Read about New York’s off-the-beaten-track art treasures and my comments on the newly booming Tribeca art scene in Delle Chan’s piece for Hilton Grand Vacations‘ Club Traveler Magazine’s Spring ‘22 issue!
Roy Nachum at A Hug From the Art World
Five huge photorealist portraits by Israeli-New Yorker Roy Nachum dominate the creatively titled Chelsea gallery ‘A Hug from the Art World.’ The sense of immediacy that their size generates in this compact space is amplified by expressionist painting on their surfaces. At first puzzling for the contrast between styles, an upstairs video reveals the paintings to be layered portraits, collaborations between Nachum and blind makers like Rosie Lopez, pictured here. Once explained, the portraits become fascinating expressions of self-representation. (On view through May 7th).
Toshiko Takaezu at James Cohan Gallery
Hawaii-born master ceramicist Toshiko Takaezu’s sculptural forms from the 90s, on view at James Cohan Gallery, synthesize Abstract Expressionism and Japanese art tradition with understated beauty. Working in a palette of colors inspired by nature in her home state, Takaezu ventured beyond earthly inspiration to create ‘moon pots’ like this one from two half-spheres. (On view in Tribeca through May 7th).
Alex Anderson at Deli Gallery
Roses float through the air in Alex Anderson’s wall-mounted earthenware sculpture at Deli Gallery, evoking a romantic daydream. But whimsy turns to horror as it becomes apparent that the flowers are being severed from their stems by flying needle-like forms, resulting in tiny spurts of blood that suggest human, not plant anatomy. Presented on a mirror-like form (other shapes resemble serving platters and emoji hearts), in which we should expect to see our reflection, the piece prompts self-examination. Set against blue skies and wispy clouds, the piece warns of vulnerability in the virtual realm. (On view in Tribeca through May 7th).
Rosa Barba at Luhring Augustine Gallery
Rosa Barba’s ‘Language Infinity Sphere,’ a form created from old letterpress blocks now on view at Luhring Augustine’s Tribeca space, speaks with its circular form to the ongoing output of these blocks over the years. Other text-related work in the show includes handwritten words on a filmstrip that rotates around a lightbox cube and a 35mm film depicting images and text from the Library of Congress’ massive campus, the largest media archive in the world. Language appears in unexpected forms in this show, even as marks on the landscape in a film showing disposal sites for radioactive material in the western U.S. (On view through May 21st).
