Hans Op de Beeck at Marianne Boesky Gallery

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Since 2009, Brussels-based Belgian artist Hans Op de Beeck has been painting black and white watercolors during the night, as a contrast to days spent in a busy studio making art that includes CGI animations, video, installation and more. Empty of people and highly atmospheric, the watercolors are a peaceful and evocative contrast to the digital realm. (At Marianne Boesky Gallery in Chelsea through May 2nd).

Hans Op de Beeck, Seascape, Cloudy Sky, black and white watercolor on Arches paper in wooden frame, 51 ½ x 100 ¼ x 1 ½ inches, 2014.

Nina Leen at Daniel Cooney Fine Art

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Teenagers were a recurring subject for Russian-born New York photojournalist Nina Leen, who, as one of the first female contract photographers for LIFE magazine, photographed now-nostalgic images like this one of fashionable hair-dos for young ladies in 1947. (At Daniel Cooney Fine Art in Chelsea through May 16th).

Nina Leen, Popular Teenage Shoulder length Hairstyles, 12 x 10” vintage gelatin silver print, 1947.

Francesca DiMattio at Salon94 Bowery

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Inspired by ceramic traditions from Islamic Fritware to Wedgewood figurines, New York artist Francesca DiMattio irreverently combines them all in towering ceramics that recall totemic human figures. (At Salon94 Bowery on the Lower East Side through May 7th).

Francesca DiMattio, (foreground) Fetish Sculpture, glaze on porcelain and stoneware, 87 x 20 x 20 inches, 2015. (background) Chandelabra II, glaze and luster on porcelain and stoneware, epoxy, steel frame, 120 x 96 x 96 inches, 2015.

Shen Shoamin at Klein Sun Gallery

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Unwary gallery-goers are likely to think they’ve walked into Klein Sun Gallery during installation when they see Beijing & Sydney-based artist Shen Shoamin’s paintings propped against the wall and encased in bubblewrap. The plastic is an illusion, however, painted on over blurry images of Warhol-derived soup cans to create the artist’s own take on art-world consumerism. (Through May 2nd).

Shen Shoamin, Handle with Care No 10 and No 12, oil on canvas, each 35 x 23 ¼ inches, 2014.

Daisy Youngblood at McKee Gallery

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Fourteen arresting sculptures from the past 10 years by Daisy Youngblood at McKee Gallery include ‘Venus,’ one of several sensitive and dynamic renderings of primates. (In the 57th Street gallery district, through May 30th).

Daisy Youngblood, Venus, low-fire clay and hair, 2007.

Eric Fertman at Susan Inglett Gallery

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Brooklyn sculptor Eric Fertman takes portraiture in a new direction with quirky biomorphic figures that make the digestive tract, for example, fun to think about. Even the tilting ‘Broken Man’ in the foreground appeals to the eye as he enacts an electric-yellow death dance. (At Susan Inglett Gallery in Chelsea through April 25th). Eric Fertman (foreground, yellow)

Broken Man, ash, paint, plywood, stain, steel, 75 x 40 x 36 inches, 2105.

Janine Antoni at Luhring Augustine

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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.

Lucy Mackenzie at Nancy Hoffman Gallery

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The color, transience and fragility of flowers inspires British painter Lucy Mackenzie; here, a drawing of late summer flowers in colored pencil on paper is a last hurrah for summer. (At Nancy Hoffman Gallery in Chelsea through May 2nd).

Lucy Mackenzie, September Flowers, colored pencil on paper, 4 ¾ x 4 ¾ inches, 2015.

Tomoko Sawada at Pace MacGill

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How much uniqueness is possible in uniform, corporate culture? Japanese artist Tomoko Sawada makes herself surprisingly malleable in photos that mimic job application ID photos. The master of disguise works wonders within narrow parameters…which one would you hire? (At Pace MacGill on 57th Street through April 25th).

Tomoko Sawada, Recruit/Grey, one hundred chromogenic prints hinged to board each image and paper, 2 x 1 5/8 inches mount, 27 3/8 x 23 ½ inches, 2006.

Pieter Schoolwerth, Your Vacuum Blows, which Sucks at Miguel Abreu

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One day while cleaning, artist Pieter Schoolwerth exclaimed in frustration, ‘This vacuum sucks!’ This unintended truism launched the idea for a show – can a vacuum do anything other than suck? Schoolwerth’s paintings and installation at Miguel Abreu Gallery show humans sucked into another dimension, speaking from the void and holding a vacuum hose like a mic. (Through May 3rd).

