Tag: print

David Hammons at The Drawing Center

The US flag is shelter and garment for the individual depicted in this 1969 body print/screenprint by David Hammons, now on view in a powerful show of Hammons’ meticulous body prints at the Drawing Center.  Made by applying oil to his skin, pressing his body to paper and applying powdered pigments, the print is one of many that incorporate the US flag to question its meaning for Black communities.  (On view in SoHo through May 23rd.  Appointments, masks and social distancing required.  Admission charges waived).

David Hammons, Pray for America, screenprint and pigment on paper, 1969.

Vija Celmins at Matthew Marks Gallery

Vija Celmins’ once described her relationship to the ocean, which she has rendered again and again in paint, graphite and prints, as akin to wrestling something huge into a tiny 2-D space.  This woodcut from 2000, created with one of printmaking’s oldest techniques, captures a particular view of the water’s surface that looks as if it could have been made yesterday or hundreds of years ago.  (On view in Chelsea at Matthew Marks Gallery through Oct 26th).

Vija Celmins, Ocean, wood engraving on Zerkall paper, 20 ¾ x 17 ¼ inches, 2000.

Barthelemy Toguo at Galerie Lelong

Part installation, part performance, Cameroonian-French artist Barthelemy Toguo’s ‘Urban Requiem’ begins with a room of charcoal drawings of African Americans killed by police and culminates in a gallery of heavy, wooden, torso-shaped stamps marked with messages.  Against the back wall of the show, prints made using the stamps advocate for peace and respect for human life.  The stamp in the foreground incites hope for ‘All the world’s futures.’  (On view at Galerie Lelong in Chelsea through May 11th).

Barthelemy Toguo, Installation view of ‘Urban Requiem’ at Galerie Lelong, April 2019.

Elizabeth Catlett at Burning in Water

In her late 80s, late American sculptor and printmaker Elizabeth Catlett created this arresting print, now a highlight of her mini-retrospective at Burning in Water gallery in Chelsea. Here, Catlett synthesizes influences from African art, European modernism and more in a portrait that feels both cutting edge and connected with early 20th century avant-garde art. (On view through Feb 3rd).

Elizabeth Catlett, Black Girl, Lithograph on paper, framed, 22 x 15 inches, 2004.

Matthew Stone in ‘Post Analog Painting II’ at The Hole

CGI and hand painting merge in Matthew Stone’s uncanny portrait. Part of The Hole Gallery’s ‘Post-Analog Painting II’ show, this image questions to what extent painting is influenced by the digital. (On view on the Lower East Side through May 14th).

Matthew Stone, Two Distinct Internal Voices, digital print and acrylic on linen, 32 x 24 inches, 2017.