Sophie von Hellerman at Greene Naftali Gallery

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Idiomatic phrases like ‘jumping through hoops’ or ‘afraid of her own shadow’ inspired London-painter Sophie von Hellerman’s latest solo show at Chelsea’s Greene Naftali Gallery, which includes this huge canvas installation, ‘Throwing Stones in a Glass House.’  In her signature, washy style (pigments are applied directly to unprimed canvas), von Hellerman presents characters who don’t look like they could do much harm with stones resembling mud-clumps, but who conjure unease nonetheless.  (Through Jan 4th).  

Sophie von Hellerman, Throwing Stones in a Glass House, pigment and acrylic emulsion on canvas, 2013.

Sean Scully at Cheim & Read

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This monumental, eight-part painting may be an abstraction, but it was inspired by the winter colors of southern Bavaria, where artist Sean Scully spends time. (At Chelsea’s Cheim & Read Gallery through Jan 11th).  

Sean Scully, Night and Day, oil on aluminum, 110 x 320 inches, 2012.

Sylvia Plimack Mangold in ‘1965 – 1977’ at Alexander and Bonin Gallery

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How could an avant-garde mid-century painter keep up with the trends in abstract minimalism while still making representational work?  This clever 1967 canvas by Sylvia Plimack Mangold has the artist looking down for an answer and finding a ready-made grid of wood – a Minimalist-approved material – that has an inherently physical relationship to the viewer.  (At Alexander and Bonin Gallery through Jan 4th.)

Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Floor 1, acrylic on canvas, 1967.

Brancusi at Paul Kasmin Gallery

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The elegant simplicity of Modernist art icon Constantin Brancusi’s sculptures is on display at Chelsea’s Paul Kasmin Gallery, where the gallery has partnered with the Brancusi Estate to showcase five posthumously created cast bronze sculptures.  Based on a Hungarian artist who modeled for Brancusi several times, this sculpture of Mllm Pogany displays the otherworldly charm of her saucer-like eyes, hands folded against her head and cascades of hair down her back.  (Through Jan 24th.  Check website for holiday season opening hours.)  

Mademoiselle Pogany II, polished bronze, 17 5/8 x 11 3/8 x 11 7/8 inches, 1925-2006.

Josephine Meckseper at Andrea Rosen Gallery

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In her large-scale vitrines, German artist Josephine Meckseper brings together a replica of Brancusi’s endless column, underwear modeling mannequins and more to question how appropriating historical and contemporary artifacts can create new meaning.  (At Andrea Rosen Gallery in Chelsea through Jan 18th.  Check website for holiday season opening hours.)  

Josephine Meckseper, Title TBD, pigment prints on anodize aluminum, acrylic on wood, concrete, aluminum, bronze and stainless steel in stainless steel and glass vitrine, 2013.

Arman’s Collection of African Art at Paul Kasmin Gallery

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Most prominent in post-war in France for his ‘accumulations,’ the artist Arman was also an avid collector of art from other cultures.  Paul Kasmin Gallery’s select show of pieces from Arman’s African collection features this mask from the Makonde of Tanzania, a type worn by young men in their initiation ceremonies.  (In Chelsea through Jan 11th.  Check website for holiday season opening hours.)  

Face Mask:  likomba, Makonde, Tanzania, wood, teeth, fiber, 24 x 10 x 9 inches with base.  From the collection of Arman.

Susana Solano at Jack Shainman Gallery

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Jack Shainman Gallery brings together sculptures from the past twenty-six years by major Spanish artist Susana Solano this month, including these evocative rattan forms, which suggest miniaturized housing (foreground) or a gargantuan thimble (back).  (In Chelsea through Jan 11th.  Check website for holiday season opening hours.)  

Susana Solano, Bura III (foreground), rattan, 2004-2005.  Bura II (background), painted iron and rattan, 2001-2005.

Roni Horn at Hauser & Wirth Gallery

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Even inside a gallery, these pristine glass sculptures by American artist Roni Horn subtly change as the light from the skylights passes through them.  Their title references dreams while their surfaces resemble pools; they’re objects to transport you.  (At Hauser & Wirth Gallery through Jan 11th.  Check website for holiday season opening hours.)  

Roni Horn, Untitled (“A dream dreamt in a dreaming world is not really a dream…but a dream not dreamt is.”), solid cast glass with as-cast surfaces, 10 parts, unique (series 5), 2012.

TM Davy at Eleven Rivington

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In Eleven Rivington’s brightly lit Lower East Side space, Brooklyn painter TM Davy presents a series of small, candle lit paintings.  Studies from life made in and around his home, their intimate nature belies their bright, public display. (Through Jan 5th.  Check website for holiday season opening hours.)  

TM Davy, from the series ‘Candela,’ oil on linen, 10 x 8 inches

Tony Feher at Sikkema Jenkins & Co

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Had your grandmother gotten inventive with displaying her glassware, it might look something like Tony Feher’s ‘Parlor Trix.’  Known for simple installations made using every day materials, Feher delivers more visual delights in his latest solo show at Chelsea’s Sikkema Jenkins & Co.  (Through Jan 18th.  Check website for holiday season opening hours.)  

Tony Feher, Parlor Trix (detail view of installation), glass, galvanized steel wire and chrome-plated steel chain, 2013.

Michael Eastman at Barry Friedman Gallery

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Only the birds and Jesus are left at the Better Donut Drive In, in one of American photographer Michael Eastman’s photos of seen-better-days small town America.  Nostalgia, sadness and hope come together in a picture with themes as powerful as its color contrasts.  (At Barry Friedman Gallery through Jan 11th.  Check the gallery’s website or call ahead for holiday season opening hours).  

Michael Eastman, Jesus Donut, digital C-print, 60 x 48 inches, 2008.

Raqib Shaw at Pace Gallery

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London-based artist Raqib Shaw turns the martyrdom of Sebastian into high drama in this painting of the saint bound with flowering vines and besieged by a cloud of beastly cherubs.  Even the blood-red poppies are as threatening as they are beautiful.  (At Pace Gallery through Jan 11th.  Check website for holiday season opening hours.)  

Raqib Shaw, St Sebastian of the Poppies, oil, acrylic, glitter and rhinestones on Birch wood, 60,” 2011-12.

Christian Marclay at Paula Cooper Gallery

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Visitors expecting more of Christian Marclay’s enormously popular video work will get a shock from his latest solo show – a selection of paintings in which silkscreened, Roy Lichtenstein-like cartoon text meets Abstract Expressionist splashes of color.  (At Paula Cooper Gallery through Jan 18th.  Check website for holiday season opening hours.)  

