History looms large in succinct and powerful sculptures by Martin Puryear at Matthew Marks Gallery that include a huge civil war cap with a cannon hidden inside and a classical fluted column supporting a stylized shackle – a monument to Sally Hemings. Here, a precariously situated wagon reimagines the vehicles the Boers used to move into South Africa’s interior in the 19th century. Titled ‘New Voortrekker,’ after the term the Boers used for themselves, the sculpture’s wagon features a spiral staircase with a mirror at its base, as if to offer ascending/descending settlers a different view of themselves. (On view in Chelsea through Dec 19th. Masks, social distancing and appointments are required).