Pieter Schoolwerth, installation view of ‘Your Vacuum Blows, which Sucks,’ at Miguel Abreu Gallery, March 2015.

Steve DiBenedetto at Derek Eller Gallery

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Admiringly called ‘expertly constructed, aggressively psychedelic and curiously weird’ recently by the New York Times, Steve DiBenedetto’s latest abstract canvases flirt with representation but elude it, hinting at a half-understood world beyond. (At Derek Eller Gallery through April 25th).

Steve DiBenedetto, Catholic Deli, oil on linen, 60 x 72 x 1.375 inches, 2012 – 15.

Renaud Jerez in ‘Debris’ at James Fuentes Gallery

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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.

Laylah Ali at Paul Kasmin Gallery

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Laylah Ali’s new ‘Acephalous’ series features her signature creatures – slim cartoonish humans with something insect-like about them – but with heads and bodies separate. Here, a sympathetic mermaid/insect in green engages with a desperate-looking head-with-tail in a mysterious yet captivating exchange. (In Chelsea at Paul Kasmin Gallery through April 25th).

Laylah Ali, detail of Untitled (Acephalous series), gouache, acrylic, watercolor, and pencil on paper, 14 x 56 inches, 2015.

Liu Wei in ‘Future Seasons Past’ at Lehmann Maupin Gallery

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Liu Wei’s three sculptures of fortress-like cities made of carved books, are high on towers of bedrock that appear to be splitting apart, suggesting both destruction and crystalline growth. (At Lehmann Maupin on the Lower East Side through April 18th).

Liu Wei, Library II-II, books, wood, iron, and hardware, 2013.

Thomas Nozkowski, Oil Painting at Pace

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Endlessly inventive abstract painter Thomas Nozkowski’s new show of work at Pace Gallery’s 510 West 25th Street space was partly inspired by walks he’s taken upstate. This untitled oil painting could reference a frozen puddle or light seen through a configuration of rocks…the artist leaves it up to us. (Through April 25th).

Thomas Nozkowski, Untitled (9-46), oil on linen on panel, 22” x 28,” 2014.

Laura Lancaster at Sargent’s Daughters

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Laura Lancaster was inspired to paint from old photos in which she couldn’t tell herself apart from her twin sister. For her debut show in New York, the Newcastle, England-based artist culled images from found home movie reels, pictures that are still energized by uncertainty. (At Sargent’s Daughters on the Lower East Side through April 19th).

Laura Lancaster, untitled, oil on board, 51 x 90 inches, 2015.

Ann Agee at PPOW Gallery

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Ann Agee’s residency at the Kohler factory in Sheybogan, Wisconsin in 1992 inspired a life-sized china replica of a bathroom. Here, she has recreated ‘Lake Michigan Bathroom’ in porcelain, presenting the taboo topic of bodily functions with meticulous craft. (At Chelsea’s PPOW Gallery through April 18th).

Ann Agee, Lake Michigan Bathroom (II), porcelain and stoneware, 98 ¾ x 121 ½ x 22 inches, 2014.

Joseph Beuys at Mitchell-Innes & Nash

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This sculpture, one of iconic German artist Joseph Beuys’ best known works and part of an exhibition of his multiples from the collection of Reinhard Schlegel, taps into Beuys’ story of having been shot down in his plane in WWII, then rescued by Tartars who wrapped him in fat and felt. The iron runners connect man to earth, felt symbolizes warmth and security, while the disk of fat refers to energy. (At Mitchell-Innes & Nash through April 18th).

Joseph Beuys, Sled, sled, fat, felt, belts, torch, sled: 41 x 34 x 110cm, 1969.

Marc Handelman at Sikkema Jenkins & Co

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When humans talk about nature, it’s to promote ends that may have little to do with the natural world, argues Brooklyn artist Marc Handelman in his latest solo show at Chelsea’s Sikkema, Jenkins & Co. Binders filled with images from corporate reports that portray forced compliance (e.g. cleanups) as a willing choice join whimsical paintings like these to question real motivations behind discussions of the environment. (Through April 11th).

Marc Handelman, Dear Stakeholder, oil on canvas, 87.5 x 61.75 inches, 2014.