Christian Marclay, Actions:  Whaak Plop Plooch Sooosh (No 4), screenprint and acrylic on canvas, 2013.

Catharine Ahearn at Ramiken Crucible

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Low lighting, almost black paintings, homemade lava lamps and furniture made of pretzel shapes give New York artist Catharine Ahearn’s solo show at Ramiken Crucible the feeling of a cartoonish robbers’ den in Bavaria.  For sheer inventiveness, it’s a standout on the Lower East Side gallery scene.  (Through Dec 22nd).  

Catharine Ahearn, Couch, rebar, aquaresin, acrylic, salt, 2013; and Lamp, rebar, aquaresin, acrylic, salt, 2013.

Mariano Sardon at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery

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Mariano Sardon not only gives us portraits, he tells us how we look at them.  The Buenos Aires-based Argentinian artist shows a picture of a face to viewers while a camera records their eye movements.  The information from many viewers is then mapped onto the face, which is drawn before our eyes following the sequences of the gazes.  (At Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in Chelsea through Dec 21st).  

Mariano Sardon, from the series ‘150 Gazes looking around them,’ digital video, 2012.

K8 Hardy at Reena Spaulings Gallery

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In her latest show at LES gallery Reena Spaulings, Brooklyn-based artist K8 Hardy moves away from her signature subversive fashion photos toward sculpture made from found and scavenged materials.  Her sense of fun remains, however, as seen with this intentionally (?) narcissistic mirror and a twerking stick figure.  (Through Dec 22nd).  

K8 Hardy, Twerk Team (foreground sculpture), wood liquid latex, acrylic paint, plastic tubing, synthetic fabric and (against wall) Kate, tinted glass mirror, 2013.

Jeff Williams at Jack Hanley Gallery

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Brooklyn and Austin-based artist Jeff Williams both makes and unmakes his sculpture, applying muriatic acid and hydrogen peroxide to decay the steel slats of this cutting board, sourced from an artist residency at Skowhegan.  In the background, a giant steel clamp pinches wooden beams in a crushing embrace.  (At Jack Hanley Gallery through Dec 21st).  

Jeff Williams, installation view of NEW/USED/WET/BROKEN at Jack Hanley Gallery, November 2013.

Shinichi Maruyama at Bruce Silverstein Gallery

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Technology makes Shinichi Maruyama’s ‘Nudes’ series modest; by layering thousands of frames together, the New York-based Japanese photographer diverts attention from the body to the motion of a dancer.  (At Bruce Silverstein Gallery through Dec 21st).  

Shinichi Maruyama, Nude #8, archival pigment print, 2012.

Ryan McLaughlin at Laurel Gitlen Gallery

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This unassuming little painting by Berlin-based American artist Ryan McLaughlin conjures a cruise line advertisement for or by kids, a water conservation poster or some other public service message.  It’s simple, earnest and charming.  (At Laurel Gitlen Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 22nd.)  

Ryan McLaughlin, Wasserbetriebe, oil on canvas on MDF, 25 ¾ x 17 ¾ inches, 2013.

Rosemarie Trockel at Barbara Gladstone Gallery

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Placed end to end and titled ‘Copy Me,’ two identical cast steel sofas by German conceptual artist Rosemarie Trockel are oddly and improbably long.  Their oxidized patina creates a homey color but their material makes them uninviting, a fact that seems to be acknowledged by a protective plastic cover only casually placed over the sofas. (At Barbara Gladstone Gallery through Dec 21st).  

Rosemarie Trockel, Copy Me, cast steel and plastic, 31 ½ x 165 3/8 x 28 inches, 2013.

Tony Matelli in ‘Double Hamburger Deluxe’ at Marlborough Gallery

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Inspired by a giant hamburger painting by Andy Warhol, the group show ‘Double Hamburger Deluxe’ at Chelsea’s Marlborough Gallery explores Warhol’s approach through comparison to pieces like Tony Matelli’s bronze lilies, a meticulously hand-crafted, editioned sculpture that never fails to astound.  (Through Dec 21st.)  

Tony Matelli, Arrangement, painted bronze, 2012.

Jaume Plensa at Galerie Lelong

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Spanish artist Jaume Plensa experiments with an international aesthetic with a nineteen-part installation of sculptures created from die-cut stainless steel letters from nine alphabets in his latest solo show at Chelsea’s Galerie Lelong.  Faceless humans perched on floating boulders create an immaterial ‘every man.’   (Through Dec 14th.)  

Jaume Plensa, Talking Continents (installation view), stainless steel, 19 components, varying dimensions, 2013.

Scott Reeder at Lisa Cooley Gallery

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By spray painting over and removing pasta shapes on canvas, Scott Reeder creates tongue-in-cheek paintings that resemble austere abstraction, or in the case of this painting (seen in detail) a constellation composed of alphabet soup letters.  (At Lisa Cooley Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 22nd.)  

Scott Reeder, detail from ‘Untitled (Pasta Painting),’ oil and enamel on canvas, 96 x 108 inches, 2013.

Gary Hume at Matthew Marks Gallery

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British artist Gary Hume made his name by painting hospital doors like these in the 90s, as England controversially debated public vs private health care.  Here, he had doors constructed that lead in to a second gallery housing attractive glossy enamel paintings featuring disquieting subjects, including versions of an off center wheel derived from a sniper’s sight that reference conflict in Iraq.  (At Matthew Marks’ 522 W. 22nd Street location through Dec 21st.)  

Gary Hume, Installation view of ‘The Wonky Wheel,’ at Matthew Marks Gallery.  Wheel:  The Wonky Wheel (Red), enamel on aluminum, 2013.  Door:  How to Paint a Door, gallery door, 2013.

Ilya Kabakov at Pace Gallery

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Highly celebrated, Ukraine born, Long Island-based painter Ilya Kabakov departs from the collage style of his other paintings in this recent work titled ‘The Window into my Past,’ in which a history painting not only dominates the wall but the minds of these young students.  (At Pace Gallery on 57th Street through Dec 21st).  

Ilya Kabakov, The Window into my Past, oil on canvas, 2012.

