Jingze Du’s distorted figures recall staticky interference on an old black and white tv monitor, prompting viewers to consider what mediates the images we consume. Though painting in oil on canvas, Du’s animals, famous actors and sports stars reference digital manipulation. Du cites Kayne West’s vocal distortions and the shifting skull in Hans Holbein’s famous 16th century painting ‘The Ambassadors’ as further sources of inspiration. In this painting at The Hole’s new Tribeca location, Du does strange and captivating things with Brad Pitt’s classic squint. (On view through Aug 8th).
Tag: newyorkarttours
Otto Piene at Sperone Westwater
Though Otto Piene’s involvement with Group Zero, a post-war avant-garde group dedicated to exploring light and motion in art, ended when the group dissolved in the ‘60s, his experimentation with light continued into late career. This stunning ceramic sculpture resembling a rainbow at Sperone Westwater is characteristic of his ‘heavy images,’ made by pushing metallic glazes through a screen onto clay before firing. (On view on the Lower East Side through Jan 16th. Masks and social distancing are required.)
Melissa Brown at Derek Eller Gallery
Real and virtual space combine in provocative ways in Melissa Brown’s new paintings at Derek Eller Gallery. Inspired by routines that have been upended by the pandemic, Brown pictures include familiar New York haunts like the Met Museum but with digital distortions, and interior scenes that feature screens or mirrors to suggest portals into other worlds. Here, a hand shifts two balls around in front of the window of an empty train overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset – a frenetic activity in a strangely quiet place. (On view on the Lower East Side through Dec 19th.)
Derek Fordjour at Petzel Gallery
Derek Fordjour’s tour de force exhibition at Petzel Gallery includes two dramatic sculptural installations, a puppet show performed twice daily and two distinct bodies of collaged 2-D work, each as powerful as the next. Continuing to address themes of systemic racism in the US, Fordjour was prompted by George Floyd’s death to directly address Black grief, mourning and the specter of death in several powerful paintings. He also returns to his signature themes of performance and games to consider the complex lives of Black performers in the spotlight. The synchronized swimmers in this image join marching bands, dancers, jugglers who occupy ambiguous identities as they keep the show on the road. (On view in Chelsea through Dec 19th. Masks and social distancing are required.)
Os Gemeos at Lehmann Maupin Gallery
Os Gemeos, the Brazilian brothers who’ve painted giant outdoor murals around the world, are back in town with an exhibition of typically fabulous paintings at Lehman Maupin Gallery. Harkening back to the artists’ initiation into the world of street art, music and dance in the 80s, this painting actually functions as a boombox, streaming music through Bluetooth speakers. (On view in Chelsea through Oct 31st. Masks and social distancing are required and gallery capacity is limited. Visitors must give contact info.)