Dan Colen at Gagosian Gallery

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Multi-media artist and media darling Dan Colen points to Disney films as a source for his latest, mostly abstract, paintings collectively called ‘Miracle.’ Here, ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ features an arc of sparkles painted in raw pigment and oil. Colen’s process-based style is so fashionable at the moment as to prompt the question of whether this piece demonstrates magic with painting or marketing. (At Gagosian Gallery through October 18th).

Dan Colen, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, oil and raw pigment, 67 x 102 inches, 2013.

Markus Linnenbrink at Ameringer McEnery & Yohe

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Known for vivid paintings composed of layers or drips of resin, German artist Markus Linnenbrink takes his embrace of color a step further in his latest solo show at Chelsea’s Ameringer McEnery & Yohe by creating an installation in the gallery’s back room that allows visitors to walk right into a painting. (Through October 4th).

Markus Linnenbrink, installation view at Ameringer McEnery & Yohe, Sept 2014.

Tom Fruin at Mike Weiss Gallery

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Brooklyn-based artist Tom Fruin recalls Lady Liberty’s flame and the colorful city grid in new sculpture at Chelsea’s Mike Weiss Gallery – both to be appreciated from the seat of a custom-designed swing. (Through October 18th).

Tom Fruin, (left) Billboard, powder-coated laser-cut steel, Plexiglas and painted aluminum, (right) Flame, steel and Detroit factory window glass, Dutch Masters Swing (Blue), powder-coated laser-cut steel and found chain, all three pieces 2014.

Alina Szapocznikow in ‘The Obscure Object of Desire’ at Luxembourg & Dayan

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Late Polish artist Alina Szapocznikow’s cast of her own lips as a lamp act as erotic beacon yet resemble a golf club, suggesting a mix of attraction and violence that makes this piece standout in Luxembourg & Dayan’s excellent group exhibition ‘The Obscure Object of Desire.’ (Through October 4th).

Alina Szapocznikow, Lampe-bouche, colored polyester resin, electrical wiring, and metal, 17 ¾ x 6 x 4 inches, 1966.

Fred Wilson at Pace Gallery

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Fred Wilson seems to bait his viewers by draining his show at Pace Gallery of color, presenting two austere bronzes in black and white, monochromatic flags from African and African diasporic countries, and more. The oversimplified dichotomy between black and white clashes with the variety of cultures represented by the sculpture and flags, encouraging a more nuanced engagement with racial difference. (In Chelsea through October 18th).

Fred Wilson, The Mete of the Muse, bronze with black patina and bronze with white paint, 2006.