Tag: sculpture

Leslie Hewitt at Sikkema, Jenkins & Co

To some, Leslie Hewitt’s conceptual photography will be maddeningly vague, to others, enticingly elusive.  Propped against the wall as if it were an object or sculpture, it displays one book with its spine facing us – James Baldwin’s essays on race, ‘The Fire Next Time.’  This incendiary text rests next to a cooling lemon, an art historical symbol of mortality and moderation.  (At Sikkema Jenkins & Co in Chelsea, through Oct 5th).  

Leslie Hewitt, Untitled (Perception), Still Life Series, digital c-print in custom maple frame, 2013.

Adam Marnie at Derek Eller Gallery

New York artist Adam Marnie presents a mediated flash-back with his solo show at Chelsea’s Derek Eller Gallery by removing the bottom two feet of drywall from the gallery’s walls, recalling the scene after Hurricane Sandy last October. Nearby interlocking cubes recall 60s minimalist ideas about art being a physical experience; but what happens to interpretation if the physical space of the gallery is altered by disaster?  (Through Oct 5th).  

Adam Marnie, Inward Object I, maple, wood putty spray paint, 2013.

Phil Collins at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

British artist Phil Collins set up a phone booth in a German homeless shelter and offered its guests a deal – in exchange for free local and international calls, they allowed the artist to record their conversations and commission songs from the transcripts.  At Tanya Bonkadar Gallery, visitors are invited to listen to the results in individual sound booths.  (In Chelsea through October 19th).  

Phil Collins, installation view of ‘my heart’s in my hand and my hand is pierced, and my hand’s in the bag, and the bag is shut, and my heart is caught,’ sound installation, 2013.

Matthew Day Jackson at Hauser & Wirth Gallery

Inspired by BODIES:  The Exhibition, Brooklyn artist Matthew Day Jackson created his own five-vitrine exploration of the human anatomy at Hauser & Wirth Gallery’s 18th Street space.  In the context of the larger show, which includes dramatic landscapes and references to astronauts and Hiroshima, the artist seems to wonder how one frail form could wield great power.  (Through Oct 19th)  

Matthew Day Jackson, installation view of the sculptures: Skeleton, Veins, Nerves, Muscles, Bartholomew, all 2013, Sept 2013.

Andra Ursuta in ‘Busted’ on The High Line

Andra Ursuta’s giant marble nose begs the question of what Ozymandias-like character would deserve such a large portrait sculpture and what went wrong, leaving only the nose behind.  It’s a highlight of the High Line’s group exhibition ‘Busted,’ which reimagines public portrait sculpture. (Through April 2014).  

Andra Ursuta, Nose Job, white marble, wheelbarrow, variable dimensions, 2013.