How could an avant-garde mid-century painter keep up with the trends in abstract minimalism while still making representational work? This clever 1967 canvas by Sylvia Plimack Mangold has the artist looking down for an answer and finding a ready-made grid of wood – a Minimalist-approved material – that has an inherently physical relationship to the viewer. (At Alexander and Bonin Gallery through Jan 4th.)
Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Floor 1, acrylic on canvas, 1967.
For his latest New York solo show, New Jersey based artist Willie Cole turns a whimsical arrangement of women’s shoes into a towering, 6 foot tall bronze sculpture recalling a Yoruban deity; a literalized example of power dressing. (At Chelsea’s Alexander and Bonin Gallery through Nov 16th)
Willie Cole, The Sole Sitter, bronze, 2013.
It would be amazing enough if this sculpture by Willie Cole was made of shoes. It’s rendered more permanent and pushes the materials a step further by being crafted of bronze. (At Chelsea’s Alexander and Bonin Gallery through July).
Willie Cole, Shoonufu Female Figure, bronze, 2013.
Bogota-based artist Doris Salcedo continues to carefully craft sculpture that speaks to violence and oppression with what ‘A Flor de Piel,’ a blanket of treated, waxed and sewn rose petals which she refers to as this shroud or skin. (At Alexander and Bonin Gallery in Chelsea through July 26th).
Doris Salcedo, A Flor de Piel, rose petals and thread, 2013.
Jorge Macchi’s percussive sculpture ‘fan’ entices visitors into Chelsea’s Alexander & Bonin’s main gallery space, but once inside conveys danger as wobbling ceiling fan blades chip into the gallery walls. In a show devoted to mediations on time, it’s an ominous portent. (Through June 15th).
Jorge Macchi, ‘fan,’ metal ceiling fan, 2013.
