Tag: political

Krzysztof Wodiczko at Galerie Lelong

Abraham Lincoln morphs into a teenager, a senior, a woman in glasses and other characters in Krzysztof Wodiczko’s ‘A House Divided…’, as interviews shot with a variety of Staten Island citizens with varying political views are projected onto two replica of the Lincoln Memorial at Chelsea’s Galerie Lelong.  In some exchanges, friends acknowledge their differences while respecting each other; in other conversations, barriers remain high.  Wodiczko’s goal is to encourage the exchange regardless, making dialogue the goal of his art production.  (On view through March 7th).

Krzysztof Wodiczko, A House Divided…, 4K video projection on sculpture, figure height: 98.4 inches, 2019.

Hans Haacke at Paula Cooper Gallery

If you can’t get to politically-oriented artist Hans Haacke’s New Museum retrospective before it closes on Jan 26th, check out his huge pack of Marlboros in Paula Cooper Gallery’s tiny 21st St vitrine-like space, a sculpture about the relationships between art, politics and commerce.  Made in 1990, the piece highlights cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris Company’s contradictory support both for the arts and for North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms, who was famously critical of government support for the arts.  Each five-foot long cigarette features a copy of the constitution (the company offered to supply a copy to anyone who asked), while the packaging bears the statement that the company’s ‘fundamental interest in the arts is self-interest.’  (On view through Jan 25th).

Hans Haacke, Helmsboro County, silkscreen prints and photographs on wood, cardboard and paper, 30 ½ x 80 x 47 ½ inches, 1990.

Mark Thomas Gibson at Fredericks Freiser Gallery

A monster’s human mask falls away in Mark Thomas Gibson’s ‘Washed Up,’ or is a disguise being applied? Either way, to judge by the quivering, fearful eyes, it seems like the game’s up and this creatures underlying monstrous identity will soon be revealed. (On view at Fredericks Freiser Gallery through Oct 14th).

Mark Thomas Gibson, Washed Up, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 40 inches, 2017.

Ali Banisadr at Sperone Westwater Gallery

From amid sweeping and energetic forms in Ali Banisadr’s painting ‘Myth’ emerge odd faces that suggest a camel (upper left) a clown with a tall, spotted cap (middle left) and a cast of slightly sinister characters. The Iranian born, NY-based artist explained that the paintings in his current show at Sperone Westwater Gallery were inspired by politics in the US; he suggests both mass migration and a barbed wire fence in the sky and a mass of menacing figures in the foreground. (On the Lower East Side through June 24th.)

Ali Banisadr, Myth, oil on linen, 66 x 88 inches, 2016.

 

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

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.