Known for portraits of her friends and circle that recall the color and lighting of early 20th century European avant-garde painting, Hope Gangloff has refocused her recent paintings on images of plants in nature and indoors. Her still vibrant palette and energetic compositions are as enticing as ever as she turns a screen into a glittering backdrop for a still life showcasing hardy succulents and the artist’s essential tools. (On view at Susan Inglett Gallery in Chelsea through Nov 30th).
Thousands of staples obscure and decorate the surface of a photo mounted on wood by Philadelphia-based artist Wilmer Wilson IV at Susan Inglett Gallery. Hiding the besuited figures barely visible below, the staples create an antsy rhythm, reflect light and deflecting viewers’ gaze. (On view in Chelsea through March 16th).
Naked feet running along the shore at night in this painting by Benjamin Degen at Susan Inglett Gallery could belong to cavorting friends or fleeing migrants. The lack of distinction is the point; Degen created his latest paintings “…in celebration of human movement” and in favor of choosing liberation over self-destruction. (On view in Chelsea through March 10th).
The visionary landscapes of Joseph Yoakum (1890-1972) and Robyn O’Neil (b. 1977) are Spartan and stylized, turning familiar natural forms of mountains, trees and more into apocalyptic omens. In this detail of a drawing by O’Neil, America’s national bird dominates a huddled crowd and an inhospitable landscape. (On view at Susan Inglett Gallery through Jan 27th).
In his latest solo show at Susan Inglett Galley, William Villalongo’s characters are an amorphous mass of organic material rather than distinct identities. Here, Villalongo alludes to Henry Brown’s escape from slavery in a box mailed from Virginia to Philadelphia, begging the question of how historical distance can allow identities to shift. (On view through Dec 9th).
