Tag: tribeca

Jingze Du in ‘Density Betrays Us’ at The Hole

Jingze Du’s distorted figures recall staticky interference on an old black and white tv monitor, prompting viewers to consider what mediates the images we consume.  Though painting in oil on canvas, Du’s animals, famous actors and sports stars reference digital manipulation. Du cites Kayne West’s vocal distortions and the shifting skull in Hans Holbein’s famous 16th century painting ‘The Ambassadors’ as further sources of inspiration.  In this painting at The Hole’s new Tribeca location, Du does strange and captivating things with Brad Pitt’s classic squint.  (On view through Aug 8th).

Jingze Du, Brad, oil on canvas, 23.5 x 20 inches, 2021.

Ann Agee at PPOW Gallery

Inspired by Florentine salt cellars depicting religious imagery, Ann Agee’s contemporary Madonna and child sculptures rethink traditional devotional objects.  After an online taster exhibition featuring mother and child sculpture in summer ‘20, Agee rewards an in-person visit to PPOW Gallery with dozens of sculptures in wonderfully bold patterns and styles that range from detailed to abstract.  Occupying one huge pedestal at the center of the gallery, Agee’s homage to mothers and – in this case female – children is a celebration of variety and invention. (On view in Tribeca through July 23rd.)

Ann Agee, installation view of ‘Madonnas and Handwarmers,’ July 2021.

Katharine Bradford at Canada New York

Katherine Bradford’s new ‘Mother Paintings’ at Canada New York depict women caring for sick family members, offering the comfort of a lap and waiting for a school bus, but her signature abstract style upends traditional representations of moms.  By avoiding identifying details, she creates symbolic characters and instead directs our focus to the vivid fields of color that make up what might otherwise be mundane scenes.  Here, in ‘Mother Joins the Circus – Second Version,’ a mom is taken away, inducted into a new aspect of life by mysterious characters who literally turn things upside down.  (On view at Canada Gallery through May 15th).

Katherine Bradford, Mother Joins the Circus – Second Version, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 72 inches, 2021.

Aaron Gilbert at PPOW Gallery

Even in moments of tenderness and connection, Aaron Gilbert’s dead-eyed characters are shaped by the difficulty of their circumstances.  In this painting titled ‘Conspirators,’ currently on view at PPOW Gallery, these men’s tired expressions suggest they’re not just sharing a story or chatting but hatching a desperate plan.  The scene recalls Charles White’s 1942 painting of two working men in close conversation that was recently on view in the Whitney’s Mexican muralist show. But while White’s men engage with feeling about the news or activism; Gilbert’s operate with little conviction and less hope. (On view through May 1st with work by Martin Wong in Tribeca.  Masks and social distancing required.)

Aaron Gilbert, Conspirators, oil on canvas, 38 x 40 inches, 2020.

Sydney Vernon in ‘Black Femme: Sovereign of WAP and the Virtual Realm’ at Canada Gallery

Pretty in pink but commanding her space, the subject of this portrait by Sydney Vernon at Canada Gallery is full of life.  Along with an accompanying video the mixed media portrait is actually a memorial to a family matriarch, ‘a tender reflection on familial love and loss.’  A pelvic x-ray to the left, a photo of two children on the right along with living spaces and artwork suggest episodes from a life while writing on the column to the left offers sage advice including ‘beauty is only skin deep.’ (On view in Tribeca through April 10th.  Masks and social distancing is required and occupancy is limited).

Sydney Vernon, Tying Loose Ends, pastel, charcoal, acrylic and collage on paper, 52 x 46 inches, 2020.