Twenty by Sixteen at Morgan Lehman Gallery

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Does affordable art exist in Chelsea anymore? ‘Twenty by Sixteen,’ a group exhibition of paintings at Morgan Lehman Gallery by 40 artists – many well-known – in 20” x 16” format offers something for everyone with all work under $11,000 and many pieces under $5,000. (In Chelsea through May 2nd).

Installation view of Twenty by Sixteen at Morgan Lehman Gallery with works by Amy Lincoln (far right) and Barbara Takenaga (middle), April 2015.

Anton Alvarez at Salon94 Freemans

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Stockholm-based artist Anton Alvarez has turned Salon94’s Freeman Alley space into his studio this month to construct new works using his ‘thread wrapping machine.’ Pictured here with an assistant, Alvarez (rear) guides an object into the machine’s opening, allowing glue coated thread (each a different color) to wrap around and create a pattern. (Through May 9th – see Salon94.com for a schedule of Alvarez’s studio hours).

Anton Alvarez, installation view of ‘Wrapsody,’ at Salon94 Freemans, April 2015.

Sascha Braunig, Feeder at Foxy Production

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Bodies morph into nearly unrecognizable emanations in Sascha Braunig’s new group of oil on linen paintings, including ‘Feeder,’ in which an artificial life form both emerges from and feeds from a pattered background. (At Foxy Production through April 18th).

Sascha Braunig, Feeder, oil on linen over panel, 31 x 16 inches, 2014.

James Sienna at Pace Gallery

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Known for intricate drawings and paintings organized by patterns and rules he devises for himself, New York artist James Sienna crosses over into sculpture for his latest show at Pace Gallery. Though he’s made 3-D work for decades, it’s his debut sculptural exhibition and includes objects of wonder and beauty, like this cherry wood configuration that scales up models made with toothpicks and grape stems. (At 508 West 25th Street through April 25th)

James Sienna, Just Read the Instructions, cherry wood, 47 3/4” x 68 1/2” x 59 3/4,” unique, 2013.

Ros Chast at Danese Corey

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With typical humor, illustrator and New Yorker cartoonist Ros Chast updates the painted egg tradition with a colorful rendition of an anxious Frida Kahlo; in the egg to the left, a giant sign reading ‘buy this’ hints at the commercialism of the holidays. (At Danese Corey in Chelsea through April 18th).

Ros Chast, installation view of ‘Eggs,’ eggshell, dye and polyurethane, approx. 2.25 x 1.625 inches, 2010-13.

Sam Durant in ‘Dissolving Margins’ at Paula Cooper Gallery

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Inspired by and titled after the final line in Martinique Surrealist Suzanne Cesaire’s ‘The Great Camouflage,’ Sam Durant locates an all-seeing eye over the Atlantic Ocean, a passageway between ‘old’ and ‘new’ worlds, questioning who ‘sees’ whom and how accurately. (At Paula Cooper Gallery in Chelsea through April 25th).

Sam Durant, “…the great game of hide and seek has succeeded, it is them because, on that day, the weather is most certainly too blindingly bright and beautiful to see clearly therein,” globe, acrylic (painting Steve Nunez), 32” diameter, 2014.

Dale Chihuly at Marlborough Gallery

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The dramatic centerpiece of Dale Chihuly’s show of recent work at Marlborough Gallery’s 57th Street space combines burnt logs, glass ‘reeds’ and neon light in a scenario that evokes nature but with overtly man-made objects and forms. Sapphire lights and the juxtaposition of sharp and round shapes both draw in and confound the eye. (Through April 11th).

Dale Chihuly, Sapphire Neon with Burned Logs and Neodymium Reeds, neon lights, burned wood and hand blown glass over stainless steel rods, 96 x 252, 180 inches, 2015.

Mao Yan at Pace Gallery

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The first U.S. solo show of acclaimed Chinese portraitist Mao Yan opens with this young man, Xiao Dai, staring up and out at us from a smoky grey environment with a confident look and defensive posture. Mao’s models are usually drawn from his circle of family and friends, but could this figure’s cautious gaze be a stand in for Mao’s own feelings on his debut? (At Pace Gallery’s 534 W. 25th Street location through April 4th).

Mao Yan, Xiao Dai, oil on canvas, 51 3/16 – 35 7/16,” 2013 – 2014.