Yasumasa Morimura at Luhring Augustine

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Japanese photographer Yasumasa Morimura first photographed himself as the Infanta, daughter of King Felipe IV from Velazquez’s famous ‘Las Meninas’ in 1990. Almost twenty-five years later, his latest series has him playing the role of every other character in it, as well as figures from the paintings that hang to either side at Madrid’s Prado. (At Chelsea’s Luhring Augustine through Jan 24th).

Yasumasa Morimura, Living in the realm of the painting (The princess), chromogenic print, 31 ½ x 25 ¼ inches, 2013.

Xu Bing at St John the Divine

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After witnessing substandard working conditions at a building site for which he’d been commissioned to create artwork, Beijing-based artist Xu Bing created two huge phoenix sculptures composed of construction equipment. Suspended at the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine, their decorative lights are akin to stained glass and their message in keeping with the church’s activist history. (Through Feb 2015).

Xu Bing, Phoenix, installation view at St John the Divine, Dec 2014.

Ivan Witenstein at Derek Eller Gallery

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In this towering mash-up of American vernacular imagery that includes Ronald Reagan’s caricatured head at top, tree stumps carved into baseball bats, faces and an elephant foot and two large baseballs, Ivan Witenstein creates a portrait of America from precariously balanced kitsch. (At Derek Eller Gallery through Jan 3rd).

Ivan Witenstein, Rails to Trails, wood, acrylic, oil, enamel, wood burning, 93 x 75 x 31 inches.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye at Jack Shainman Gallery

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Though British artist (and writer) Lynette Yiadom-Boakye’s figures look like portraits, they come from her imagination. The title of this piece, ‘Attention from the Righteous,’ suggests a condescending character, but this young man’s lively eyes and soft expression make him immediately likeable. (At Chelsea’s Jack Shainman Gallery through Jan 10th).

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Attention From the Righteous, oil on canvas, 19 ¾ x 18 inches, 2014.

Dick Esterle at the New York Hall of Science

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Like giant party streamers, over 500 length of pink and orange flagging tape suspended by paperclips from the New York Hall of Science’s rotunda hint at the fun to be had inside. Titled ‘Scattered Light,’ this installation by Dick Esterle includes sunlight reflecting disco balls, adding to the celebratory effect. (Through Sept 2015).

Dick Esterle, Scattered Light (installation view at the New York Hall of Science), flagging tape, paper clips, metal rods, 2014.