Tag: plant

Maria Nepomuceno at Sikkema Jenkins & Co

Titled ‘Roda das encantadas,’ or ‘Enchanted Wheel,’ Maria Nepomuceno’s new solo exhibition at Sikkema Jenkins & Co delights the eye with the Brazilian artist’s signature spiraling forms crafted from straw, beads and resin.  Intended to represent a movement into our own inner depths as well as an expansion into the infinite, this assemblage of circular forms also makes more concrete allusions to the body in breast-like ceramic elements and a recurring umbilical cord reference.  (On view in Chelsea through Feb 12th.  Masks and proof of vaccination are required.)

Maria Nepomuceno, Untitled, beads, ceramic, resin, 39 3/8 x 23 5/8 x 11 ¾ inches, 2021.

Matt Johnson in ‘Alien Landscape’ at 303 Gallery

Humor and wonder meet in Matt Johnson’s sculptures, which appear to fantastically adapt unlikely materials.  Whether it’s a t-shirt rising up of its own accord with no wearer or a garden hose twisting in the air, Johnson’s bronze and metal creations initially fool the eye, then entertain.  A standout in 303 Gallery’s summer group show ‘Alien Landscape,’ this cast bronze alien cactus is a new take on space invasion.  (On view by appointment, Tues – Fri, through August 20th.  Masks and social distancing required.)

Matt Johnson, Alien Cactus, Cast bronze with oil paint, 18 1/2 x 12 x 5 3/4 inches, 2015.

Paul Bulteel at Anastasia Photo

Belgian photographer Paul Bulteel spent a career focusing on energy and sustainable practice; lately, he’s expanded on his professional experience with ‘Waste Not,’ a photo series shot at European waste recycling facilities. Bulteel’s eye for color and composition make materials intriguingly strange (this pile of mixed metals suggests hair) while demonstrating what efforts go on to recycle and reuse. (At Anastasia Photo on the Lower East Side through Nov 22nd).

Paul Bulteel, “Tinned copper wire, typically used in electrical motors. The different metals (copper, nickel, lead, and tin) are separated in a pyro-metallurgical process. Lead and tin are further separated using vacuum technology.”

Guy Yanai at Ameringer McEnery Yohe

Tel Aviv-based artist Guy Yanai’s subject matter – houses, domestic interiors and portraits of plants – is sedate but his blocky, early video game aesthetic gives the paintings a jittery edge.   This plant appears to hover in space while reaching for the top edge of the canvas with an energy foreign to most potted plants. (In Chelsea at Ameringer McEnery Yohe through August 18th).

Guy Yanai, Palermo, oil on linen, 58.27 x 47.24 inches, 2017.

Hope Gangloff at Susan Inglett Gallery

This ‘Front Door Still Life’ by New York painter Hope Gangloff updates the still life genre with invigorating blasts of color. A timepiece and flowers nod to traditional Dutch still life reminders of the brevity of life while keys and a canister of Chinese tea speak of going places and a Reagan stamp on one piece of mail references the politics of the day. (At Chelsea’s Susan Inglett Gallery through April 22nd).

Hope Gangloff, Front Door Still Life, acrylic and cut paper on canvas, 30 x 48 inches, 2017.