Tag: tondo

Viola Frey in ‘The Circle’ at Nancy Hoffman Gallery

Late California-based sculptor Viola Frey’s huge standing man is a highpoint of the Whitney’s current exhibition rethinking the presence of craft in fine art; three tondos by the iconic artist at Nancy Hoffman Gallery are a more human-scaled exploration of humanity.  This strikingly colorful, theatrical character whose face resembles a tragedy mask, holds a circular form that appears to be a plate or similar artwork, suggesting a tongue-in-cheek portrait of an artist.  (On view in ‘The Circle’ through Jan 30th).

Viola Frey, Untitled (Mask with Pink and Orange Arms), ceramic, 26 inch diameter, 2001-02.

Nick Cave at Jack Shainman Gallery

Nick Cave’s mixed media sculptures at Jack Shainman Gallery look like soft, dyed fur, but the reality is more somber.  Patterns painted on short, sharp wires portray what the gallery reveals is a “…layered mapping of cataclysmic weather patterns superimposed onto brain scans of black youth suffering from PTSD as a result of gun violence.”  (On view on 20th Street in Chelsea through June 23rd).

Nick Cave, Tondo, mixed media including wire, bugle beads, sequined fabric and wood, 96 inches diameter, 2018.

Pamela Jorden at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery

Using acrylic, oil and bleach on linen, LA painter Pamela Jorden combines the colors of day and night in a dramatic tondo that draws us into summery pink, yellow and blue zones while actively repelling our approach in angular dark areas.  Drawing her painterly vocabulary from the history of abstraction, Jorden aims to rethink landscape, referencing varied sources, from J.M.W. Turner to tide pools. (On view at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery on the Lower East Side through May 6th).

Pamela Jorden, Leadlight, acrylic, oil and bleach on linen, 48 inches in diameter, 2018.