Tag: cigarettes

Hans Haacke at Paula Cooper Gallery

If you can’t get to politically-oriented artist Hans Haacke’s New Museum retrospective before it closes on Jan 26th, check out his huge pack of Marlboros in Paula Cooper Gallery’s tiny 21st St vitrine-like space, a sculpture about the relationships between art, politics and commerce.  Made in 1990, the piece highlights cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris Company’s contradictory support both for the arts and for North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms, who was famously critical of government support for the arts.  Each five-foot long cigarette features a copy of the constitution (the company offered to supply a copy to anyone who asked), while the packaging bears the statement that the company’s ‘fundamental interest in the arts is self-interest.’  (On view through Jan 25th).

Hans Haacke, Helmsboro County, silkscreen prints and photographs on wood, cardboard and paper, 30 ½ x 80 x 47 ½ inches, 1990.

Katherine Bernhardt in ‘Make Painting Great Again’ at Canada New York

At eight feet high, Katherine Bernhardt’s vibrant, textile-like painting overwhelms with powerful graphics while her subject matter – plantains, cigarettes, basketball and Lisa Simpson – samples pop culture and everyday objects with strong associations. (At Canada New York through July 15th).

Katherine Bernhardt, Two Simpsons, Plantains, Basketballs, Cigarettes, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 96 x 120 inches, 2016.
Katherine Bernhardt, Two Simpsons, Plantains, Basketballs, Cigarettes, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 96 x 120 inches, 2016.

Amanda Nedham in ‘Frida Smoked’ at Invisible Exports

An ostrich, Asiatic black bear and other animals look to be constructed of cigarettes but have actually been crafted from Sculpey and acrylic by Amanda Nedham. A standout in Invisible Export’s group exhibition on the current cultural status of smoking, Nedham equates animals threatened by habitat loss with another endangered species – the smoker. (At Invisible Exports on the Lower East Side through June 19th).

Amanda Nedham, installation view in ‘Frida Smoked,’ sculptures in Sculpey and acrylic, 2016.
Amanda Nedham, installation view in ‘Frida Smoked,’ sculptures in Sculpey and acrylic, 2016.

Katherine Bernhardt at Canada Gallery

Known for her unnerving, expressionist renditions of fashion models, New York painter Katherine Bernhardt steps into new territory with food-centric pattern paintings whose collective title, ‘Stupid, Crazy, Ridiculous, Funny Patterns’ accurately introduces their surprising, bold and humorous nature. (At the Lower East Side’s Canada Gallery through March 9th).

Katherine Bernhardt, Steaming Hot Coffee and Cigarettes and Pizza, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 2013.