While sketching a tree stump in an area of trees lost to climate change near his home, California sculptor Charles Long was inspired by the devastation caused by patriarchal culture to merge a cross section of the dead plant with that of a human penis. Strangely humanoid, the transection is rendered in a huge scale at the back of Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, a plaintive and comedic monument to loss. (On view in Chelsea through Feb 9th).
Mylar, balloon-shaped sculptures are the centerpiece of Tomas Saraceno’s stunning ‘Solar Rhythms’ exhibition at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in Chelsea – a show that envisions fossil fuel free flight via balloon. Reflected light decorates the gallery in ethereal patterns that connect our earthly realm to the wonderous possibilities of life in the air. (On view through June 9th).
What can a painting do that a photograph can’t? Carla Klein’s latest paintings, created from photos taken on visits to European greenhouses, set themselves apart by making familiar spaces seem strange. Frames and panels in the background look excessive, as if new spaces were propagating along with the plants. (On view at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery through Feb 15th).
Olafur Eliasson introduces his latest exhibition at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery as political commentary with ‘The listening dimension,’ an installation of mirrored surfaces that invite personal reflection on the complexities of life. By creating an environment that gives viewers pause to consider an unusual space, Eliasson hopes to combat ‘oversimplification’ in the political realm and beyond. (In Chelsea through April 22nd).
The human body meets cold hard metal in LA sculptor Charles Long’s eerie new sculptures that pair geometric forms covered in flesh-like platinum silicon rubber with mirror polished stainless steel forms. Here, RealSenseSapient2 includes the appearance of moles, veins and wrinkles, suggesting a quasi-human futuristic living being. (At Tanya Bonakdar Gallery through Feb 4th).
