Tag: shoe

Didi Rojas at Launch F18

Young Brooklyn-based sculptor Didi Rojas makes portraits in the form of ceramic shoes, titling her current show at Launch F18 ‘Felt Cute, Might Delete Later’ after the selfie meme.  This sneaker is titled ‘I really don’t think I’m like other girls but whatever, you’ll believe what you want to believe,’ suggesting a speaker’s bid for independence and doubt that (s)he’ll be taken seriously.  In past work – yellow platform crocs or bright red high-heeled boots – Rojas has seduced us with standout fashions; here, more muted colors and everyday styles speak to identities we put on every day. (On view in Tribeca through June 11th).

Didi Rojas, installation view of ‘Felt Cute, Might Delete Later,’ Launch F18 Gallery, May 2022 featuring “I really don’t think I’m like other girls but whatever, you’ll believe what you want to believe,” ceramic, 11 x 4.5 x 5.5 in, 2021-2022.

Henry Gunderson at 247365 Gallery

Fit for a student or a teacher, this monumental painted shoe not only holds scissors, pens and other school supplies, it’s a history lesson all on its own, from the cave paintings to a digitally rendered portrait in green lines. Titled after Magritte’s Le Modele Rouge (a painting of boots that take on the appearance of bare feet), Henry Gunderson’s update is more practical than surreal, but no less fun to ponder. (At 247365 Gallery on the Lower East Side through Feb 5th).

Henry Gunderson, Le Modele Rouge, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 96 inches, 2016.
Henry Gunderson, Le Modele Rouge, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 96 inches, 2016.

Zach Bruder in ‘Record Lines This Summer’ at Magenta Plains

‘Record Lines this Summer,’ a group show at Magenta Plains Gallery, takes its title from the delays expected at TSA airport checkpoints in July and August. In that context, Zach Bruder’s painting of Father Time holding a shoe up for contemplation takes on new meaning…is this shoe going to set off an alarm, or is he suggesting walking as a better mode of transport?

Zach Bruder, Monument Around, acrylic and flashe on linen, 52 x 58.5 inches, 2016.
Zach Bruder, Monument Around, acrylic and flashe on linen, 52 x 58.5 inches, 2016.

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.

Zaha Hadid in ‘Killer Heels’ at the Brooklyn Museum

Brooklyn Museum’s eye-popping ‘Killer Heels’ exhibition isn’t just for ladies who teeter. As well as design feats (pun intended) and works of art, the show includes architect Zaha Hadid’s NOVA shoe, created from vacuum-casted fiberglass with chrome plated external uppers. Vaguely resembling the sloping exterior of her first New York building currently under construction on the High Line in Chelsea, the shoe might be seen as a mini architectural rendering. (Through Feb 15th).

Zaha Hadid X United Nude, chromed vinyl rubber, kid napa leather, fiberglass, 2013 (left). Tea Petrovic, Wings/Variation, polyamide, faux leather, rubber, 2013 (right).