From behind a floating mass of car logos, a stoic figure represents the services of Mhofu Motor Spares in Zimbabwean artist Gareth Nyandoro’s work at Van Doren Waxter Gallery. Known for his cut paper technique – for which he scores, paints and peels layers from the material – Harare-based Nyandoro captures both the energy and the quieter moments of the city’s marketplaces and exchanges. (On view on the Lower East Side through Dec 21st).
Sarah Peters takes her stylized bronze head sculptures to a newly disquieting level in her current exhibition at Van Doren Waxter on the Lower East Side. Riffing on Greek dramatic masks, ancient Assyrian or Akkadian heads, and sex dolls, figures heads like this one embody ziggurat-like architectural form, as if place and priestess had merged into one haunting figure. (On view on the Lower East Side through June 2nd).
Though abstract, Marsha Cottrell’s ‘Environments’ series suggest aerial views of a cityscape or a tangram puzzle. Printed layer over layer with variations in each printing, the image appears to be shrinking away from us in space while blocking an intriguing portal. (On view through April 21st at Van Doren Waxter on the Lower East Side).
Late artist Alan Shields was no stranger to the sewing machine or to using canvas to construct colorful abstractions. In an homage exhibition that makes connections between Shields’ work and that of younger colleagues, Cheryl Donegan’s track suits manipulate clothing prints, which are then printed onto new garments, complicating the path from idea to product. (On view at Van Doren Waxter on the Lower East Side through Feb 24th).
Young LA-based sculptor Brian Rochefort takes inspiration from nature, modeling his ceramic vessels after a giant underwater sinkhole off the coast of Belize and a series of water-flooded caves in tropical climes among other natural wonders. Building up organic shapes from mud and clay, Rochefort covers their surfaces with ceramic, glass and glaze to create a wonder-inspiring experience of his own. (On view at Van Doren Waxter on the Lower East Side through Dec 22nd).
