Mexican born, Harlem-based activist and artist Aliza Nisenbaum’s new paintings at Anton Kern Gallery’s midtown gallery celebrate group activities in kaleidoscopic form and brilliant color. From teaching English to immigrants in Queens in 2012 to various residences and projects, Nisenbaum has engaged individuals who become subjects for paintings that celebrate togetherness and diversity. (On view through Nov 2nd).
Flowing water, curling strands of cable and licorice come to mind when encountering Richard Deacon’s dynamic steamed wood sculpture ‘Under the Weather #2.’ Appearing to both hang down from above like a Sheila Hicks fiber installation and rise up from the floor like a rearing snake, the piece is energized by its contradictory suggestions of slackness and tense energy. (On view on 57th Street at Marian Goodman Gallery through Feb 16th).
Known for photographing opulent buildings from Italy to Havana, Michael Eastman’s latest series focuses on century-old neoclassical interiors in Buenos Aires. This slightly less extravagant but no less gorgeous college stairwell is the picture of tranquility in cool, blue and green-toned tile. That it is without students suggests timing or an oblique reference to something more sinister in Argentina’s past. (On view at Edwynn Houk Gallery in midtown through Jan 20th).
Giuseppe Penone’s 1985 branch, carved from the block of fir wood to which it still belongs, posits artist as creator and forces a comparison between human effort and natural growth. (At Marian Goodman Gallery on 57th Street through Dec 22nd).
Astronauts simulate working in the weightlessness of space in Houston’s Johnson Space Center, where they perform tasks on models in a giant pool; captured by German photographer Thomas Struth, the lab appears to be suspended in space and time, submerged as if in jelly or under glass. (At Marian Goodman Gallery on 57th Street through Dec 22nd).
