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).
Sculptor Ursula von Rydingsvard describes this wall mounted cedar relief sculpture as beginning ‘gently then growing belligerent’ as its rows of cavities expand and lose their form closer to the floor. On the flip side of aggressive, the carved wood forms are characterized by a softness that suggests disintegration. Rising, falling and sliding along the wall, this sculpture’s shapes appear to be in constant motion. (On view at Galerie Lelong in Chelsea through June 23rd).
As a young man, Melvin Edwards chose a career in art over football, but explains that the physicality of the sport remained in his sculpture. He explores a more critical consideration of the game in Goal Line Stance, a steel sculpture from 2017 that stands out in Galerie Lelong’s current show – an exhibition prompted by NFL players’ protests against social injustice (On view through Feb 17th in Chelsea).
‘Dazzle painting’ is an apt and humorous term used by New York artist Jane Hammond to describe her glittery paintings on mica sheets, which are arranged over reflective materials to catch the light. Featuring images from yesteryear, Hammond’s work literally burnishes memories. (At Chelsea’s Galerie Lelong through April 22nd).
Jaume Plensa’s latest exhibition at Galerie Lelong continues his investigation of portraiture, featuring several of his signature, elongated heads with closed eyes that suggest unseen inner lives. In Chelsea, they are arranged on wooden beams and are joined by spectral faces on the wall that transform the gallery into a contemplative space. (On view through March 11th).
