Netherlands and Benin-based artist Meschac Gaba’s first solo show in the US includes these gaming tables, handmade in Benin, that allow visitors to take geopolitics into their own hands…at least as represented by foosball. (At Chelsea’s Tanya Bonakdar Gallery through June 7th).
Meschac Gaba, installation view at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery (upstairs), May 2014.
Titles like ‘Ministry of Hate’ (pictured here) and ‘Hill and Dale, Black-Ops’ reveal dark themes behind Sue Williams’ latest, vibrantly colored paintings. Each work in her solo show at Chelsea’s 303 Gallery includes abstracted representations of the WTC, comingled with bodies in an oblique comment on life during the War on Terror. (Through Feb 22nd).
Sue Williams, Ministry of Hate, oil and acrylic on canvas, 72 x 84,” 2013.
This portrait of Marillyn A. Hewson, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation by Scottish artist Michael Fullerton comes with a wall text briefly summarizing positions she’s held at the company. Political commentary seems inevitable but apart from a hint in the title of this conventional-looking portrait, ‘The Mistress,’ is up to our interpretation. (At Greene Naftali Gallery through Feb 8th).
Michael Fullerton, The Mistress, oil on linen, 2014.
The sobriety and simplicity of Imran Qureshi’s Roof Garden installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a sharp contrast to previous Met roof projects (like the Starn brothers’ climbable bamboo labyrinth in 2010). Partly in response to deadly bombings in Lahore, Qureshi paints the roof’s floor and walls with blood-red paint splatters and beautifully rendered floral motifs. (At the Met through Nov 3rd.)
Imran Qureshi, installation view of ‘The Roof Garden Commission: Imran Qureshi,’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2013.
