Maroesjka Lavigne at Robert Mann Gallery

Belgian photographer Maroesjka Lavigne has traveled from Namibia to China to the American West photographing animals and landscapes featuring unusual and unexpected color relationships.  ‘Rainbow mountains’ in Xinjiang China and sharp pops of color from yellow plants in Argentina are standouts in her solo show at Robert Mann Gallery, but it’s the unexpectedly beautiful soft pastel blooms of rust on the car in this photo that steal the show.  (On view in Chelsea through Dec 21st).

Maroesjka Lavigne, Rust, US, archival pigment print, sizes vary, 2016.

Michiko Kon at Robert Mann Gallery

Inspired by Surrealist Meret Oppenheim’s performance ‘Cannibal’s Feast,’ Japanese photographer Michiko Kon’s food-based sculptural creations from the 90s fascinate and disturb in equal measure.  This photo, currently on view at Robert Mann Gallery, showcases a boot crafted from ark clam shells and a real fish head.  By evoking luxury goods popular in pre-crash 90s Japan and creating them in perishable materials, Kon updates the vanitas genre for more recent times.  (On view through Oct 19th).

Michiko Kon, Ark Shells and Boot, platinum palladium print, 20 x 16 inches, 1996.

Alice Beasley in ‘In Her Hands’ at Robert Mann Gallery

Congresswoman Barbara Lee literally opens her hands to the issues that matter to her constituents in this quilted artwork by Bay Area artist Alice Beasley.  Beasley’s tribute is a standout in Robert Mann Gallery’s summer group show ‘In Her Hands’ (curated by Orly Cogan and Julie Peppito), an exhibition that celebrates female political leaders.  (On view in Chelsea through August 17th).

Alice Beasley, Barbara Lee Speaks for Me, cotton and silk fabrics, machine appliqued, 62.5 x 41 inches, 2018.

Harold Feinstein in ‘I Scream, You Scream’ at Robert Mann Gallery

Robert Mann Gallery’s ice-cream themed summer group show runs the gamut from glossy commercial images of fake ice cream to this gritty 1950s shot by Harold Feinstein of New York urchins enjoying a treat while Christ appears to ‘let the little children come to him’ in the background. (In ‘I Scream, You Scream’ at Robert Mann Gallery through August 18th).

Harold Feinstein, Storefront Christ and Children, NYC, silver print, 14 x 11 inches, 1951.

Cig Harvey in ‘Birds of a Feather’ at Robert Mann Gallery

While traveling near St Petersburg, Russia, photographer Cig Harvey found herself surrounded by goldfinches, and she captured this beautifully composed evocation of freedom. The photo is a highlight of the creatively curated, obliquely political group show ‘Birds of a Feather, ‘ at Chelsea’s Robert Mann Gallery. (Through March 18th).

Cig Harvey, Goldfinch, St Petersburg, Russia, dye sublimation print on aluminum, 28 x 28 inches, 2014.