Dannielle Tegeder Installation at Lombard Freid Gallery

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Before her recent show at New York’s Wellin Museum of Art, artist Dannielle Tegeder observed the museum’s physical structure, translating it into bold, diagrammatic wall installations. Here, at Chelsea’s Lombard Fried Gallery, Tegeder’s mural is a subtle addition to the gallery’s all-white back courtyard, appearing to extend its space beyond the wall into a fictional geometric world. (Through July 31st).

Dannielle Tegeder, Ghost Evolutionary Drawing System with Artificial Life Structure, Classified Layered City, Constructivist Accidents, Invisible Machine Universe Plan, and Chemical Code Schema Map, acrylic spray paint, 25 x 9 feet, 2014.

Franklin Evans at Ameringer McEnery Yohe

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Colorful grid patterns on canvas as ad hoc busy as a community noticeboard dot the walls of Franklin Evans’ eye-catching show at Chelsea’s Ameringer McEnery Yohe. But it’s the total overall effect of floors, ceilings and walls covered in vibrant colors, art historical references and wall texts that impresses in this ambitious exhibition. (Through August 1st).

Franklin Evans, installation view of ‘paintingassupermodel’ at Ameringer McEnery Yohe, Chelsea, June 2014.

Jude Tallichet in ‘Six Features’ at Robert Miller Gallery

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Though it looks like the immortalization of a moment of passion, Jude Tallichet’s ‘Abandoned Clothes’ chronicles in cast bronze items of clothing dropped on the floor. From a jacket to pants with underwear and socks still inside, the installation’s solidly present objects underscore the mystery of what happened to the absent wearers. (At Robert Miller Gallery through August 1st).

Jude Tallichet, Untitled (Flung Suit Jacket), cast bronze (polished), 2012.

Cheryl Ann Thomas in ‘Summer’ at Danese Corey

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California-based ceramic artist Cheryl Ann Thomas uses the age-old technique of building a vessel from coils of clay, but Thomas’ coils are so fragile, her pots collapse in the kiln. The results are textile-like forms that seem to embody motion. (At Danese Corey through August 1st).

Cheryl Ann Thomas, Relics 300-303, porcelain, 21 x 24 x 27 inches, 2012.

Brea Souders at Bruce Silverstein Gallery

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New York photographer Brea Souders’ light-infused abstract and figurative images suggest damaged film and fleeting moments; here, a fog of peachy light drifts over a surprisingly life-like cast face, signaling both memories of someone gone and a memorial. (At Bruce Silverstein Gallery in Chelsea through August 1st).

Brea Souders, Rosie, archival inkjet print, 25 x 20 inches, 2012.

Sally Curcio in ‘A Refined Existence’ at J. Cacciola Gallery

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Massachusetts-based artist Sally Curcio builds magical worlds under protective bubbles using everyday materials from bathmats to barrettes. This enticing city of pretty towers and green parks – appropriately titled ‘Happy Place’ stands out in J. Cacciola Gallery’s summer group show. (In Chelsea through July 26th).

Sally Curcio, Happy Place, pins, beads, flocking, hairbrush, contact lens packaging, false eyelashes, fruit netting, barrettes, paperclips, curlers, ear buds, fabric, shuttlecock, lite brite pegs, tub mat, rubber grape, bubbles wand, perfume funnel, button, milk carton tabs, soup carton tab, olive oil spout, zip tie, plastic mesh, extruded polystyrene, acrylic paint, acrylic bubble, wood base, 12 x 12 x 6 inches, 2014.

Inka Essenhigh in ‘Sargent’s Daughters’ at Sargent’s Daughters

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It’s hard to tell if this enchanted scene is aided or threatened by the dark-faced spirit behind a frolicking young woman and two sprites. Titled ‘The 1%,’ this painting by New Yorker Inka Essenhigh suggests that their bliss is tenuous. (At Sargent’s Daughters through July 26th).

Inka Essenhigh, The 1 %, oil on canvas, 30 x 12 inches 2014.

Brock Enright in ‘Slip’ at Mitchell-Innes & Nash

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Titled ‘Beach,’ these copper leaf covered Doritos by Brooklyn-based artist Brock Enright, along with ‘Night,’ ‘Secret 3,’ and ‘Winter’ up the wall, look like moths or jewelry – fragile emanations of junk food. (At Chelsea’s Mitchell-Innes & Nash through July 25th).

Brock Enright, Beach, Doritos, resin and copper leaf, 2 ¼ x 4 ¾ x 1 inch, 2014.

Gedi Sibony in ‘Galerie Neu at Gladstone Gallery’

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This ready-made painting/sculpture composed of truck doors hung on the wall by New York artist Gedi Sibony looks like it’s been around the block. Heavy use and the suggestion of censorship in the grey-painted areas give these otherwise mundane doors interest. (At Chelsea’s Barbara Gladstone Gallery through August 1st).

Gedi Sibony, The Revolving Rey, trailer, 109 x 94 ½ inches, 2014.

