Pittsburgh-based artist Vanessa German assembles a stunningly arrayed army of folk characters for her current show at Chelsea’s Pavel Zoubok Gallery. The figure in the foreground holds a lantern aloft as if to metaphorically light the way forward; a mother with an astounding headdress of ceramic devotional sculpture holds her limp child to the right; a figure at back speaks for social justice by holding up a stop sign. (Through Nov 30th).
Part-astronaut, part-characters from the Hindu epics, Indonesian artist Heri Dono’s ‘Flying Angels’ were, for the artist, symbols of inspiration and the future. Stand outs in the internationally-known artist’s first New York solo show at Tyler Rollins Fine Art in Chelsea, they introduce a fanciful body of work enlivened by references to Javanese folk theater. (Through Dec 20th).
Installation view of: Heri Dono, Flying Angels, fiberglass, fabric, bamboo, acrylic paint, electronic and mechanical devices, cable, automatic timer, 10 pieces, each 39 x 24 x 10 inches, 1996.
Cleverly placed near the gallery entrance, late sculptor Louise Kruger’s bulky ‘Standing Dog’ could –for an instant – be mistaken as a real pet tagging along with gallery visitors. Other charmingly odd wood figures stand out amongst work in fabric and metal by an artist who developed her own unique folk/pop artistic language. (At Chelsea’s Lori Bookstein Fine Art through Oct 4th).
Louise Kruger, Standing Dog, pine, 27 x 16 x 38 inches, c. 1970-75.
