Over the decades, Brazilian artist Vik Muniz has made an art form of using unusual materials to replicate famous images, drizzling chocolate to produce a picture of Jackson Pollock or arranging garbage from a Rio de Janeiro landfill in the form of famous works from western art history. The latest in his seemingly inexhaustible supply of ideas involves painting an individual brushstroke, photographing it, cutting it out and adding it to a collage that replicates a famous Post-Impressionist artwork. Given that Van Gogh, Gauguin and their contemporaries are often cited by artists today, the homage feels appropriate, though as usual, a major draw to Muniz’s new work at Sikkema Malloy Jenkins is the mind-boggling effort it took to produce. (On view through June 20th).
