Gao Rong’s meticulously crafted and embroidered pay phone replicates the chips and scratches of a once-shiny public pay phone. As the importance of the payphone diminishes in the face of cell phone usage, Gao Rong’s 2012 sculpture lovingly preserves its memory in cloth, foam and wood. (On view at Klein Sun Gallery through March 11th).
Last year, from the decks of a decommissioned Navy ship, artist Duke Riley orchestrated dramatic light shows with over one thousand pigeons carrying LED lights on their legs. If the birds seemed anonymous as they put on a light show in the dark, their identities come into focus now at a two-gallery exhibition of related artwork, including a room of hand-painted and embroidered portraits of 1,000 birds. (On view at Magnan Metz Gallery’s pop up location at 524 West 26th Street and 521 West 26th Street through Oct 21st).
Tiffany Chung’s meticulous maps plot migration crises around the world, turning conflict into art that informs. In this detail from an eleven-foot long embroidered world map at Tyler Rollins Fine Art, circles stand in for groups of internally displaced people offering a glimpse into the magnitude of global upheaval. (On view through Oct 21st in Chelsea).
Cayce Zavaglia, Uncle Angelo, one ply cotton, silk, and wool thread on Belgian linen with acrylic, 8.75 x 7.75 inches, 2015.
Titled ‘Outer Loop,’ Marlborough Gallery’s pairing of sculpture by Matthew Ronay and embroidered works by Tony Cox suggests that Chelsea gallery-goers haven’t yet seen it all. Cox’s cool-colored textiles suggest meditative abstractions while Ronay’s vibrant constructions defy description; together, their colorful wackiness charms. (Through May 9th).
Matthew Ronay, Stacked Ellipsoid Cairn with Pearl, basswood, dye, gouache, shellac-based primer, 28 ½ x 23 x 23 inches, 2015.
