Josh Tonsfeldt at Simon Preston Gallery

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Shot on the fly through the window of a Toronto tattoo shop, this image by Josh Tonsfeldt stacks pictures – of the window itself, reflections on the glass, a man looking at a screen, and the same man using his skin as a surface. Printing on the cement-like material hydrocal lends a provocative, incongruous sense of permanence to a chance encounter. (At Simon Preston Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 20th).

Josh Tonsfeldt, Adrenaline Tattoo, UV cured pigment print on hydrocal, spray paint, epoxy resin, pigment inks, 32 x 48 inches, 2015.

Clement Siatous at Simon Preston Gallery

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In 1973, the British government handed over the Chagos Islands to the US to use for military operations, claiming that they were uninhabited. Island resident Clement Siatous paints evidence to the contrary in a series of palpably wistful paintings inspired by memories from his childhood. Here, the Nordver removes citizens of Diego Garcia, leaving behind homes, animals and a cultural heritage. (At Simon Preston Gallery on the Lower East Side through Oct 18th. More info at http://newatlantisproject.com/)

Clement Siatous, Dernier Voyage des Chagossiens a bord du Nordvar anrade Diego Garcia, en 1973, acrylic on linen, 26 x 45.75 inches, 2006.

Pepo Salazar in ‘Grand Illusion(s)’ at Simon Preston Gallery

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In the still of Simon Preston Gallery, Paris-based artist Pepo Salazar stretches a slim yet commandeering text reading ‘noise’ from wall to wall, forcing visitors to step gingerly through an artwork inspired by heavy metal music fonts. (On the Lower East Side through August 8th.)

Pepo Salazar, Noise, steel, 843 x 331 x 10.16 cm, 2008-2015.

Hans Schabus at Simon Preston Gallery

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When hundreds of dealers from around the world converge at an art fair, how do they set themselves apart? At Art Basel Miami, Simon Preston Gallery brought their gallery doors with them per Vienna-based artist Hans Schabus’s instructions. Back in New York, with new doors installed outside, Schabus displayed the earlier versions, along with a rendering of the temporary plywood exterior and a drawing that questioned the importance of a gallery’s local setting. (On the Lower East Side through April 14, 2014).

Hans Schabus, installation view of ‘Lower East Side,’ at Simon Preston Gallery, March, 2014.

Alexandre da Cunha at Simon Preston Gallery

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London-based Brazilian artist Alexandre da Cunha’s cement-mixer turned art-object brings to mind ancient bells or a new archaeological find.  Supported by a concrete square on a plinth on the concrete gallery floor, it points to the labor involved in art-making and exhibiting.  (At the Lower East Side’s Simon Preston Gallery through August 4th).  

Alexandre da Cunha, Full Catastrophe (drum XIV), cement mixer drum, concrete, wooden plinth, 2013.

Josh Tonsfeld at Simon Preston Gallery

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When his grandparents’ Missouri farmhouse burned, Josh Tonsfeld’s family salvaged some things and left the rest.  In a creative act of excavation, the New York based artist returned to remove more objects from the debris, including this book, ruined furniture and correspondence, which he arranges in the gallery in a kind of provocative but inconclusive personal archeology of a past American life.   (At Simon Preston Gallery through June 2nd).

Josh Tonsfeld, Untitled, book, 2013.

Daniel Joseph Martinez at Simon Preston Gallery

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Daniel Joseph Martinez, A Story for Tomorrow in 4 Chapters, Dostoevsky Loved the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Muhammad Ali & Dandelions, Lick My Hunch!, archival pigment print with UV finishing coating, 2010-2012.
Daniel Joseph Martinez, A Story for Tomorrow in 4 Chapters, Dostoevsky Loved the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Muhammad Ali & Dandelions, Lick My Hunch!, archival pigment print with UV finishing coating, 2010-2012.

Never one to shy away from controversy, Daniel Joseph Martinez’s latest body of work at Simon Preston Gallery features a hunchbacked figure in a Pope’s mitre, praying on an Afghan prayer rug, and tattooed with ‘blasphemous inscriptions in Hebrew, Arabic and Latin’ (according to the gallery handout).   Is this social commentary or overkill?  (Through Dec 23rd.)