Hilary Harnischfeger at Rachel Uffner Gallery

Hilary Harnischfeger makes an unlikely but delightful connection to both geological formations and a cow in this wall-mounted sculpture titled ‘Bovina.’ Using stacked layers of cut and colored paper, ceramic, oil stick and hydrostone, the Brooklyn-based artist works her usual magic with materials while bringing to mind farm tools or a cow’s skull affixed to a barn wall. (On the Lower East Side at Rachel Uffner Gallery through Dec 20th).

 Hilary Harnischfeger, Bovina, ceramic, hydrostone, pigment, crushed glass, oil stick, paper, wood, 20 x 22 x 10 inches, 2015.

Mark Bradford at Hauser & Wirth Gallery

LA artist Mark Bradford takes full advantage of his new affiliation with Hauser & Wirth Gallery and their huge gallery space with this piece, titled ‘Waterfall.’ Bradford is known for embedding cords and other materials in his paper-on-canvas artworks; here, he has pulled thick cords away from his ‘paintings,’ bringing the paper with them. Hung over a rafter, the cascade gives new life to action painting. (In Chelsea through Dec 23rd).

 Mark Bradford, Waterfall, mixed media, dimensions variable, 2015.

Jeronimo Elespe at Eleven Rivington

After seeing just a few pieces in Madrid-based painter Jeronimo Elespe’s latest show at Eleven Rivington, it won’t come as a surprise to find out that he paints at night. Figures and interiors materialize out of the darkness; here, a staircase seems to magically end in a pool of reflected light, anchored by a sniffing dog. (On the Lower East Side through Dec 20th.)

 Jeronimo Elespe, Fine, oil on aluminum, 14.96 x 9.84 inches, 2015.

Thomas Schutte in ‘Sculpture’ at Skarstedt Gallery

Part of a series of reclining nudes that recall iconic artworks from Manet’s Olympia to Henry Moore’s posed figures, Thomas Schutte’s female figure appears to have been pressed down, as if made of clay and not steel. She is defined by compromise – the antithesis of the classical norm. (At Skarstedt Gallery through Dec 19th).

 Thomas Schutte, Stahlfrau Nr. 4, cast steel on steel table, 13 ¾ x 86 ½ x 47 ½ inches, 1999.

Josh Tonsfeldt at Simon Preston Gallery

Shot on the fly through the window of a Toronto tattoo shop, this image by Josh Tonsfeldt stacks pictures – of the window itself, reflections on the glass, a man looking at a screen, and the same man using his skin as a surface. Printing on the cement-like material hydrocal lends a provocative, incongruous sense of permanence to a chance encounter. (At Simon Preston Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 20th).

 Josh Tonsfeldt, Adrenaline Tattoo, UV cured pigment print on hydrocal, spray paint, epoxy resin, pigment inks, 32 x 48 inches, 2015.