Category: Features & Commissions

Mary Weatherford at Gagosian Gallery

LA-based abstract painter Mary Weatherford had an epiphany while driving through the streets of Bakersfield, CA one evening.  The peachy tints of a radiant sunset and the glowing storefront lights inspired her to add neon light to her abstract expressionist canvases, making each uniquely expressive of a particular time and place.  In her first solo show at Gagosian Gallery in Chelsea, Weatherford’s huge works are inspired by politics as well as specific experiences; one of the most impactful, GLORIA, operates with explosive force.  (On view through Oct 15th).

Mary Weatherford, GLORIA, flashe and neon on linen, 117 x 234 inches, 2018.

Urs Fischer at Gagosian Gallery

Urs Fischer wants art to ‘do more than it does.’  With a team of software engineers and the input of choreographer Madeline Hollander, the New York-based Swiss artist sets out to surprise gallery visitors with a troupe of dancing office chairs, programmed to interact with each other and humans.  Dubbed ‘robotic sculptures,’ the chairs come across as sinister if they come up behind you but strangely cute from the front as they hover nearby, slowly swiveling their wheels like a dog wagging its tail.  Here, several engage in a group animation reminiscent of a chorus-line about to kick up its heels. (On view at Gagosian Gallery through Oct 13th).

Urs Fischer, installation view of ‘Play’ at Gagosian Gallery’s 522 West 21st Street location, September, 2018.

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer at Bitforms

A plano-convex lens dangling under three projectors creates a mesmerizing, constantly shifting pattern of light on the walls in Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s latest solo show at Bitforms.  In advance of a major exhibition of his interactive environments at the Hirshhorn this fall, the artist’s current exhibition tantalizes with small scale pieces from the past few years that evoke wonder at the intersection of technology and the natural world. (On view on the Lower East Side through Oct 21st).

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Semioptics for Spinoza, projection version, computer, 3D sensor, projectors, metal bracket, motor, Arduino processor, lens, dimensions variable, 2012.

Barbara Takenaga at DC Moore Gallery

Barbara Takenaga’s abstract paintings evoke natural phenomena – here, a polished cross section of a stone or a distant view of far galaxies.  In the case of ‘Overview,’ a standout in her latest solo show at Chelsea gallery DC Moore, she electrifies the heavens with vibrant color and gratifying complexity.  (On view through Oct 6th).

Barbara Takenaga, Overhead, acrylic on linen, 37 ¾ x 35 9/16 inches, 2017.

Charline von Heyl at Petzel Gallery

An ominous cloud of fleshy tones and dark lines conjures hidden images (birds? an angular face?) as it hovers over an old-fashioned telephone in Charline von Heyl’s ‘Dial M for Painting.’  Like Hitchcock’s ‘Dial M for Murder,’ intrigue and tension dominate; a hastily drawn telephone leads us in to the drama while the floating mass above gives pause for thought, all against a screaming yellow background.  (On view at Petzel Gallery in Chelsea through Oct 20th).

Charline von Heyl, Dial P for Painting, acrylic and oil on linen, 60 x 50 inches, 2017.