Tag: 52 walker

Kayode Ojo at 52 Walker

“If you look at the work, it is actually posing for you,’ explained New York artist Kayode Ojo in a past video describing his elegantly spare sculptural installations, now on view at 52 Walker in Tribeca.  Having studied photography before becoming known for in-the-round artworks, Ojo now creates arrangements of fast-fashion clothing, accessories and other objects sourced via on-line shopping that elicit admiration and desire.  By titling each artwork with the text originally used to sell each it, Ojo centers his practice squarely in conversations about consumption while transporting each piece into the realm of luxury art object.  (On view in Tribeca through Jan 6th).

Kayode Ojo, Comfort, New Orleans 4-Light Clear Unique/Statement Geometric Chandelier with Crystal Accents, 84 x 72 x 16 inches, 2023.

Heji Shin at 52 Walker

Fashion and art photographer Heji Shin’s self-portrait at 52 Walker gives and withholds information, depicting a holographic image of her brain made with a special MRI technique that pictures neural networks in brilliant color.  Though the scans allow us to literally see her brain, more telling about Shin’s thoughts are her studio photos of pigs – their faces full of character – that appear on the surrounding walls. Titled ‘Big Nudes’ after Helmut Newton’s boldly-posed 1981 images of nude women, the images question how both photos and their subjects are consumed. (On view in Tribeca through Oct 7th).

Heji Shin, Untitled, holographic installation; glass, pedestal, and four flat screen TVs, 66 x 68 1/8 x 58 ¼ in, 2023.

Bob Thompson at 52 Walker and Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

Bob Thompson’s 1965 painting ‘The Swing’ at 52 Walker resembles Jean-Honore Fragonard’s famous 18th century rendering of a finely dressed young woman on a swing and her lover gazing up at her from below but radically shifts the focus and intent.  In Thompson’s characteristic style, the figures are monochromatic and nude, the eroticism of the female character emphasized by the outline of a breast and the complicity of the two men suggested by their common red color.  The man who controls the swing is no longer hidden by foliage, instead playing a clearer role in the flirtation going on between the other two characters. Likewise, Fragonard’s barely noticeable lake in the background turns into a waterfall, two pink putti are locked in a more ambiguous embrace and the swing’s rope more clearly and menacingly encircles the branches above.  In exhibitions of work from Thompson’s brief career (he died just shy of his 29th birthday in 1966) at 52 Walker and at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, the artist delves into European art history, clarifying some elements of iconic works and making others ambiguous to provocative effect. (On view in Tribeca at 52 Walker through July 8th and in Chelsea at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery through July 7th).

Bob Thompson, The Swing, oil on canvas, 49 x 36 inches, 1965.

Tau Lewis at 52 Walker

Six monumental heads tower over visitors to Tau Lewis’ installation of totemic sculptures at 52 Walker in Tribeca, offering a conduit to encounter the divine.  Calling Lewis’ new pieces a ‘new mythology’ and a ‘corporeal arena for those who move between temporal and heavenly realms,’ the gallery presents itself as stage for interaction inspired by Yoruban mask dramas in which masks are worn and spiritually activated.  Too large for actual movement, the heads convey a powerful solidity while textures and colors created from Lewis’ use of salvaged textiles nevertheless suggest imminent movement and liveliness.  (On view in Tribeca through Jan 7th.  Note holiday closures this week.)

Tau Lewis, Homonoia, steel, enamel paint, acrylic paint and finisher, repurposed leather and suede, organic cotton twill, and coated nylon thread, 88 ½ x 68 x 26 ¼ inches, 2022.

Nora Turato at 52 Walker

‘Follow me you coward,’ reads an arresting command on the wall of Nora Turato’s current show at 52 Walker, along with the cliched, ‘a lifetime of action and adventure with no clock to punch,’ and tantalizing ‘all is forgiven.’ The show’s title, ‘Govern Me Harder,’ a puzzlingly submissive, perhaps masochistic demand was inspired by a sticker she saw in an Amsterdam dog park; other expressions were gathered from news, ads, online sources and, says the artist, her own thoughts.  In this enamel on steel panel, the last word of the sentence, ‘I sold it for million bells,’ derails expectations of a million dollar sale, leaving us in a thought-provoking lurch.  (On view in Tribeca through July 1st.)

Nora Turato, i sold it for million bells, vitreous enamel on steel in four (4) parts, overall: 94 ½ x 75 5/8 inches, 2022.