Gu Wenda at Chambers Fine Art

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New York based Chinese artist Gu Wenda draws on scholarly Chinese painting for these nine and a half feet tall, ink on rice paper on board drawings, each featuring a landscape and calligraphy and relating to his recent project proposal for a landscaped garden rich with symbolism.  (At Chambers Fine Art in Chelsea through Dec 21st).  

Gu Wenda, installation view of ‘Central Park’ at Chambers Fine Art, Nov, 2013.  (In the foreground:  Central Park – Concept #1:  Winter Snow, chinese ink, rice paper mount on wooden board, 2008).

Emily Noelle Lambert at Lu Magnus

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Titled ‘Curio Logic,’ New York based artist Emily Noelle Lambert’s solo show at Lower East Side gallery Lu Magnus presents works on paper showing what look like shelves of curios.  Culling images from old sketchbooks, drawings and even remnants of her students work, she reworks the imagery into enticing story fragments.  (Through Dec 22nd).  

Emily Noelle Lambert, ‘May You Be Filled Collection,’ mixed media on paper, 2009.

Hellen van Meene at Yancey Richardson

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Dutch photographer Hellen van Meene is known for traveling around the world to capture still, exquisite images of young people; her latest solo show at Chelsea’s Yancey Richardson Gallery zeros in on girls closer to home, photographing them with pets to study the interaction between them.  (Through Dec 21st).

Hellen van Meene, Untitled #390, from the series ‘Dogs and Girls,’ 16 x 16 inches, 2012.

Alexandre Singh at Metro Pictures

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British artist Alexandre Singh’s theatrical performance ‘The Humans’  – an elaborate tale of creation, then divine meddling in human fate – was called ‘one of the outstanding achievements’ of the Performa 13 performance art biennial this November.  Metro Pictures in Chelsea gives us a close-up on the eccentric characters in the play with busts including Singh’s ‘Wife’ character.  (At Metro Pictures through December 7th).  

Alexandre Singh, Wife, bronze, 2013.

Sarah Morris at Petzel Gallery

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Part of an exhibition by British artist Sarah Morris inspired by Rio de Janeiro, this graphically slick painting evokes the iPhone’s sliding on/off switches, an active game board or abstracted commuters moving rapidly through the city grid, all of which make for an urban landscape painting that evokes a city on the move.  (At Petzel Gallery through Dec 21st).  

Sarah Morris, Hybrid Solar Eclipse (Rio), household gloss paint on canvas, 2013.

Yayoi Kusama at David Zwirner Gallery

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Yayoi Kusama’s star is still shining in New York, where her Whitney Museum show in 2012 attracted throngs, and now an exhibition including two more trademark ‘infinity rooms’ is drawing thousands of visitors a day to Chelsea’s David Zwirner Gallery.  In this room, mirrors, low lights and polka-dotted tentacles coming from floor and ceiling create a hallucinatory effect.  (Through Dec 21st).  

Yayoi Kusama, Love is Calling, wood, metal, glass mirrors, tile, acrylic panel, rubber, blowers, lighting element, speakers, and sound, 2013.

Eileen Quinlan at Miguel Abreu Gallery

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For Brooklyn-based artist Eileen Quinlan, photography is not about passive recording.  In a series of 24 images pinned directly to the wall, she degrades the surface of her negatives by both allowing the developing process to go awry and scratching with steel wool to create abstractions that emphasize the medium as a process. (At Miguel Abreu Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 8th).  

Eileen Quinlan, installation view of ‘Curtains’ at Miguel Abreu Gallery, Nov 2013.

Gabriel Orozco at Marian Goodman Gallery

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Circular forms – a seemingly simple conceptual starting point with endless variations – dominate Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco’s latest solo show at Marian Goodman Gallery.  The most compelling are these river cobblestones, sold roadside in Mexico as a building material, but here carved with abstract patterns to conjure tactile ancient artifacts.   (On 57th Street through Dec 21st).  

Gabriel Orozco, (foreground) Untitled, carved river cobblestone from the Guerrero coast, Mexico, 2013.

Elaine Reichek at Zach Feuer Gallery

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In this conceptual artwork from 1990, New York artist Elaine Reichek pairs a source photo of a Native American teepee with her own knitted version of it, picturing a marginalized culture with a marginalized craft.  Does the homey feel of knitted objects connect with the feelings conjured by this home?  Reichek’s unassuming objects ask complicated questions.  (At Zach Feuer Gallery through Dec 21st).  

Elaine Reichek, Painted Blackfoot, knitted wool yarn and oil on gelatin silver print, 1990.

‘Calder Shadows’ at Venus over Manhattan

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Famed creator of the mobile and stabile, Alexander Calder, used light and shadow to envision scaled up versions of his sculpture.   In an inspired display technique, Upper East Side gallery Venus Over Manhattan does the same, keeping the gallery dark so that maquettes cast dramatic shadows and the pieces take a step beyond Calder.  (Through Dec 21st).  

Alexander Calder, Morning Cobweb (intermediate maquette), sheet metal, bolts and paint, 1967.

Michael Cline at Horton Gallery

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New York-based painter Michael Cline updates both the portrait and still life traditions with eccentric arrangements of plants and flowers sprouting eyes, teeth and an ear.  This arrangement, with its lights (electric and candle) and card reading, “…really rules the world” unnervingly suggests hidden surveillance.  (At Horton Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 8th).  

Michael Cline, Arranged Portrait, oil on linen, 2013.

Martin Creed, Work No. 1782 at Hauser & Wirth

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Martin Creed’s exhibition at Hauser & Wirth’s 69th Street location includes portraits painted by leaping high in the air with a paintbrush, stacking sculptures based on mathematical ratios and room-altering minimal, monumental wall paintings.  None seem to involve much effort on Creed’s part to create – this being his signature style – yet each will definitely create a reaction.  (Through Dec 21st ).  

Martin Creed, work no. 1782, toilet roll, unique, 2013 (foreground).  Martin Creed, work no. 905, emulsion on wall, 2008 (background).

Cyprien Gaillard at Barbara Gladstone Gallery

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As construction continues apace on several new buildings in Chelsea, French artist Cyprien Gaillard’s first solo show at Barbara Gladstone Gallery – featuring sculptures made of excavator heads) feels particularly apt and a little too familiar.  Fixed with calcite rods sourced in Iran and Utah, Gaillard reaches for international import, but his general point about destruction and progress stemming from the same tool is a little blunt. (At Barbara Gladstone Gallery through Dec 21st).  

Cyprien Gaillard, installation view of ‘Today Diggers, Tomorrow Dickens,’ at Barbara Gladstone Gallery, (excavator heads and banded calcite), November 2013.

