Jessica Segall’s light sculptures are off the grid in a uniquely local way at Cuchifritos Gallery, nestled in a corner of the Essex Street Market. Lemons and plantains speak of far-away climes but have been sourced from a nearby market stall and wired to produce power to (dimly) light this chandelier. (On the Lower East Side through Oct 30th).
Working on the theory that you can make something so bad it’s good, Misaki Kawai presents faux naïve painting and sculpture at The Hole that entices with its wild color and cartoonish figures. (On the Lower East Side through Oct 30th).
‘Not everything needs to be exalted and monetized,’ says Matthew Chambers, who allows gallery visitors to flip through his huge, painted books. On the gallery walls at Feuer Mesler, Chambers explores color via appealing flower paintings (left wall), tulip canvases are all about pattern, and torn canvas strips [right wall) morph into textured monochromes. (At Feuer Mesler Gallery on the Lower East Side through Oct 23rd).
Alix Pearlstein is known for artworks which juxtapose individuals from different demographics in order to question their relationships; for her recent solo show at On Stellar Rays, she substitutes cats for people, setting up dozens of relationships between the animals which are complicated by the installation’s title, Harem ROOM 1. (On the Lower East Side through Oct 18th).
Though William Bailey’s serene still life arrangements share subject matter with Giorgio Morandi’s paintings of bottles, jars and vases, their contours are perfectly complete and clear, achieving comparative gravity and a sense of permanence. Still, Bailey’s objects embody a sense of apartness that makes them captivating. (At Betty Cunningham Gallery on the Lower East Side through June 11th).
