Tag: ricco maresca

Alice Hope in No W Here at Ricco/Maresca Gallery

Prior to the pandemic, artists Alice Hope, Bastienne Schmidt and Toni Ross decided to make artwork in response to one object at the Met; improbably, they each focused on a navigational chart from the Marshall Islands.  Known for creating abstract sculpture and installation composed of repeated objects, Hope’s contribution to the three artists’ current joint exhibition at Ricco/Maresca Gallery includes this accumulation of ball chains.  A kind of counterpoint to navigating social space through distancing, theses crowded forms resemble natural fibers but are made from mass produced keychains.  (On view in Chelsea through Sept 11th).

Alice Hope, untitled, Ball chain, anodized door screen, 20 x 45 inches, 2020.

Play: American Game Boards, 1880-1940 at Ricco/Maresca

Are vintage game boards art?  Ricco/Maresca’s current exhibition of American game boards from the late 19th century to 1940 aims to show that the boards are more than functional objects and are in fact ‘cousins of modern art.’  Having dealt in the boards for years but never dedicated a show to them, the gallery is now exhibiting parcheesi, backgammon, halma, checkers, Chinese checkers, mills, and solitaire boards that resemble mystical diagrams or architectural renderings.  This well-used checkers board comes alive with a combination of color and geometry that will keep the eyes moving along with the game pieces.  (On view through May 1st.  Masks and social distancing required).

American Unidentified, 5-color Checkers Game Board, enamel paint on wood, 18 x 18 inches, late 19th century.

I Do, I Do at Ricco Maresca Gallery

A display of one hundred wedding photos from various photo studios in Wisconsin in the late 1800s at Ricco Maresca Gallery is a fascinating look into past dress and conventions. While most couples stare stoically ahead, betraying no hint of happiness, this groom and bride – decked out in abundant flowers – charm with their hesitant smiles. (On view in Chelsea through Sept 19th).

One of a collection of 100 unique vintage gelatin silver and albumen cabinet cards, all from various towns and cities in Wisconsin, approx. 6 x 4.5 inches, ca 1875 – 1895.

Gil Batle at Ricco Maresca Gallery





In this meticulous hand carving on ostrich egg by Gil Batle, who spent two decades incarcerated in California, a cast of characters carries on life in prison. Here, ‘Hollywood’ makes prison wine. (At Chelsea’s Ricco Maresca Gallery through Jan 9th). 

Gil Batle, Chrysalis, Carved ostrich egg shell, 6.5 x 5 x 5 inches, 2014.

‘Body Electric’ at Ricco Maresca

Ricco Maresca’s excellent ‘Body Electric’ group exhibition of vintage and designed-for-the-body contemporary art takes tattooing to a new level. Here, a sampling of work from Colin Dale (top left), Jacqueline Spoerle (bottom right and left) and Duke Riley (top right) combine detail, skill and originality. (In Chelsea through Oct 25th).

Installation view of ‘Body Electric,’ including work by Colin Dale, Jacqueline Spoerle and Duke Riley at Ricco Maresca, Oct, 2014.