Allison Schulnik at PPOW Gallery

Set off against purple and pink walls at PPOW Gallery, Allison Schulnik’s paintings of night visitors to her property in Sky Valley, California convey the mystery and intrigue of the owls, bobcats and foxes that make the desert their home.  The animation ‘Purple Mountain’ – the title piece for the show, created from 675 gouache on paper paintings – features distant San Jacinto Peak in a blaze of glorious light conditions.  By contrast, this bobcat and other animals appear to have been glimpsed briefly in a flash of light against the dark of night; rendered in Schulnik’s signature impasto style, they convey a sense of immediacy and power through their expressive rendering. (On view through Dec 10th).

Allison Schulnik, Water Plate Bobcat #1, oil on canvas stretched over panel, 48 x 60 in, 2021.

Catherine Opie at Lehmann Maupin Gallery

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is the largest national wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River, a draw for hundreds of thousands of visitors a year and an area of interest for mining companies.  The wetland recently drew iconic photographer Catherine Opie to shoot images now on view at Lehmann Maupin Gallery that expand her career-long exploration of US places and communities of people.  Threatened not just by limited environmental protections but also by climate change, the Swamp is counterpoint to the oft repeated notion of ‘draining the swamp’ from Opie’s perspective.  (On view in Chelsea through Sept 26th.  No appointment is necessary but social distancing and masks are required.)

Catherine Opie, detail of Untitled #1 (Swamps), pigment print, 40 x 60 inches, 2019.