Jocelyn Hobbie in ‘Unrealism Part I’ at Fredericks & Freiser

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Known for painting distracted young women, Jocelyn Hobbie’s contribution to Fredericks & Freiser’s summer group exhibition his typical, but this time she’s engulfed in a sea of distracting patterns (she’s even eating a design) making the model one with her environment. (In Chelsea through July 24th).

Jocelyn Hobbie, Untitled, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches, 2014.

Carl Andre Sculpture at Paula Cooper Gallery

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Minimalist art pioneer Carl Andre accompanies his current Dia:Beacon retrospective with a show of work from the past thirty years at Paula Cooper Gallery. Here, two sculptures use cedar beams as building blocks, making an additive sculpture of strong, industrial materials. (Through July 25th).

Carl Andre, 4 x 4 Cedar Solid, 16 Western red cedar units, each 36 x 12 x 12 inches, 2008 (foreground). Bar, Douglas Fir (36 unit row), each 12 x 12 x 36 inches, 1981 (background).

Nancy Lupo in ‘Mineral Spirit’ at Laurel Gitlen

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LA based artist Nancy Lupo’s sculptures thrive on odd juxtapositions, like this Rubbermaid BRUTE trash can studded with traditional and eco-friendly brands of toilet tissue. In the background, Babybel cheese wheels punctuate a bright yellow can. (At Laurel Gitlen on the Lower East Side through August 1st).

Nancy Lupo, (foreground) So Soft and Delicious, 32-gallon Rubbermaid BRUTE container in white, Cottonelle, Quilted Northern, Angel Soft Pretty Prints, 7th Generation and 365 toilet tissues, 26 x 26 x 24 inches, 2014.

Jonathan Monk in ‘Never Look Back When Leaving’ at Casey Kaplan Gallery

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Working on the model of conceptual artists like On Kawara who famously used the mail to deliver art content, Berlin-based British artist Jonathan Monk devised this weekly letter as an art work in which he tries to guess the name of the mother-in-law of the work’s owner. (At Casey Kaplan Gallery in Chelsea through August 1st).

Jonathan Monk, Guessing your mother-in-law’s name, letter from the artist every Friday until he guesses correctly, 2003.

David Kennedy Cutler in ‘Eric’s Trip’ at Lisa Cooley

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Though hard to photograph, David Kennedy Cutler’s impressive sculptures – created by molding tall sheets of Plexi with a heat gun and his own body – are impossible to miss in Lisa Cooley Gallery’s summer group exhibition. While manifesting a ghostly, physical presence of their own, they also co-opt the gallery’s lighting and use the show’s other works as backdrop. (On the Lower East Side through August 1st).

David Kennedy Cutler, installation view at Lisa Cooley Gallery, July 2014. Plexiglas sculptures from the series, ‘No More Right Now Forever.’

Nikki Maloof in ‘Don’t Look Now’ at Zach Feuer Gallery

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Brooklyn painter Nikki Maloof stands out in Zach Feuer Gallery’s summer group painting exhibition with this tongue-in-cheek homage to the summer sun, which has tattooed her skin with burns and melded her blond hair with the saturated yellow sky. (In Chelsea through July 26th).

Nikki Maloof, Burn, oil on canvas, 12 x 12 inches, 2013.

DAS INSTITUT in ‘No Drink No Talk Just Beautiful’ at On Stellar Rays

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This arrestingly odd triptych by artist collaborators DAS INSTITUT presents a caricatured woman’s face in one image while giving the subterfuge away in the other two photos. Holding a donut decorated in the same pattern as her shirt, the model fixes us with an unnerving stare as if to question what part we play in making meaning from images. (At the Lower East Side’s On Stellar Rays through August 1st.)

DAS INSTITUT, When You See Me Again It Won’t Be Me (Green), 3 pigment prints, 19 ¼ x 42 ½ inches, 2014.

‘Supports/Surfaces’ at Canada Gallery

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In 1960s south of France, a group of artists looking for alternatives to traditional ways of making art informally opted for abstract compositions favoring geometry and color. Canada Gallery on the Lower East Side showcases work that seduces with its handmade, colorful and rhythmic qualities. (Through July 20th).

Installation view of ‘Supports/Surfaces’ at Canada Gallery, June 2014.

Charles Harlan in ‘To Do As One Would’ at David Zwirner Gallery

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Young Brooklyn artist Charles Harlan runs a chain link fence from David Zwirner Gallery’s ceiling to the floor, creating the suggestion of elegant modern design using industrial materials. (In Chelsea through July 25th).

Charles Harlan, Fence, chain link fence and vinyl slats, dimensions vary upon installation, 2014.

More Material at Salon94 Bowery

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Group exhibitions allow art lovers to pack more into a gallery visit; this summer, few galleries offer more than Salon94 Bowery, which includes work by sixty artists in the beautifully presented ‘More Material,’ organized by London-based fashion designer Duro Olowu. Here, Olowu’s gorgeously patterned capes stand next to Stanley Whitney’s red, blue and green oil painting and Ajay Kurian’s ghee and gold dust abstractions.  (On the Lower East Side through August 1st).

Installation view of ‘More Material at Salon94 Bowery, July, 2014.