Michael Williams at Canada Gallery

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Michael Williams’ latest paintings employ tacky techniques – inkjet and airbrush – and mingle dominant subject matter with incidental-seeming doodles.  They stand out for their utter weirdness, demonstrating that there are rules of taste by breaking them. (At Canada Gallery through Dec 8th).  

Michael Williams, Art Loft Eviction Sale, inkjet and airbrush on canvas, 2013.

Sandra Cinto at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

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Given its subject matter and size, Brazilian artist Sandra Cinto’s thirteen meter plus pen and acrylic rendering of roiling seas is surprisingly subtle.  As gradations of blue and white fog recede, what look like mountain peaks turn into frosting peak waves in a decidedly elegant storm scene.  (At Chelsea’s Tanya Bonakdar Gallery through Dec 21st.)  

Sandra Cinto, One Day, After the Rain, permanent pen and acrylic on canvas, 2012.

Thomas Demand at Matthew Marks Gallery

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Ever see an artfully arranged piece of trash?  A piece of soap balanced just-so on the edge of the sink?  German photographer Thomas Demand had captured these moments and thousands more when he decided to apply his signature art-making technique to the scenes, recreating select photos as sculptures constructed entirely of paper and card then photographing them.  The resulting series is a homage to the still, transformative moment.  (At Matthew Marks Gallery’s 526 West 22nd Street location through Dec 21st.)  

Thomas Demand, Daily #18, framed dye transfer print, 2012.

Fran Siegel at Lesley Heller Workspace

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Fran Siegel’s monumental aerial view of Los Angeles defies standard views of the city that emphasize the grid, instead glorying in the expansive notion of the place as a fragmented network of systems and communities.  (At Lesley Heller Workspace on the Lower East Side through December 1st.)  

Fran Siegel, installation view of ‘Overland 16,’ cyanotype, ink, pencil and pigment on cut paper, 96” x 140,” 2013.

KAWS at Mary Boone Gallery

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In the Chelsea tradition of bigger is better, New York based artist and designer KAWS presents two huge sculptures – each over 18 feet high – at Mary Boone Gallery that show his signature COMPANION figures in states of distress.  The gallery has been packed with visitors…but many fans don’t necessarily make for a good show.  Why do you think these works such a draw?   (In Chelsea through Dec 21st).

KAWS, Along the Way, 216” x 176” x 120,” wood, 2013.

Kristin Calabrese at Brennan and Griffin Gallery

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LA-based artist Kristin Calabrese’s exhibition at Lower East Side gallery Brennan and Griffin aims to consider our mortality; here, the beauty of the flowers has faded but a gorgeous sunset in the distance offers succor.  (Through Dec 8th).  

Kristin Calabrese, Depth of Field, oil on canvas, 78 x 66 inches, 2013.

Peter Voulkos at Franklin Parrasch Gallery

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Despite ceramicist Peter Voulkos’ huge influence on contemporary ceramic art, New York hasn’t been treated to a solo presentation of his work since 1997.  Through this week, 57th Street gallery Franklin Parrasch breaks the dry spell with a sampling of work from the 50s to the 90s from a single private collection.  (Through Nov 23rd).  

Peter Voulkos, Iron Head, ceramic, 1990.

Terry Adkins at Salon 94 Bowery & Freemans

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Known for making artwork relating to lesser-known facts about historically important figures, Brooklyn & Philadelphia artist Terry Adkins turns his sights to George Washington Carver & Yves Klein in his Lower East Side show.  Using apple pickers to refer to Carver’s efforts to move away from the ubiquity of cotton, and blown glass to recall Yves Klein’s fiery, transformative performances, Adkins invites us to read meaning into his subtly reworked histories.   (At Salon94 Bowery and Salon 94 Freemans on the Lower East Side through Jan 11th).

Terry Adkins, installation view of Nenuphar at Salon94 Bowery, November, 2013.  Sculpture in foreground: Terry Adkins, Harvest Montgomery, blown glass, apple picker, fiberglass and aluminum pole, 2013.

Benjamin Degen at Susan Inglett Gallery

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Though created from paint, this folksy character’s shirt and pants have the texture of rough-hewn fabric, perfectly in keeping with his Johnny-Appleseed-like barefooted nature wanderer persona.  By New York painter Benjamin Degen and titled ‘Kleos,’ it suggests that like the ancient Greeks, this home-grown oddball is also seeking a glory of sorts.  (At Chelsea’s Susan Inglett Gallery through Dec 7th).  

Benjamin Degen, Kleos, oil on canvas over panel, 2013.

Rod Penner at Ameringer McEnery Yohe Gallery

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Rod Penner’s tiny photo realist renderings of desolate scenes from the American rural landscape summon nostalgia and intrigue in equal parts.  (At Ameringer, McEnery, Yohe in Chelsea through Nov 23rd).

Rod Penner, Ranch View Motel/Vaughn, NM, acrylic on canvas, 2013.

Shirazeh Houshiary at Lehmann Maupin Gallery

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Iran-born, London-based artist Shirazeh Houshiary offers twisting columns of anodized blocks as a contrast to the minutely detailed, veil-like patterns covering abstract paintings like the diptych in the background here.  Like twisters or stepping feet, they literalize an unidentified and unseen force. (At Lehmann Maupin’s Lower East Side location through Dec 28th).  

Shirazeh Houshiary, Eddy, anodized aluminum, 2013 (foreground) and Echo, pencil, pigments and black aquacryl on canvas and aluminum, 2013 (background).

Terry Haggerty at Sikkema Jenkins & Co

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British artist Terry Haggerty’s updated Op Art never stops moving when you are in front of it.  The simplest device – twisting and tapering the end of parallel lines – turns this installation in Sikkema Jenkins & Co’s back gallery into a dizzying experience. (In Chelsea through Nov 16th).  

Terry Haggerty, forward/reverse, latex paint on walls, 2013.

Simen Johan at Yossi Milo Gallery

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New York based-Scandinavian artist Simen Johan’s latest photos from his ongoing series, ‘Until the Kingdom Comes’ are stronger than even, offering seamless images of animals inserted into landscapes that would be alien to them, as with these giraffes (shot in a U.S. zoo), whose heads are lost in the fog of landscapes from Turkey, Bali & Iceland.  (At Chelsea’s Yossi Milo Gallery through Dec 7th).  

