode to Hugs’ (pictured here) are driven by Yanko’s intuitive method and for her, the ‘livingness of her medium.’ (On view in SoHo through April 22nd).

Kennedy Yanko, An Ode to Hugs, paint skin, metal, 97 x 94 x 42.5 inches, 2023

Janet Sobel at Andrew Edlin Gallery

On her way to developing an abstract, dripped-paint style that influenced Jackson Pollock in the 1940s, New York artist Janet Sobel painted scenes inspired by the shtetls of her native Ukraine.  Now on view at Andrew Edlin Gallery, a selection of Sobel’s work shows her flattening of space and merger of a flowery landscape, patterned skirt and floral headdress in a way that flirts with all-over abstraction.  (On view on the Lower East Side through Feb 22nd).

Janet Sobel, Untitled, gouache on board, 10.5 x 7.5 inches, c. 1943-48.

Nicholas Buffon at Callicoon Fine Arts

Central Park is bursting with color and life in this acrylic painting by New York artist Nicholas Buffon, currently on view on the Lower East Side at Callicoon Fine Arts.  Featuring the Bethesda Fountain’s ‘Angel of the Waters’ by queer sculptor Emma Stebbins, the painting calls attention to and celebrates sites important to LGBTQ communities around the city.  (On view through March 24th).

Nicholas Buffon, Bethesda Fountain, acrylic and carbon transfer on Bristol paper, 20 ½ x 13 ½ inches, 2018.

 

 

Duke Riley at Magnan Metz Gallery

Last year, from the decks of a decommissioned Navy ship, artist Duke Riley orchestrated dramatic light shows with over one thousand pigeons carrying LED lights on their legs. If the birds seemed anonymous as they put on a light show in the dark, their identities come into focus now at a two-gallery exhibition of related artwork, including a room of hand-painted and embroidered portraits of 1,000 birds. (On view at Magnan Metz Gallery’s pop up location at 524 West 26th Street and 521 West 26th Street through Oct 21st).

Duke Riley, installation view of ‘The Armies of the Night,’ embroidery and paint on canvas, 14 x 9 inches, 2017.

Xu Zhen at James Cohan Gallery

Excessive squeezes of oil paint – created using pastry bags – on Xu Zhen’s canvases reach toward the viewer like living creatures, invoking coral or clusters of candy-colored undersea invertebrates. Produced by the artist’s ‘MadeIn Company’ and titled ‘Made in Heaven,’ the work nods to factory-like art production (referencing Jeff Koons’ ‘Made in Heaven’ photo series, for example) while offering a lush abstraction that looks good enough to eat. (At James Cohan Gallery through Oct 8th).

Xu Zhen, Under Heaven – 2808TV1512, oil on canvas, aluminum, 90 3/8 x 70 ¾ x 5 ½ inches, produced by MadeIn Company, 2014.
Xu Zhen, Under Heaven – 2808TV1512, oil on canvas, aluminum, 90 3/8 x 70 ¾ x 5 ½ inches, produced by MadeIn Company, 2014.