Josh Klein in ‘The Husk’ at Untitled Gallery

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A FedEx worker seems to have delivered more workers in Josh Klein’s recent sculpture at Untitled Gallery on the Lower East Side. The phrase ‘no sick days’ in the title suggests that actual human workers would be a liability. (Through August 1st).

Josh Klein, (foreground) No Sick Days (Fedex Worker’s Head with Fedex Cap), 3 3D-printed sculptures (two seen here) in plaster with inkjet ink and cyanoacrylate, cast urethane foam packing peanuts, vinyl, cardboard, MDF, 27 x 27 x 35 inches, 2014.

Kay Rosen at Sikkema Jenkins & Co

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Kay Rosen’s wall installation ‘Monuments’ at Chelsea’s Sikkema Jenkins & Co is a size XXL love scene written entirely in two words, as a reclining nude ‘obelisk’ and upright phallic ‘obelisk’ tangle in a curvy ‘S.’ (through July 18th).

Kay Rosen, Monuments, latex paint on wall, dimensions variable, 2013.

Florian Maier-Aichen C-Prints at 303 Gallery

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German artist Florian Maier-Aichen blurs the boundaries between painting and photography in his latest series of abstract images, created by pouring paint, transferring images to transparent film, backing them with other paintings and ultimately photographing the final product for presentation as a photograph. (At Chelsea’s 303 Gallery through July 25th).

Florian Maier-Aichen, Untitled, c-print, 81 ½ x 64 ¾ inches, 2014.

Louise Lawler at Metro Pictures

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Iconic appropriation artist Louise Lawler appropriates her own appropriations in her latest show at Chelsea’s Metro Pictures gallery with this black and white tracing of an earlier work, printed on vinyl and hung on an entire gallery wall. Drained of color and magnified, the Pollock above and tureen below seem less dissimilar. (Through July 25th).

Louise Lawler, Pollock and Tureen (traced), signed certificate, installation instructions, and PDF formatted file, dimensions variable, 1984/2013.

Kim Joon at Sundaram Tagore

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Using digital processes, Korean artist Kim Joon creates amazing conflations of human bodies, ‘tattooed’ with animal skins, logos and designs that touch on individual identities while creating anonymous abstract sculptures. (At Sundaram Tagore Gallery in Chelsea).

Kim Joon, Somebody 005, digital print, 2014.

Yumiko Kayukawa at Foley Gallery

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Drawing on Japanese pop culture and a predilection for nature, Seattle-based Japanese artist Yumiko Kayukawa’s exhibition at Foley Gallery on the Lower East Side strikes a clever balance between irony and kitsch. (Through July 12th).

Yumiko Kayukawa, Ominugui (Cleaning), acrylic on linen, 22 x 18 inches, 2013.

Sarah Sze, The Bigger Picture at Tanya Bonakdar

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Last summer, Sarah Sze transformed the US Pavilion at the Venice Biennial inside and out with a super abundance of very precisely arranged objects. In Chelsea, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery celebrates 20 years with a group exhibition that includes a piece by Sze from 1997, originally situated by a Greek harbor. Pills, nuts, soy sauce packets and other ephemera of everyday life look like a strangely contemporary votive offering. (Through August 1st).

Sarah Sze, Untitled (Thessaloniki), mixed media, 1997.

Suzanne Opton at Sikkema Jenkins & Co.

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New York photographer Suzanne Opton creates a surprisingly intimate situation between gallery visitors and her subjects – soldiers who are back in the US after a tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Reclining on a flat surface, their presence and vulnerability is palpable. (At Sikkema Jenkins & Co in Chelsea through July 18th).

Suzanne Opton, installation view at Sikkema Jenkins & Co, June 2014.

Franz West at Gagosian Gallery

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Late Austrian artist Franz West depicts Biblical characters Cain and Abel in a standoff in this typically pop-colored, messy abstract sculpture from 1986 at Chelsea’s Gagosian gallery. Using abjection and humor West makes their iconic conflict seem odd and not a little pathetic. (Through July 18th).

Franz West, Cain ova Incontro ad Abele, epoxy resin, lacquer, steel, 1986.

Sze Tsung Leong at Yossi Milo Gallery

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Scenes from different continents look oddly similar in Sze Tsung Leong’s mesmerizing ‘Horizons’ show at Chelsea’s Yossi Milo Gallery. Here, a photo of Havana rubs shoulders with a shot from Paris, linking two unlikely cities by their dense landscape and domed architecture. (Through July 11th).

Sze Tsung Leong, installation view of ‘Horizons,’ at Yossi Milo Gallery, June 2014. Right: La Habana Vieja II, 2010. Left: Quartier Latin, Paris, 2008.

Ai Wei Wei at Brooklyn Museum

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In response to the disastrous 2008 Sichuan earthquake that killed thousands of school children in their shoddily constructed schools, Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei constructed this snake of backpacks as a memorial. Below, a pile of porcelain river crabs indirectly stands in for censorship and recalls a huge feast of crab initiated by Ai Wei Wei as a protest against limitations on free speech. (At the Brooklyn Museum through August 10th).

Ai Wei Wei, Snake Ceiling, backpacks, 2009. He Xie, 3,200 porcelain crabs, 2010.