Simen Johan, Untitled #172, digital c-print, 2013.

Julie Heffernan at PPOW Gallery

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‘Self Portrait as Afterparty’ continues Brooklyn-based painter Julie Heffernan’s ongoing quasi-self-portrait series, here in a post-apocalyptic scenario in which she eschews plates of spaghetti to gather sacks of game.  An abandoned dinner, piles of rocks, some of which have smashed the chairs, and a picture of an exploding volcano suggest that the end of the world has come but this goddess-like survivor can fend for herself.  (At Chelsea’s PPOW Gallery through Nov 16th).  

Julie Heffernan, Self Portrait as After-party, oil on canvas, 2013.

‘The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gautier’ at the Brooklyn Museum

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You don’t have to be into fashion to appreciate the spectacle that is ‘The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier’ at Brooklyn Museum.  A moving catwalk, mannequins with animated faces, and more turn the normally sleepy Brooklyn Museum into a carnival celebrating Gaultier’s extravagant, gender-bending vision, which germinated in childhood when he fashioned a conical bra for his teddy, some 30 years prior to his designs for Madonna’s ‘Blond Ambition’ tour.  (At Brooklyn Museum through Feb 23rd).  

Jean Paul Gautier, ‘Nana’ from 1957; ‘chest of drawers with integrated vanity,’ prototype, 1992; and “Black Swan Collection,” modele Saut de l’Ange, Haute couture fall/winter 2011-12.

Brad Kahlhamer at Jack Shainman Gallery

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Born in Arizona to Native American parents, raised by his adoptive German-American parents in Wisconsin and based on the Bowery for the past 23 years, Brad Kahlhamer still draws on his varied background in art that blends Native American iconography and a graffiti-like graphic sensibility in this haunting portrait of an apparition-like character.  (At Jack Shainman Gallery’s 24th Street location through Nov 16th).  

Brad Kahlhamer, The Way They Looked The Way They Lived, ink spray paint, acrylic and ballpoint pen on cloth, 2013.

Willie Cole at Alexander and Bonin Gallery

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For his latest New York solo show, New Jersey based artist Willie Cole turns a whimsical arrangement of women’s shoes into a towering, 6 foot tall bronze sculpture recalling a Yoruban deity; a literalized example of power dressing. (At Chelsea’s Alexander and Bonin Gallery through Nov 16th)

Willie Cole, The Sole Sitter, bronze, 2013.

Marepe at Anton Kern Gallery

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Brazilian artist Marepe continues to use everyday materials, simply transformed to achieve big effects.  In his latest solo show at Chelsea’s Anton Kern Gallery, he transforms two bikes into a stationary creature with human head and fish-like tail, a hybrid that suggests literal and figurative possibilities for forward movement.  (Through Dec 14th).  

Marepe, Cabeca Ciclica, bicycles and wood, 2012.

Christoph Ruckhaberle at Zieher Smith Gallery

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Leipzig-based painter Christoph Ruckhaberle’s stylized dance scene against a blue sky and green grass sets up a comparison with Matisse’s 1909 ‘Dance,’ but knowingly offers us subjects whose weightiness and modesty are grounded in the everyday, despite the peppy wallpaper.  (At Chelsea’s Zieher Smith Gallery through Nov 16th).   

Christoph Ruckhaberle, Untitled, acrylic and oil on canvas, 2013.

Carole Seborovski in ‘Out of Their Elements’ at Ricco Maresca Gallery

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Ceramics are increasingly visible in Chelsea galleries this fall, particularly in a show of artists who use clay in innovative ways at Ricco Maresca Gallery.  These sculptures by Carole Seborovski merge natural forms with abundantly decorated surfaces in intriguingly odd combinations.  (Through Nov 16th ).

Carole Seborovski, Summer of Love (foreground), clay, medium/low fire glaze, platinum/gold luster, ceramic decals, and gold leaf, 2011.

Odili Donald Odita at Jack Shainman Gallery

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Explaining that his carefully color-calibrated combinations of shapes are meant to evoke both fragmentation and interconnectedness, Philadelphia-based artist Odili Donald Odita applies his characteristic geometric abstractions directly to the walls creating an optical AND physical impact.  (At Jack Shainman Gallery through Nov 16th).  

Odili Donald Odita, Rain Forest acrylic latex wall paint, dimensions variable, 2013.

Sophie Calle, Absence at Paula Cooper Gallery

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‘Souci’ (worry) was French conceptual artist Sophie Calle’s mother’s last word, uttered several years ago on her deathbed as she told her daughter not to worry about her.  Chelsea’s Paula Cooper Gallery is now showing a selection of Calle’s projects directly or indirectly relating to her mother, including one for which she traveled to the North Pole to bury her mother’s jewelry.  While not as powerful as Calle’s last show, it’s a must-see for fans.  (Through Nov 16th).  

Sophie Calle, installation view of ‘Absence’ at Paula Cooper Gallery, Oct 2013.

Thomas Eggerer at Petzel Gallery

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Titled ‘The Connoisseur,’ this painting by New York based German artist Thomas Eggerer begs the question of what the central figure is so delicately gathering.  Multiple outlines of the man suggest he’s involved in an ongoing process, while a fiery background and dark skies convey a sense of foreboding and urgency.  (At Chelsea’s Petzel Gallery through Nov 9th.)  

Thomas Eggerer, The Connoisseur, acrylic on canvas, 2012.

Arlene Shechet at Sikkema, Jenkins & Co.

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Art critic Blake Gopnik once called New York ceramic artist Arlene Shechet’s abstract sculptures ‘so bizarrely shaped they could be science-fair models of germs.’  The sculptures in the artist’s latest solo show at Chelsea’s Sikkema, Jenkins & Co are just as quirky, conjuring natural and manmade forms and challenging us to puzzle them out.  (Through Nov 16th).  

Arlene Shechet, ‘Not to Mention,’ glazed ceramic, painted plywood base, 2013.

Alison Elizabeth Taylor at James Cohan Gallery

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Brooklyn-based artist Alison Elizabeth Taylor is known for scenes of people in the landscape and decrepit interiors, all meticulously crafted from wood veneer.  In her latest solo show at Chelsea’s James Cohan Gallery, she wields her signature technique and adds paint in service of depicting nature mangled by humans.  (through Nov 30th).  

Alison Elizabeth Taylor, Transparent Eye, wood veneer, shellac and oil on panel, 2013.

