Tag: bird

Brad Kahlhamer at Garth Greenan Gallery

Human or animal, alive, dead or in spirit form, the most haunting and memorable aspect of Brad Kahlhamer’s current solo show at Garth Greenan Gallery are the many faces that populate his graphically strong paintings.  In this untitled canvas, several heads have hair that extends down and out like roots, joining stylized figures and a modified dream catcher to create connections across space and between characters.  This half-human, half raptor individual appears tranquil but the figures around her suggest intense inner life.  (On view in Chelsea through June 18th).

Brad Kahlhamer, detail from Untitled, mixed media on canvas, 104 ¾ x 138 inches.
Brad Kahlhamer, Untitled, mixed media on canvas, 104 ¾ x 138 inches.

Petah Coyne at Galerie Lelong

For her first New York gallery show in nearly ten years, Petah Coyne continues to create richly evocative sculpture inspired by literature; this peacock-topped chandelier titled ‘Black Snowflake’ pays homage to Masuji Ibuse’s Black Rain, his 1965 novel about Hiroshima.  Personal themes also run though the show; here, a piece in memory of Coyne’s late father includes a bird considered in Irish mythology to accompany the soul to heaven.  (On view at Galerie Lelong in Chelsea through Oct 27th).

Petah Coyne, Untitled #1242 (Black Snowflake), specially-formulated wax, pigment, taxidermy, candles, tassels, ribbons, hand-blown glass bulbs, chicken-wire fencing, wire, steel, cable, cable nuts, sash weight, quick-link shackles, jaw-to-jaw swivel, silk/rayon velvet, 3/8” grade 30 proof coil chain, Velcro, thread, plastic, 71 x 75 x 50 inches, 2007 – 12.

Chris Ofili at David Zwirner Gallery

Four paintings hang against chain link fencing at David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea, inaccessible to the public except by a narrow corridor between the fence and the wall, which has been painted with towering figures of sinuous dancers, themselves depicted behind a painted fence. The show is titled ‘Paradise Lost’ and follows Ofili’s ‘The Caged Bird’s Song’ at London’s National Gallery, for which the artist alluded to the practice in his adopted home, Trinidad, of raising caged songbirds. Here, aggressive fencing suggests that it is not the song of the caged bird that is sweeter. (On view through Oct 21st).

Chris Ofili, installation view of ‘Paradise Lost’ at David Zwirner Gallery’s 533 West 19th Street space, Sept 2017.

Rachel Harrison at Greene Naftali Gallery

Rachel Harrison’s latest solo show at Greene Naftali Gallery seems to step away from the overt politics of her most recent shows, instead questioning the value and role of art (as presented in an imagined conversation between several famous artworks featured in a gallery handout). In this piece, what appears to be a bald eagle in a bandana is held at gunpoint, a symbol of power reduced to a captive state as the color of money dominates. (In Chelsea through Jun 17th).

Rachel Harrison, detail of Untabled (Title) 1694, wood, polystyrene, cement, acrylic, Krion, gymnastic rings, straps, toy gun, and bandana, overall dimensions variable, base: 48 x 48 x 48 inches. Form: 21 x 17 x 15 inches, 2017.

Cig Harvey in ‘Birds of a Feather’ at Robert Mann Gallery

While traveling near St Petersburg, Russia, photographer Cig Harvey found herself surrounded by goldfinches, and she captured this beautifully composed evocation of freedom. The photo is a highlight of the creatively curated, obliquely political group show ‘Birds of a Feather, ‘ at Chelsea’s Robert Mann Gallery. (Through March 18th).

Cig Harvey, Goldfinch, St Petersburg, Russia, dye sublimation print on aluminum, 28 x 28 inches, 2014.