Vija Celmins’ once described her relationship to the ocean, which she has rendered again and again in paint, graphite and prints, as akin to wrestling something huge into a tiny 2-D space. This woodcut from 2000, created with one of printmaking’s oldest techniques, captures a particular view of the water’s surface that looks as if it could have been made yesterday or hundreds of years ago. (On view in Chelsea at Matthew Marks Gallery through Oct 26th).
Inspired by his home country’s rich tradition of textile working, Malian artist Abdoulaye Konate employs colorful patterns, cut-out shapes and embroidery to depict a sea abundant with life. As with many of his representational works, Konate alludes to social issues including the desertification of the country and the lack of access to clean water while he celebrates the beauty of its traditional fabrics and indigo dyes. (On view at Blain Southern in Chelsea through June 15th).
Whether she’s boldly charging into the Pacific Ocean or gingerly stepping into a placid pond to expose a cyanotype, Meghan Riepenhoff continues to generate fascinating and beautiful cameraless images of water. For this multi-panel work, the artist dipped her prepared photo paper into Utah’s Great Salt Lake, sprinkled on salt from the ground and allowed the work to dry, propped in the sun. (On view in Chelsea at Yossi Milo Gallery through June 22nd).
Astronauts simulate working in the weightlessness of space in Houston’s Johnson Space Center, where they perform tasks on models in a giant pool; captured by German photographer Thomas Struth, the lab appears to be suspended in space and time, submerged as if in jelly or under glass. (At Marian Goodman Gallery on 57th Street through Dec 22nd).
Susan Wides’ innovative use of a tilt shift lens allows her to choose which plane in a landscape she’ll bring into sharp focus and what she’ll allow to blur. The resulting compositions are a charming reintroduction to the natural world, appearing abstract until our eyes can pick out the details, here, of flowers in the foreground and falling water beyond. (On view in Chelsea at Kim Foster Gallery through Dec 22nd).