Olivio Barbieri at Yancey Richardson Gallery

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Italian artist Olivio Barbieri’s photographs of European mountain ranges are often breath-taking, but he takes something else away in his latest series, namely large sections of the mountain that he substitutes for snow-like areas of white.  Barbieri explains that he’s interested in the hiker’s point of view, including ‘mirages and hallucinations.’  (At Yancey Richardson Gallery’s new 22nd Street location through Nov 2nd).  

Olivio Barbieri, Alps – Geographies and People #11, archival pigment print, 2013.

Martin Klimas at Foley Gallery

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Like British YouTube phenomena The Slow Mo Guys, German artist Martin Klimas recognizes the power of slowing down a dramatic event to stimulate our curiosity.  Both have recently captured paint flying up from the surface of a speaker (the subject of Klimas’ show at Foley Gallery).  But selections from Klimas’ previous body of work – depicting smashing figurines, on view in the back room – steal the show by adding the suggestion of accident and the happy intervention of chance.  (At Foley Gallery on the Lower East Side through Nov 3rd).  

Martin Klimas, Untitled (Pink and Green), pigment print, 2006.

Richard Serra, Inside Out at Gagosian

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Renowned American sculptor Richard Serra’s exhibitions at Gagosian Gallery’s 21st and 24th Street spaces in Chelsea opened this weekend, immediately proving to be the must-see shows of the moment.  Though the 24th Street installation departs from his previous body of curving steel plates with its angular severity (watch for photos in upcoming days), the 21st Street place offers a single, huge, undulating steel installation that will delight fans of Serra’s more recent spiraling sculptures.

Richard Serra, installation view of ‘Inside Out’ at Gagosian Gallery, Oct 2013.

Alexis Rockman at Sperone Westwater

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Inspired by a news story about a dolphin that swam into Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal and died the same day from the pollution, New York artist Alexis Rockman conjured this vision of the canal as a cauldron of contamination in which the strong adapt to survive.  (At Sperone Westwater on the Lower East Side through Nov 2nd).  

Alexis Rockman, Gowanus, oil on wood, 2013.

Susan Siegel at the 2013 Fashion District Arts Festival

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One of the highlights for me of last weekend’s 2013 Fashion District Arts Festival was discovering Susan Siegel’s fantastical oil paintings of domesticated animals playing the role of well-appointed Gainsborough-like ladies and gents in lush natural settings.  Siegel excels at giving her subjects subtly readable personalities in works that gently poke fun at the excesses of 18th century self-fashioning.  

Susan Siegel, Solitary Goat (Blue), 30” x 24”, oil on canvas, 2011.

Akio Takamori in ‘Clay Bodies’ at Barry Friedman, Ltd

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Seattle-based ceramic artist Akio Takamori’s sleeping women rest in round bundles on low pedestals, their eyes open slightly, seemingly observing us while we’re spying on them in their sleep.  Colorful and curvy like Matisse figures, it’s as if drawings have materialized in three dimensions.  (At Chelsea’s Barry Friedman Gallery through Oct 30th.)

Akio Takamori, Sleeping Woman in Red Dress with Orange Hair, stoneware with underglazes, 2013.

Angel Otero at Lehmann Maupin Gallery

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Brooklyn-based artist Angel Otero adds towers of ceramic and steel to a selection of his trademark textured paintings created with oil skins in his latest body of work at Chelsea’s Lehmann Maupin Gallery. Lauded for suggesting ‘secrets unearthed,’ not ruins but ‘ideas to build on, models to live by,’ in a recent piece by The Village Voice’s Christian Viveros-Faune, Otero’s fired steel and glazed porcelain ‘Slot’ sculptures evidence a remarkable drive to alter his materials.  (Through Nov 2nd).   

Angel Otero, installation view, ‘Gates of Horn and Ivory’ at Lehmann Maupin Gallery, Sept, 2013.

Jonas Wood at Lever House Art Collection

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On the heels of a well-received show at Anton Kern Gallery, LA-based painter Jonas Wood presents giant plant paintings against a wallpaper of basketballs at Lever House this fall.  This juxtaposition of sports and plants (each of which has been sampled from another source, including his own earlier paintings) brings together two of Wood’s interests and pits a speedy sport against the slower pleasures of horticulture.  (At Lever House between 53rd and 54th Streets on Park Ave through Jan 4th).

Richard Serra at Gagosian Gallery

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Tonight is the public reception for Richard Serra’s most recent New York sculpture show at Gagosian’s 21st and 24th Street spaces in Chelsea.  Glimpses like this one of the installation, which has been ongoing since Sept at least, suggest that the exhibitions will be as impressive as ever.  (Through Jan 25th).

Zhang Huan Paintings at Pace Gallery

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In a radical departure from his monochromatic paintings created by teams of assistants from ash collected from Buddhist temples, Shanghai-based artist Zhang Huan has created a series of oil paintings from his own hand of skulls meant to represent Tibetan Death masks.  Titled ‘Poppy Fields,’ they at first resemble abstract swirls of bright color, which materialize into slightly cartoonish skulls on closer inspection. (At Pace Gallery, 534 West 25th Street, through Oct 26th).  

Zhang Huan, detail from the ‘Poppy Field’ series, oil on linen, 2011.

Ashley Bickerton at Lehmann Maupin Gallery

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Bali-based American artist Ashley Bickerton has long painted tropical paradise inhabited by corrupt, non-idyllic characters.  Now, his nubile female stock character has morphed into a brightly made-up crone with a snaking tongue and necklaces of trash.  As disturbing as she is, it’s a bold new direction for Bickerton, who ups the ante with even stronger contrasts between attraction and repulsion.  (At Lehmann Maupin’s Lower East Side space through Oct 26th).   

Ashley Bickerton, MV1, aluminum, oil and acrylic paint, hair, cement, 2013 (foreground).  Ashley Bickerton, m-DNA_eve1, oil and acrylic on digital print on wood, 2013 (background).

William Pope. L at Michell-Innes & Nash

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Chicago-based conceptual artist William Pope. L continues to consider how people separate themselves by race; in this wall of drawings, potentially offensive generalizations are neutralized by their opaqueness.  (At Mitchell-Innes & Nash in Chelsea through Oct 26th).  

William Pope. L, detail view of ‘Wall of Skin Set drawings,’ 2010 – 2013.

