The oldest and tallest tree in New York inspired Rachel Owens’ installation ‘Mother,’ for which she visited a Queens park to take casts of a c. 400 year old plant that may pre-date European settlement. Recreated in broken glass cast in resin, Owens marshals the vibrant colors of man-made materials to celebrate a remarkable survivor. (On view at Zieher Smith in Chelsea through April 15th).
Against the backdrop of rapid urban development in the Persian Gulf countries, the artist collective GCC examines the parallel trends toward the pursuit of happiness and health. Here, a woman practices a new age, healing therapy on her son. They stand in sand, a symbol of the landscape, inside a racing track reminiscent of the region’s many new urban walkways. (At Chelsea’s Mitchell-Innes and Nash through Nov 23rd).
Russian-American artist Asya Reznikov takes on the role of Manet’s bar maid at the Folies-Bergere, only she serves the demands of just one client and from her own body. Transplanted from the public realm into the domestic sphere, Reznikov’s character still manages a tight ship but with little apparent enjoyment. (At Nancy Hoffman Gallery in Chelsea through July 1st).
As far as family portraits go, this one is by far one of the strangest I’ve seen, as a matron with a knife in her hair touches a carp’s tongue and father stands by cradling a skull while two boys look on. Wiharso has explained that in his work, tables are meant as meeting places and sites for negotiation; as such, this family has a lot to work through. (At Marc Straus on the Lower East Side through Feb 8th).
Entang Wiharso, Inheritance, graphite, resin, color pigment, thread, steel, life-size installation, 2014.
For his latest series, ‘Sacrifice Your Body,’ New York based photographer Roe Ethridge took a trip to his mom’s hometown in Belgrade, Florida, gathering images that loosely suggest a relationship between mother and son. Here, a phone off the hook suggests a receiver dropped in surprise. (At Chelsea’s Andrew Kreps Gallery through March 29th).
Roe Ethridge, Yellow Phone, c-print, 34 ¾ x 45 7/8, 2013.
