Heinz Mack at Sperone Westwater Gallery

As a founder of the post-war European ‘Zero’ Group, Heinz Mack explored the effects of light and various reflective materials in an attempt to take his art back to an experimental stage, or conceptual ground zero. Here, a ‘light relief’ sends the eye shooting around a surface of raised patterns as the light conditions and reflections in the gallery define the viewing experience. (At Sperone Westwater Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 13th).

Licht-Relief (Pyramide), aluminum and wood, 29 1/8 x 34 x 2 5/8 inches, 2004.

Ursula von Rydingsvard at Galerie Lelong

The title of this towering sculpture in graphite-rubbed cedar by Ursula von Rydingsvard – ‘Dumna’ – implies dignified pride. Ending with –a indicates the feminine form of the word. Solid as a geological formation yet seeming to sway in graceful contrapposto, the title seems appropriate. (At Galerie Lelong through Dec 13th).

Ursula von Rydingsvard, Dumna, cedar, graphite, 130 x 97 x 64.5 inches, 2014.

Jennifer Paige Cohen at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery

Trained in dance, Brooklyn-based artist Jennifer Paige Cohen translates her experience with bodies in movement into lively sculptures made with colorful plaster-cast garments that echo arrangements of body parts. (At Nicelle Beauchene Gallery on the Lower East Side through Nov 9th).

Jennifer Paige Cohen, Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures), sweater, plaster, stucco, 2013.

Gedi Sibony at Greene Naftali Gallery

Though it’s tempting to dismiss New-York based artist Gedi Sibony’s new works – rectangles cut from aluminum semi-trailers – as gimmicky abstraction, scrapes, dents and gashes lend each a certain authenticity. Redacted text, as in the covered up letters ‘ALL,’ suggest a hasty attempt at erasing the past. (At Greene Naftali Gallery through Nov 8th).

Gedi Sibony, All, aluminum semi-trailer, 101 ¾ x 104 ¾ inches, 2014.

Judy Pfaff at Pavel Zoubok Gallery & Loretta Howard Gallery

Known for abstract art crafted with a superabundance of non-art materials, Judy Pfaff outdoes herself in two solo shows at Chelsea’s Pavel Zoubok Gallery and Loretta Howard Gallery. Here, she uses paper lanterns, honeycombed paper and expandable foam in a floor-to-ceiling artwork that suggests explosive force, high temperatures, decay and fossilization. (This piece included in Pavel Zoubok’s installation, both shows through Nov 15th).

Judy Pfaff, Belle Starr/Blue Duck, paper, pigmented expanded foam, acrylic, resin and honeycomb, 118 x 132 x 24 inches, 2014.