Tag: rural

Rebecca Morgan in ‘Amuse-Bouche’ at asyageisberg.com

Rebecca Morgan’s skewering of elitist urban attitudes towards rural Americans has shifted towards the grotesque in recent years.  You wouldn’t guess this to judge by this highlight of Morgan’s 2014 show from New York Art Tours archive, a sensitive portrayal of the artist wrapped in her ‘depression blanket.’  Audacious and merciless as ever, Morgan’s latest work at Asya Geisberg Gallery is part of a group exhibition of work priced under $3k; her young woman in a face mask is a highlight of the presentation.

Rebecca Morgan, Depression Blanket, oil and graphite on panel, 28” x 22,” 2014.

Ranjani Shettar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Southern Indian sculptor Ranjani Shettar’s concern for threatened rural Indian ecosystems informed her dramatic mezzanine installation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, ‘Seven ponds and a few raindrops.’  Crafted from organic muslin and bound to a welded and molded steel base with tamarind paste, the piece’s floating organic shapes conjure 3-D scientific models, intricate plant life or alien life.  (On view on the Upper East Side through Sept 16th).

Ranjani Shettar, detail installation view of ‘Seven ponds and a few raindrops’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2018.

Rebecca Morgan at Asya Geisberg Gallery

Poised like Venus lying in the grass or hiking semi-nude with a walking stick and an open flannel shirt, Pennsylvania-based artist Rebecca Morgan’s self-portraits are skillfully crafted, hilarious takes on rural stereotypes. Here, she changes gears, donning a ‘depression blanket’ to ward off the chill and the mental state her far-away look suggests. (At Chelsea’s Asya Geisberg Gallery through March 29th).

Rebecca Morgan, Depression Blanket, oil and graphite on panel, 28” x 22,” 2014.

Rod Penner at Ameringer McEnery Yohe Gallery

Rod Penner’s tiny photo realist renderings of desolate scenes from the American rural landscape summon nostalgia and intrigue in equal parts.  (At Ameringer, McEnery, Yohe in Chelsea through Nov 23rd).  

Rod Penner, Ranch View Motel/Vaughn, NM, acrylic on canvas, 2013.