Jeppe Hein at 303 Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Though Berlin-based Danish artist Jeppe Hein has installed his trademark polished stainless steel panels in large outdoor spaces (notably at Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2015), 303 Gallery’s tiny back space seems uniquely suited to host an intense experience of reality for visitors who see themselves and Hein’s striped paintings cut together in thin strips.  Hein has explained that his stripe paintings represent breathing in and out which sounds meditative, but in this installation is geared to quicken the senses.  (On view in Chelsea through Oct 19th).

Jeppe Hein, Intersecting Circles, high polished stainless steel, 87 3/8 x 85 x 70 inches, 2019.

Anni Albers at David Zwirner Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Commissioned for the art-filled Camino Real Hotel in Palanco, Mexico, this vibrant felt hanging by Anni Albers epitomizes the energy expressed by her repeated use of triangles in asymmetrical compositions.  Recently rediscovered, it’s a standout in a collaborative exhibition with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation and David Zwirner Gallery, a show that asserts Albers’ importance not just to 20th century weaving and textile-based work but to experimentation within the modernist idiom.  (On view in Chelsea through Oct 19th).

Anni Albers, Camino Real, felt, 116 x 105 ¾ inches, 1968.

Risue Mishima at Luhring Augustine Gallery

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Japanese-Italian artist Ritsue Mishima describes glass as ‘a form of light.’ In her stunning show of twenty-five glass sculptures at Luhring Augustine Gallery – her first in New York – Mishima creates dynamic and still forms that bring to mind sea life and other natural wonders.  (On view through Oct 26th in Chelsea).

Ritsue Mishima, INCONSCIO, blown glass, 17 ½ x 16 ½ x 11 7/8 inches, 2019.

Madeline Donahue at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects

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A mother’s body becomes a playground for her baby, whose sense of curiosity and play ignores boundaries in Madeline Donahue’s humorous paintings at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects.  Shifts in scale turn a mom into a giant as baby uses her hair like climbing rope; in other pieces, Donahue creates curving or angular geometric compositions from the antics of her exploring offspring.  Through it all, the paintings charm with their sense of humor, patience and stoicism.  (On view on the Lower East Side through Oct 5th).

Madeline Donahue, Untitled, oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2019.

Doron Langberg at Yossi Milo Gallery

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‘Emotional and empathetic’ painting has been New York painter Doron Langberg’s goal since he saw a show of Lucian Freud’s paintings as a kid.  His first solo show at Yossi Milo Gallery is a tour de force of sensitively conceived, often monumentally-scaled portraits of friends and family at ease, enjoying leisure time or intimacy. (On view in Chelsea through Oct 19th).

Doron Langberg, Devan, 24 x 18 inches, oil on linen, 2019.

Amy Sherald at Hauser & Wirth Gallery

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Inspired in part by Charles C. Ebbet’s iconic staged photograph of Rockefeller Center ironworkers eating lunch on a suspended girder, Amy Sherald’s portrait of an anonymous young man pictures him at home in the air, his mind on other things.  Poised as if about to speak, Sherald’s subject points to the possibility and promise of communication.  (On view in Chelsea at Hauser & Wirth Gallery).

Amy Sherald, If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it, oil on canvas, 130 x 108 x 2 ½ inches, 2019.

Brian Alfred at Miles McEnery Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Would New York be better without the people?  An empty subway entrance at West 4th Street, Rockefeller Center buried by snow and a deserted Coney Island beach – all scenes included in Brooklyn-based painter Brian Alfred’s latest show at Miles McEnery Gallery – suggest that if the city’s human inhabits would step aside, the views would improve.  Here, two city bridges silhouetted by a gorgeous sunrise or sunset may or may not be busy with traffic, but they appear as tranquil as the country-side.  (On view in Chelsea through Oct 5th).

Brian Alfred, Two Bridge(s), acrylic on canvas, 60 x 72 inches, 2019.

Mitch Epstein at Sikkema Jenkins & Co.

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

‘Property Rights,’ Mitch Epstein’s latest photography series focuses on contested land in the U.S., from protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock to the conflict between immigration activists and self-organized patrols along the southern border.  Though each location is defined by its tensions, Epstein’s photos are marked by their calmness and sensitivity to the experience of everyday people navigating the impact of larger forces on their lives.  (On view at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in Chelsea through Oct 5th).

Mitch Epstein, Border Wall, Nogales, Arizona 2017, chromogenic print, 25.125 x 33.5 inches, 2017.

Alex Prager, Big West at Lehmann Maupin

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

“Driving through Los Angeles, you see all kinds of things out your window, and they go by so quickly,” Alex Prager told the New Yorker as she explained the bizarre scenarios and eccentric characters in her latest photos and video at Lehmann Maupin Gallery.  This towering, nine-foot-tall sculpture dominates the gallery and appears in an even larger version in Prager’s short film ‘Play the Wind,’ an homage to the unexpected and strange on the streets of Prager’s hometown.  (On view in Chelsea through Oct 26th).

Alex Prager, Big West, foam, plastic, fabric and aluminum on metal base, 112 x 50 x 23 inches, 2019.

Sarah Sze at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

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Ever aware of the evolving role of images as stand-ins for real objects in the digital era, Sarah Sze creates a wave in the form of photos, video and rotating projections at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.  Titled ‘Crescent (Timekeeper),’ the installation displays fragmentary glimpses of the natural world on a rickety but orderly wooden frame.  Visitors who step close to explore a coyote crossing a road, a raging flame or a bird in flight experience a dynamic and evolving sculpture that offers an immersive experience in real time.  (On view in Chelsea through Oct 19th).

Sarah Sze, Crescent (Timekeeper), mixed media, wood, stainless steel, acrylic, video projectors, archival pigment prints, ceramic and tape, dimensions variable, 2019.

Roy DeCarava at David Zwirner Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Roy DeCarava’s velvety toned black and white photographs aimed for expression, not documentation, seeking to capture scenes of African-American life in Harlem and beyond with ‘penetrating insight and understanding’.  Over one hundred silver gelatin photos now on view at David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea celebrate the centennial of DeCarava’s birth while showcasing the artist’s ability to sensitively portray a variety of subjects, from the everyday life of families to thrilling portraits of jazz musicians like Jimmy Scott.  (On view through Oct 26th).

Roy DeCarava, Jimmy Scott singing, silver gelatin print, 14 x 11 inches, 1956.