Like a giant emptied beanbag chair, Italian artist Giuseppe Gabellone’s ‘Acid Green’ fabric installation flops in the corner of Andrew Kreps’ Chelsea gallery, transforming the space and color of the room. Part of a show of work by artists who push their materials, the piece boldly occupies its space while suggesting future uses for the fabric. (Through Dec 20th).
Giuseppe Gabellone, Verde Acido, velvet fabric, acrylic padding, 590 ½ x 452 ¾ inches, 2012.
By dividing Ramiken Crucible’s small Lower East Side space into narrow compartments littered with dingy Pepsi cans and wall mounted urethane furniture casts, LA artist Kaari Upson creates a claustrophobic habitat that’s grungy while also strangely tidy. A puffy urethane door and doorstop at the entrance recall the harmless oddness of Claes Oldenburg sculpture. (At Ramiken Crucible through Dec 14th).
Kaari Upson, Untitled, aluminum, 200 aluminum cans, 2014 (foreground). Kaari Upson, Door Stop, urethane, pigment and cement, 2014 (background).
Energy drinks, green tea tins and more consumer packaging form the basis of semi-retired fashion photography icon David LaChapelle’s latest series, ‘Refineries.’ Working with professional model builders, LaChapelle makes our consumption of fossil fuels – and the materials create from them – personal. (At Chelsea’s Paul Kasmin Gallery through March 1st.)
David LaChapelle, Land Scape Riverside, chromogenic print, 71 x 93 inches, 2013.
