In the still of Simon Preston Gallery, Paris-based artist Pepo Salazar stretches a slim yet commandeering text reading ‘noise’ from wall to wall, forcing visitors to step gingerly through an artwork inspired by heavy metal music fonts. (On the Lower East Side through August 8th.)
Pepo Salazar, Noise, steel, 843 x 331 x 10.16 cm, 2008-2015.
Oversized furniture segments, huge matchsticks, nautical implements and memorials come to mind with LA artist Lisa Williamson’s tall, elegant ‘Long Dimension (Gates),’ a standout in Marianne Boesky Gallery’s summer group show. (In Chelsea through August 7th).
Installation view of ‘No Vacancies’ at Marianne Boesky Gallery (Background: Robert Morris, Untitled, 1997. Foreground: Lisa Williamson, Long Dimension (Gates), acrylic on wood, steel base with black acid and wax finish, 2015.)
Michael Smith opens a new chapter in the life of his hapless alter ego, Mike, with an exhibition centered around his search for the fountain of youth. A tapestry map, banners featuring Sudoku games and a water cooler are just some of the fun in Mike’s quest. (At Chelsea’s Greene Naftali Gallery through Aug 14th).
Michael Smith, installation view of ‘Excuse me!?!…I’m looking for the ‘Fountain of Youth,’ July 2015.
Art history meets sneaker culture in paintings by Tommy Mishima at Nancy Margolis Gallery. (In Chelsea through August 7th).
Tommy Mishima, Sneakers 2, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches, 2015.
Painted in response to police violence this year, Peter Williams’ tongue-in-cheek superhero, ‘N-Word,’ clobbers injustice personified by ghoulish characters in his series ‘Common and Proper Nouns.’ Here, with a physique far from the super-hero norm, this likeable underdog triumphs over a crowd of zombies and two scared authority figures. (At Driscoll Babcock through Aug 14th).
Peter Williams, Common Thread, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches, 2015.