Tag: skeleton

Matthew Wong at Cheim & Read Gallery

Celebrated late painter Matthew Wong escaped a dreary Edmonton winter in 2016 for an extended stay in LA, during which time he produced dozens of atmospheric paintings currently on view at Cheim & Read Gallery in Chelsea.  Light takes over this scene, a blazing celestial orb (is it the sun or reflected light from the moon?) dominating the view from a window.  A solitary, skeletal figure appears to look down at an equally lonesome sailboat below. Titled ‘Nostalgia,’ the painting suggests a look back from the next life.  (On view through Sept 10th).

Matthew Wong, Nostalgia, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2016.

Michele Abeles at 47 Canal

Known for adding paint, tile or other materials to the surface of her photographs, Michele Abeles shifts gears in her current show at 47 Canal, offering a surprisingly unmanipulated selection of images reflecting on macabre Halloween traditions.  Most of the show’s pictures of ghoulish lawn decorations come across as straightforward documentation of bizarre but unsurprising phenomenon.  A few images break through to another level, however, making an inflatable demon or a casually placed, dismembered body part freshly strange.  Here, natural materials on the ground contrast sharply with the glowing white paper skeleton, creating a jarring contrast that illuminates the artificiality of the bones.  (On view on the Lower East Side through Oct 3rd.  Appointments are encouraged and masks and social distancing are required.)

Michele Abeles, 11/1/19, 2:20PM, dye sublimation on aluminum, 31 x 21 ½ inches, 2020.

Janine Antoni at Luhring Augustine

Inspired by both somatic movement, which conceives of movement from within the body, and Latin American votive offerings, Janine Antoni’s new work features body parts from inside and out, presented as free-standing objects of spiritual value. (At Chelsea’s Luhring Augustine Gallery through April 25th).

Janine Antoni, to compose, polyurethane resin, ed of 3 and 1 artist’s proof, 35 x 20 x 24 inches, 2014.

Renaud Jerez in ‘Debris’ at James Fuentes Gallery

For creepy, nothing quiet matches young French artist Renaud Jerez’s bug-eyed, chicken-footed, PVC skeleton at James Fuentes Gallery on the Lower East Side. Similar sculptures in the New Museum’s Triennial, cobbled together and slightly burnt characters, suggest post-apocalyptic survivors. (Through April 26th).

Renaud Jerez, TJS 1, burnt PVC pipe, aluminum, cotton, string, satellite cable, web cams, duct tape, plastic tubing, polyester and denim clothing with rubber feet, 79 x 29.5 x 32 inches, unique, 2015.

Sara Greenberger Rafferty at Rachel Uffner Gallery

Known for distorting photographic images with liquids, Sara Greenberger Rafferty pushes the idea further in her latest solo show at Rachel Uffner Gallery by layering prints, acrylic and Plexi in images that juxtapose youth and decay. Here, a blurry image of a young woman (hung as if lurking or hiding in the stairwell) recedes behind a skeletal figure. (On the Lower East Side through Dec 21st.)

Sara Greenberger Rafferty, Untitled, acrylic polymer and inkjet print on acetate on Plexiglas and hardware, irregular size: 164.5 x 60.3 x 1.3cm, 2014.