Inspired by Louis Lozowick’s 1935 ‘Strike Scene’ lithograph, Hank Willis Thomas’s stainless steel ‘Strike’ is a powerful symbol of resistance. A highlight of the artist’s latest two-gallery solo show at Jack Shainman Gallery, the sculpture presents a fragment of a scenario that speaks to a broader history of struggle. (On view in Chelsea through May 12th).
A paper floats into the frame of a Krazy Kat cartoon, and Krazy questions the ‘kwee mokks’ all over it. This scenario captivates one of Marcus Weber’s oddball characters, who are themselves unexpected and unexplained. Though their unibrows suggest an adult seriousness, they avidly read the funnies, positioning their identity somewhere between adult and kid and tantalizingly out of reach. (At Thomas Erben Gallery in Chelsea through May 19th).
Ceramics get comic and weird in The Hole NYC’s sprawling exhibition of art made from clay. Theo A. Rosenblum’s ‘King Carrot’ grins enthusiastically in the main gallery, setting the tone for a show that includes Alice Mackler’s amorphous female figures, a delinquent Bart Simpson portrait by FriendsWithYou and much, much more. (On view on the Lower East Side through May 6th).
Using acrylic, oil and bleach on linen, LA painter Pamela Jorden combines the colors of day and night in a dramatic tondo that draws us into summery pink, yellow and blue zones while actively repelling our approach in angular dark areas. Drawing her painterly vocabulary from the history of abstraction, Jorden aims to rethink landscape, referencing varied sources, from J.M.W. Turner to tide pools. (On view at Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery on the Lower East Side through May 6th).
Will Cotton’s paintings of models and confectionery merge erotic desire and the temptation of sweets; here, sugar wins out as a tower of cake takes center stage at the International Print Center in Chelsea. If this looks like a sculpture that won’t age well, don’t be fooled; this indulgent stack of goodies is made of handmade paper – a standout in the Print Center’s show of American hand paper-making since the 60s.
