Hiroshi Watanabe at Benrubi Gallery

We are like characters in a disaster movie, writes photographer Hiroshi Watanabe – though terrible events loom, we carry on with life as usual. Here, snow-covered persimmons make for a beautiful image but one that warns of a fast-arriving, harsher season. (At Chelsea’s Benrubi Gallery through Aug 26th).

Hiroshi Watanabe, The Day the Dam Collapses 25 (Persimmons), archival pigment print, 9 x 9 inches, 2009.
Hiroshi Watanabe, The Day the Dam Collapses 25 (Persimmons), archival pigment print, 9 x 9 inches, 2009.

Roger Steffens & The Family Acid at Benrubi Gallery

Wild abandon meets danger in this 1974 photo by counterculture photographer Roger Steffens, though what appears to be a fatal leap is an illusion – the young woman landed safely on the ledge directly beneath her. Under the titled ‘The Family Acid,’ Steffens’ photos chronicle the lives of his friends and family as they embody the changing mores of an era. (At Benrubi Gallery in Chelsea through Aug 26th).

The Family Acid, Roger Steffens, Big Sur Plunge (Clare’s Leap), March, 1974, edition of 8, archival pigment print, 24 x 20 inches.
The Family Acid, Roger Steffens, Big Sur Plunge (Clare’s Leap), March, 1974, edition of 8, archival pigment print, 24 x 20 inches.

Asya Reznikov at Nancy Hoffman Gallery

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).

Asya Reznikov, Wet Bar, archival pigment print, 38 x 51 inches, 2016.
Asya Reznikov, Wet Bar, archival pigment print, 38 x 51 inches, 2016.

Lucas Blalock at Ramiken Crucible

Lucas Blalock’s overt manipulation of this odd but banal scene begs the question of why anyone would want to represent chopped sausage at all, never mind as both a photo and a digital rendering. The effect is to put our minds between places –simultaneously in the digital realm and in a stranger’s kitchen. (At Ramiken Crucible on the Lower East Side through May 22nd).

Lucas Blalock, Double Recipe, archival inkjet print, 20.5 x 25.25 inches framed, 2015-16.
Lucas Blalock, Double Recipe, archival inkjet print, 20.5 x 25.25 inches framed, 2015-16.

Jennie Jieun Lee and Mariah Robertson at 11R

In 11R’s serendipitous pairing of ceramics by Jennie Jieun Lee and multiple exposure photograms by Mariah Robertson, each artist creates visual interest by defying convention. Robertson punctuates gorgeously-hued abstractions by cutting her photo paper into a rough, tapering point. Lee crafts vessels from glaze-splashed curls of clay. (At 11R on the Lower East Side through Feb 7th.)

Installation of ceramic by Jennie Jieun Lee and Mariah Robertson, 11R, January 2016.