Tag: protest

Philip Guston at Hauser & Wirth Gallery

When Philip Guston stopped painting in an abstract expressionist style and adopted a new, faux-naïve look in 1970, art world response was so negative that the artist relocated to Rome for the better part of the following year.  ‘Pittore,’ part of a major show of Guston’s late work at Hauser & Wirth Gallery, expresses some of the anxiety that Guston must have felt as a painter, as well as his need to change to a representational style to engage in a more overt way with the politics of the day.  Here, the artist lies awake in bed at night, his paint and brush beside him.  Smoking, his eyes bloodshot, and with a clock rising behind him like a moon dominating a landscape, the pressure is palpable.  (On view in Chelsea.  Proof of vaccination, photo ID and masks are required).

Philip Guston, Pittore, oil on canvas, 72 ¾ x 80 ½ inches, 1973.

Robert Longo at Metro Pictures

Resembling a disco ball and wrecking ball, Robert Longo’s dramatic 1.5 ton sculpture ‘Death Star’ draws viewers into Metro Pictures in Chelsea to discover a sphere covered with 40,000 inert assault rifle bullets.  Referring to the number of deaths by gun violence in the US in 2017, the number has more than doubled from those included in a similar piece by Longo from 1993.  (On view through May 25th).

Robert Longo, Death Star 2018, approximately 40,000 inert bullets (brass, copper, lead) welded to the frame; steel I-beams; steel chain, 254 ½ x 254 ½ x 144 inches, 2018.

Lara Schnitger at Anton Kern Gallery

Described by Anton Kern Gallery as a ‘traveling hybrid procession-protest piece,’ LA artist Lara Schnitger’s installation at Kern’s 55th Street address features inspirational banners and a huge, mysterious ‘Venus of Fernando’ on a palanquin. Schnitger calls the installation ‘Suffragette City,’ a place in which female power is explored in radically idiosyncratic ways. (On view in mid-town through Dec 23rd).

Lara Schnitger, installation view of ‘Too Nice Too Long’ at Anton Kern Gallery, Dec 2017.

Matthew Pillsbury at Benrubi Gallery

Using his signature long exposure technique, Matthew Pillsbury turns his lens for his latest show, ‘Sanctuary’ at Benrubi Gallery, on basic rights – assembly and expression – that are often taken for granted. Here, a participant pauses in front of Matthew Chavez’s ‘Subway Therapy’ project, which provided pens and post-its for New Yorkers to express their thoughts after the 2016 presidential election. (On view in Chelsea through Nov 22nd).

Matthew Pillsbury, Subway Therapy 2, Union Square, New York City, Dec 3, 2016, 50 x 60 inches, 2016.

Jim Torok at Pierogi

Sandwiched on the wall between two roughly lettered signs reading, ‘The End is Here’ and the enigmatic ‘You Are Pretty Good,’ Jim Torok’s photo-realist renderings of friends and acquaintances like ‘Jennifer’ bring the artist’s thoughts and his community together in the quiet of the gallery. (At Pierogi through Feb 12th).

Jim Torok, Jennifer, oil on panel, 9 x 7 inches, 2015.
Jim Torok, Jennifer, oil on panel, 9 x 7 inches, 2015.