Lorna Simpson at Hauser & Wirth

In the Arctic, ‘so much believed to be white is actually – strikingly – blue,’ writes award-winning American poet Robin Coste Lewis in a text applied to the wall at the entrance to Lorna Simpson’s solo show at Hauser & Wirth.  Titled ‘Darkening’ and featuring monumentally scaled paintings combining text and images from Ebony magazine, the AP and National Archives, the new work pictures bodies and icy landscapes commenting on, as Simpson has explained, ‘inhospitable conditions and how to survive those conditions.’  (On view in Chelsea through July 27th).

Lorna Simpson, Blue Turned Temporal, ink and screenprint on gessoed fiberglass, 102 x 144 x 1 3/8 inches, 2019.

Saul Becker at Zieher Smith & Horton

A trip to the Arctic inspired Saul Becker’s uncanny landscapes, in which mirrored hills present a Rorschach for those wishing to ponder lesser known regions and toxic colors bear witness the changing climate. (At Zieher Smith and Horton in Chelsea through March 19th).

Saul Becker, Passage, oil on linen on panel, 29 1/5 x 36 inches, 2015.
Saul Becker, Passage, oil on linen on panel, 29 1/5 x 36 inches, 2015.