Tag: self-taught

Ifeyinwa Joy Chiamonwu at Jack Shainman Gallery

Young Nigerian artist Ifeyinwa Joy Chiamonwu amazes with her photo realist style and the pleasure she takes in painting elements of Igbo tradition.  In this piece titled ‘Umunne (Siblings)’ at Jack Shainman Gallery on 24th Street, Chiamonwu depicts two of her siblings in a moment of peaceful unity as they pose together with closed eyes.  A cowry shell bracelet symbolizing prosperity and snail shells signifying abundance speak to the family’s cultural wealth.  (On view in Chelsea through Feb 19th.  Masks and social distancing required.)

Ifeyinwa Joy Chiamonwu, Umunne (Siblings), charcoal, sepia, pastel and acrylic paints on canvas, 46 ½ x 46 inches, 2021.

Janet Sobel at Andrew Edlin Gallery

On her way to developing an abstract, dripped-paint style that influenced Jackson Pollock in the 1940s, New York artist Janet Sobel painted scenes inspired by the shtetls of her native Ukraine.  Now on view at Andrew Edlin Gallery, a selection of Sobel’s work shows her flattening of space and merger of a flowery landscape, patterned skirt and floral headdress in a way that flirts with all-over abstraction.  (On view on the Lower East Side through Feb 22nd).

Janet Sobel, Untitled, gouache on board, 10.5 x 7.5 inches, c. 1943-48.

Timothy Wehrle at PPOW Gallery

You won’t find wholesome fantasies of life in the American heartland in Iowan artist Timothy Wehrle’s surreal pencil drawings at Chelsea’s P.P.O.W. Gallery. Under rain clouds, a severed head acts as momento mori, while an upside down shoe studded with nails suggests a painful journey. (Through April 16th).

Timothy Wehle, Head Portrait (shoe), pencil on paper, 10 x 9 inches, 2014.
Timothy Wehle, Head Portrait (shoe), pencil on paper, 10 x 9 inches, 2014.

Domenico Zindato at Andrew Edlin Gallery

Italian-born artist Domenico Zindato works on each of his meticulous paintings outdoors, at his home in Cuernavaca, Mexico.  Inspired by his trips to India and Morocco, Sufi music and more, Zindato’s colorful, pattern-rich scenes invite entrée into a magical, alternate universe.  (At Chelsea’s Andrew Edlin Gallery through Jan 18th).  

Domenico Zindato, detail of Untitled, ink and pastel on paper, 2009.