Displayed under glass and supported by carefully crafted supports, Alan Wiener’s two bricks and a stone are everyday objects given the royal treatment but the mini-pedestals actually steal the show. Created from aquaresin in controlled pours, their shapes suggest candy, bones and ancient architectural embellishments. (At 11R through July 29th).
Inspired by a stone carving of the feathered dragon Quetzalcoatl, painter Philip Taaffe had the shape recreated in Spanish alabaster, which he then painted and printed. In the paper collage in the background, concentric circles give the illusion of a spiral echoing the coils of the serpent. (In Chelsea at Carolina Nitsch through Nov 7).
Philip Taaffe, Hodi Mihi, Cras Tibi (#2/8), hand carved Spanish alabaster, poppy seed oil, hand stamped and painted with oil paint, signed, numbered, dated below, 17 x 17 x 15 inches, 2015.
As construction continues apace on several new buildings in Chelsea, French artist Cyprien Gaillard’s first solo show at Barbara Gladstone Gallery – featuring sculptures made of excavator heads) feels particularly apt and a little too familiar. Fixed with calcite rods sourced in Iran and Utah, Gaillard reaches for international import, but his general point about destruction and progress stemming from the same tool is a little blunt. (At Barbara Gladstone Gallery through Dec 21st).
Cyprien Gaillard, installation view of ‘Today Diggers, Tomorrow Dickens,’ at Barbara Gladstone Gallery, (excavator heads and banded calcite), November 2013.
Greek-Italian artist Jannis Kounellis returns to Chelsea’s Cheim and Read Gallery for his first New York solo show since ’06 with work that continues to contrast individuals with larger societal structures. Here, a train track and steel beams conjure wide transportation networks; unworn clothing and hanging overcoats stand in for the individuals who conceive of them, build, operate and are served by them. (Through June 22nd).
Jannis Kounellis, installation view at Cheim & Read Gallery, May 2013.