Banksy on 24th Street in Chelsea

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Famed British street artist Banksy arrived in Chelsea on the third week of his New York City ‘residency,’ presenting a two panel collaboration with Brazilian brothers Os Gemeos inspired by the Occupy movement.  Featuring a grid of riot police joined by one person in a headscarf and a grid of masked or scarf-wearing people joined by one policeperson, it’s a straightforward juxtaposition that asks who is battling whom.   The crowd loved it.

Sven Lukin at Robert Miller Gallery

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Like graphic design come to life, Sven Lukin’s minimal abstractions involve sensuous, curving lines moving in surprising ways.  Here, an anthropomorphic, flesh colored line pushes into the gallery’s corner like it’s trying to hide, through the title, ‘SNUG,’ suggests it’s happy to do so.   (At Robert Miller Gallery in Chelsea through Oct 26th).

Sven Lukin, SNUG, enamel on Masonite and wood construction, 85 x 75 x 6 inches, 2010.

Edward Burtynsky at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery

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From the largest pilgrimage towards water in the world (see the Kumbh Mela on left) to the petered out end of the rerouted Colorado River (next right) to the greening of the Arizona desert using pivot irrigation (next right), Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky has spent the last few years documenting the human relationship to water around the world.  In turns alarming and alluring, the photos are a powerful catalyst for safeguarding one of our most precious resources.  (At Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery through Nov 2nd).  

Edward Burtynsky, installation view of ‘Water’ at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, Sept 2013.

Aaron Spangler at Horton Gallery

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Inspired by the tradition of Americans finding escape in wilderness living, northern Minnesota-based artist Aaron Spangler’s latest work suggests totems for the modern frontiersman.  ‘Idol’ is based on the form of a boli, or sacred object, and Spangler’s abstract designs suggest a secret language between human and the divine.  (At Horton Gallery on the Lower East Side through Oct 20th).  

Aaron Spangler, Idol, carved and painted basswood with a touch of graphite, 2013.

David Adamo at Untitled Gallery

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Art applauds nature in Berlin-based American sculptor David Adamo’s hand-made, ceramic termite mounds.  Called “exceptionally appealing as objects” by the New York Times, the mini-mounds are smaller than they’d appear in nature but invite wonder at insect engineering.  (At Untitled Gallery on the Lower East Side through Oct 20th).

David Adamo, installation view of ‘David Adamo’ at Untitled Gallery, Oct 2013.  Foreground:  Untitled (Cathedral A), Zellan, 2013.

Chip Hughes at Kerry Schuss Gallery

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Chip Hughes’ meticulously rendered abstract painting, ‘Drinks’, on view at Lower East Side gallery Kerry Schuss, recalls quilting with its grid and wavy lines like piping.  But amoeba-like organic shapes, cool colors and a slick of washed out color suggest watery worlds or blown-up microbiology.  (Through Oct 20th).  

Chip Hughes, Drinks, oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches, 2012.

Heejung Cho at Gallery Ho

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Brooklyn-based Korean sculptor Heejung Cho makes architecture into art with her series of city buildings constructed of wood at Chelsea’s Gallery Ho.  The perspective suggests a city that goes on forever, but the absence of people or other evidence of life give it an eerie emptiness. (At Gallery Ho through Oct 19th).

Heejung Cho, Two Point Perspective, plywood, wood and stain, 2013.

Ann Toebbe – Inaugural Group Exhibition at Monya Rowe

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Chicago-based artist Ann Toebbe’s flattened perspective piques interest.  Here, a TV room’s couch looks like a modernist collage while the rest of the furnishings – shelves lined with books, a rocking chair and pictures featuring nature  – suggest homey Americana. (At Monya Rowe Gallery’s inaugural exhibition at a new Lower East Side space through Oct 20th).  

Ann Toebbe, TV Room, gouache and cut paper on panel, 15 x 20 inches, 2013.

Claudia Wieser at Marianne Boesky Gallery

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Black and white photos of art historical objects, delicately crafted works on paper, minimal sculptures with metallic accents and ubiquitous mirrors lend Berlin-based artist Claudia Wieser’s first solo show at Chelsea’s Marianne Boesky Gallery a feeling of belonging to both a centuries old craft tradition and an elegant modernism.  (At Chelsea’s Marianne Boesky Gallery through Oct 19th).  

Claudia Wieser, installation view of ‘The Mirror,’ a solo exhibition with sculpture made in acrylic and/or ink on wood sculptures placed on digital prints in the foreground, all work 2013.

Joanna Malinowska at Canada Gallery

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Six tons of dirt from the Yukon and a giant papier-mache bear – part of a solo show by Polish-American artist Joanna Malinowska – launch Canada Gallery’s much-awaited new LES space.  Known to source objects from around the world (e.g. a liter of water from the Bering Straight and a sweater from Bolivian president Evo Morales in a previous piece), Malinowska gathers far flung references – intriguing if obscure – to the North American land.   (At Canada through Oct 20th).

Joanna Malinowska and Michael Crockford, Falsely Humble (background), wood, papier-mache, 2013.  Joanna Malinowska, 6 Tons of Yukon Dirt (foreground), soil from Yukon Territory, miner’s pan & bucket, 2013.

John McCracken: Works from 1963 – 2011 at David Zwirner Gallery

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Southern Californian minimalist John McCracken’s retrospective exhibition at David Zwirner Gallery is better seen in person – where sleek objects like this one (hand-crafted from plywood covered in polyester resin & fiberglass) reflect the people, objects and light conditions surrounding them.  But the color contrasts alone between the richly green ‘Minnesota’ in the foreground and the sky blue of ‘On Stream’ in this photo set the mind thinking of nature.   (At the gallery’s 20th Street location through Oct 19th.)

John McCracken, Minnesota (in the foreground), polyester resin, fiberglass and plywood, 1989.  On Stream (background left), polyester resin, fiberglass and plywood, 1998.

Kerry James Marshall at Jack Shainman Gallery

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We knew that there was big money in the art world, but Kerry James Marshall makes it explicit with his installation of coins, constructed in brass.  Though the value of the coins adds up to $.99, the piece’s title reveals that fabrication costs were approximately $136,000.  And the selling price?  The gallery “…would prefer to not have that published,” a position that reinforces Marshall’s point that culture and money are entwined, sometimes secretly. (At Chelsea’s Jack Shainman Gallery through Oct 12th).  

Kerry James Marshall, 99 cent piece (One hundred thirty six thousand dollars in change), cast resin with brass overlay, 2012.

