Tag: leila heller

Rachel Lee Hovnanian at Leila Heller Gallery

A huge, flawless bar of soap in Carrara marble acts as an icon of purity in Rachel Lee Hovnanian’s current solo show at Leila Heller Gallery.  The third in a series of consecutive exhibitions by the artist at this Chelsea gallery, the show encourages introspection and the chance to ‘clean up’ some mental baggage.  Assistant by gallery staff, a visitor can write down something (s)he’d like to eliminate from her/his life on one of the cast plaster soaps stacked against the gallery wall, then smash the soap with a mallet.  (On view in Chelsea through July 20th).

Rachel Lee Hovnanian, PURE Marble Large, carrara marble, 15 x 10 ½ x 3 ¾ inches, ed of 8, 2018.

Zaha Hadid at Leila Heller Gallery

While architect Zaha Hadid’s firm worked on the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Hadid created a collection of related furnishings, including this stunningly sleek desk, currently on view with a selection of Hadid’s other design projects at Chelsea’s Leila Heller Gallery. How could your career fail to take flight, seated behind this desk? (On view through January 21st).

Zaha Hadid, Seoul Desk, fiberglass with high gloss lacquer paint finish, 49.2 x 166.14 x 28.35 inches, 2008.
Zaha Hadid, Seoul Desk, fiberglass with high gloss lacquer paint finish, 49.2 x 166.14 x 28.35 inches, 2008.

‘Shrines to Speed’ at Leila Heller Gallery

As summer travel season rolls around, ‘Shrines to Speed’ at Chelsea’s Leila Heller Gallery acts as something of a cautionary tale. Sylvie Fleury’s smashed and sliced car – covered in nail polish – rests near an ominous pair of van doors by Richard Prince and a crushed Fiat 500 by Ron Arad. All are enticing objects but each undermines the glamor of car culture. (In Chelsea through July 9th).

Sylvie Fleury, Skin Crime 6, crashed car, enamel, 31 x 29 x 141 inches, 1997 in foreground of installation view of ‘Shrines to Speed’ at Leila Heller Gallery, June 2016.
Sylvie Fleury, Skin Crime 6, crashed car, enamel, 31 x 29 x 141 inches, 1997 in foreground of installation view of ‘Shrines to Speed’ at Leila Heller Gallery, June 2016.

Moataz Nasr at Leila Heller Gallery

Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr’s New York solo debut at Leila Heller Gallery features work in a variety of media including neon, glass and video, but a row of 25 ceramic figures of everyday Cairenes titled ‘The People,’ stands out. Chief among these is a version of the female protester who was notoriously brutalized by Egyptian soldiers during 2011 demonstrations in Tahrir Square; rendered with the slightly curving forms of a Hummel figurine, the sculpture manages to disturb as much as the original video footage. (Through Dec 23rd).

Moataz Nasr, Elshaab (the people), 25 ceramic characters (detail seen here), 10.6 x 2.4 x 4 in each (approx.), 2012.

Rachel Lee Hovnanian at Leila Heller Gallery

Slip on a hospital smock and you can test drive a ‘perfect baby’ model in Rachel Lee Hovnanian’s nursery/showroom at Leila Heller Gallery’s Chelsea location. Hovnanian’s dystopic vision looks ahead to a time when it’s possible to engineer perfect achievers; each baby comes with its own stellar future resume. (Through October 18th).

Rachel Lee Hovnanian, Perfect Baby Showroom, wallpaper, extension cords, baby dolls, metal, acrylic, wood, neon light, foam, cotton fabric, LED lights, cereal, dimensions variable, 2014.