This unassuming little painting by Berlin-based American artist Ryan McLaughlin conjures a cruise line advertisement for or by kids, a water conservation poster or some other public service message. It’s simple, earnest and charming. (At Laurel Gitlen Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 22nd.)
Ryan McLaughlin, Wasserbetriebe, oil on canvas on MDF, 25 ¾ x 17 ¾ inches, 2013.
Placed end to end and titled ‘Copy Me,’ two identical cast steel sofas by German conceptual artist Rosemarie Trockel are oddly and improbably long. Their oxidized patina creates a homey color but their material makes them uninviting, a fact that seems to be acknowledged by a protective plastic cover only casually placed over the sofas. (At Barbara Gladstone Gallery through Dec 21st).
Rosemarie Trockel, Copy Me, cast steel and plastic, 31 ½ x 165 3/8 x 28 inches, 2013.
Inspired by a giant hamburger painting by Andy Warhol, the group show ‘Double Hamburger Deluxe’ at Chelsea’s Marlborough Gallery explores Warhol’s approach through comparison to pieces like Tony Matelli’s bronze lilies, a meticulously hand-crafted, editioned sculpture that never fails to astound. (Through Dec 21st.)
Tony Matelli, Arrangement, painted bronze, 2012.
Spanish artist Jaume Plensa experiments with an international aesthetic with a nineteen-part installation of sculptures created from die-cut stainless steel letters from nine alphabets in his latest solo show at Chelsea’s Galerie Lelong. Faceless humans perched on floating boulders create an immaterial ‘every man.’ (Through Dec 14th.)
Jaume Plensa, Talking Continents (installation view), stainless steel, 19 components, varying dimensions, 2013.
By spray painting over and removing pasta shapes on canvas, Scott Reeder creates tongue-in-cheek paintings that resemble austere abstraction, or in the case of this painting (seen in detail) a constellation composed of alphabet soup letters. (At Lisa Cooley Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 22nd.)
Scott Reeder, detail from ‘Untitled (Pasta Painting),’ oil and enamel on canvas, 96 x 108 inches, 2013.