Josh Kline at 47 Canal

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Hands down one of the best shows on in New York at the moment, Josh Kline’s latest solo show at 47 Canal on the Lower East Side includes this video, which maps Whitney Houston’s face onto an actress who brings the singer back from the grave to discuss a life shaped and destroyed by stardom.  Cynical but utterly absorbing, Kline lambastes our society’s love of celebrity and youth.  (Through Oct 13th).

Josh Kline, Forever 48 (installation), sculpture with video: plexiglass, LED lights, MDF, plywood, HD television, media player, SD card, 16 min HD video, 2013.

Maria Berrio at Praxis International Art

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Using colorfully printed Japanese paper, New York based Colombian artist Maria Berrio creates a collage homage to Gauguin’s ‘Ia Orana Maria,’ but lets nature take over in this imaginary garden bursting with flora and oversized fauna. (At Chelsea’s Praxis International Art through Oct 12th).  

Maria Berrio, El jardin de mi corazon, collage with Japanese paper and watercolor.

Jonas Wood at Anton Kern Gallery

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LA-based artist Jonas Wood builds his paintings from photos, sourcing them in the digital.  At the same time, his memories supply more details as in this painting of his father’s house in Boston in which the bird and flower paintings are depicted as Wood remembered them from childhood rather than how they actually are.  (At Chelesa’s Anton Kern Gallery through Oct 19th).  

Jonas Wood, Yellow Front Hall, oil and acrylic on canvas, 2013.

Susie MacMurray at Danese Corey Gallery

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British artist Susie MacMurray is known for elegant sculptures and installations created by repeated use of one material or form.  At Danese Corey’s new space on 22nd Street in Chelsea, she fashions household gloves into a regal dress, juxtaposing beautiful refinement and hard work (through Oct 12th).  

Susie MacMurray, A Mixture of Frailties, household gloves turned inside out, calico and dress form, 2004/2013.

Anna Booth and Nancy Cohen at Accola Griefen Gallery

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Out of a collaborative residency at Corning Museum of Glass and a joint interest in Buddhist Thangkas, glass artists Anna Booth & Nancy Cohen created ‘Between Seeing and Knowing,’ a wall installation made of glass that evokes the forms of composition of a painting. (At Chelsea’s Accola Griefen Gallery through Oct 12th).  

Anna Boothe & Nancy Cohen, Between Seeing and Knowing, installation view, Sept 2013, Accola Griefen Gallery.

Barbara Takenaga at DC Moore Gallery

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Barbara Takenaga’s latest abstract paintings continue to evoke the natural world in bold colors and mesmerizing patterns; here, a piece titled ‘Funnel’ suggests the strange lights and form of a deep sea creature crossed with a swing carousel at night.  (At Chelsea’s DC Moore Gallery through Oct 5th).  

Barbara Takenaga, Red Funnel, acrylic on linen, 2013.

Sungsic Moon at Doosan Gallery, New York

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Korean artist Sungsic Moon’s skinny characters look unsubstantial, but their range of emotional states – from mournful to ecstatic – is powerful.  Here, a young woman walks the line between having and losing control as her fingers snap, arms pump, and her hair and scream look like she’s entering a primal state. (At Chelsea’s Doosan Gallery through Oct 4th)  

Sungsic Moon, Dancing Girl, acrylic on paper, 2013.

Barry McGee at Cheim & Read Gallery

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These days, San Francisco street art legend Barry McGee is more likely to show his work in galleries and museums than outdoors, but his installation in the back room of Cheim & Read Gallery in Chelsea – a collection of around 400 elements bulging off the wall – pops with a white-cube defying energy.  (Through Oct 26th).  

Barry McGee, Untitled, 400 elements; ink, graphite, acrylic, screenprint, photographs on paper, found objects and frames, 2005-2013.

Julie Becker Sculpture at GreeneNaftali Gallery

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Julie Becker’s mixed media sculpture from 2000 brings a slice of LA into NYC by suggesting a block of West Sunset Blvd complete with weeds, a lost slipper and a drawing advertising a street art competition.  It’s a quirky, anything’s possible kind of city view that’s fast disappearing from Chelsea.  (At Chelsea’s GreeneNaftali Gallery through October 5th.)  

Julie Becker, 1910 West Sunset Blvd, mixed media sculpture, 2000.

Martin Honert’s ‘Gang’ at Matthew Marks Gallery

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Known for meticulously hand-making sculptures inspired by his childhood drawings, German artist Martin Honert’s ‘Gang’ from 2002 accompanies new work at Matthew Marks Gallery in Chelsea.  Do the cheeky boys with the shifty eyes exist just in the bigger boy’s imagination?  Or is that bike really in danger of disappearing?  (At Matthew Marks’ 502 West 22nd Street space through Oct 26th).  

Martin Honert, Bande/Gang, steel, polyester and paint, 2002.

Sheep Station at 24th Street and 10th Ave in Chelsea

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In a 200 year throw-back to the days when parts of Chelsea were Clement Clarke Moore’s apple orchard, Paul Kasmin Gallery has partnered with collector and real estate developer Michael Shvo to create an agrarian landscape on the recently closed Getty gas station on the corner of 24th Street and 10th Ave.  Before the site is turned into a luxury condo, it will be populated by sheep sculpture by the late French artist Francois-Xavier Lalanne, making for one of the most head-turning exhibitions in Chelsea at the moment. (Through Oct 20th).

Robert Polidori at Mary Boone Gallery

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In the mid-80s, photographer Robert Polidori started photographing the palace of Versailles, focusing not on its opulence but on the realities presented by over 300 years of wear and tear.  The story is told in the details, as in images like these details of well-used doorways, blown up into gorgeous, light suffused prints.    (At Mary Boone Gallery, Chelsea through Oct 26th).

Robert Polidori, Door Detail, Attique du Midi, Versailles & Door Detail, Galerie Basse, Versailles, c-print, 2005/2013.

Derrick Adams at Louis B. James Gallery

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Brooklyn-based artist Derrick Adams’ grid of glittery men’s shirts and ties looks fabulous and conformist at the same time, recalling Fred Wilson’s early 90s guard uniforms that pointed out how uniformity leads to anonymity.   A trophy-like chalice placed just out of reach on top of this wall-mounted sculpture seems to offer a lofty reward for someone who’ll step out from the crowd. (At Louis B. James on the Lower East Side, through Oct 19th).  

Derrick Adams, He Him, They, Them, tempera, painted faux brick paneling, glitter, textured spray, 2008.