Category: Don’t Miss

Philip Taaffe at Carolina Nitsch

Inspired by a stone carving of the feathered dragon Quetzalcoatl, painter Philip Taaffe had the shape recreated in Spanish alabaster, which he then painted and printed. In the paper collage in the background, concentric circles give the illusion of a spiral echoing the coils of the serpent. (In Chelsea at Carolina Nitsch through Nov 7).

Philip Taaffe, Hodi Mihi, Cras Tibi (#2/8), hand carved Spanish alabaster, poppy seed oil, hand stamped and painted with oil paint, signed, numbered, dated below, 17 x 17 x 15 inches, 2015.

Sarah Sze at Tanya Bonkadar Gallery

Sarah Sze’s installations have been characterized as organized chaos; her latest solo show aims to bring the mess and spontaneous decision-making of an artist’s studio into the gallery, yet the feeling of control is palpable. Torn paper, carefully spilled paint, and hanging sheets of plastic suggest a carefully arranged work in progress. (At Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in Chelsea through Oct 17th).

Sarah Sze, installation view at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Sept 2015.

Dana Schutz at Petzel Gallery

Dana Schutz’s ‘Fight in an Elevator,’ the title piece for her show at Chelsea’s Petzel Gallery, recalls NFL player Ray Rice’s scandalous attack on his fiancée in a hotel elevator but levels the playing field as an abstracted man and woman give as good as they get in a futurist-inspired rumble. (Through October 24th).

Dana Schutz, Fight in an Elevator, oil on canvas, 96 x 90 inches, 2015.

Doris Salcedo at the Guggenheim Museum

Doris Salcedo’s interconnected concrete-filled wardrobes are a standout in her beautiful, somber show at the Guggenheim Museum; using personal possessions, Salcedo uses the furniture to speak to the suspended lives of political detainees and the ‘disappeared’ in her native Columbia. (Through October 12th).

Doris Salcedo, installation view of Untitled Works, 1989-2008, Sept 2015.

Michael Vasquez in ‘Portraiture Now’ at the Americas Society

The street and gang life surrounding Miami painter Michael Vasquez as he grew up without a father have become subject matter for his large-scale, bold paintings based on friends, family and acquaintances. A standout in the Americas Society’s show of self-portraits by U.S. Latino artists, the dark background of this touching painting of a man and boy is foreboding. (Through October 17th).

Michael Vasquez, The Neighborhood Tour, acrylic and oil on canvas, 2007.