Famed creator of the mobile and stabile, Alexander Calder, used light and shadow to envision scaled up versions of his sculpture. In an inspired display technique, Upper East Side gallery Venus Over Manhattan does the same, keeping the gallery dark so that maquettes cast dramatic shadows and the pieces take a step beyond Calder. (Through Dec 21st).
Alexander Calder, Morning Cobweb (intermediate maquette), sheet metal, bolts and paint, 1967.
New York-based painter Michael Cline updates both the portrait and still life traditions with eccentric arrangements of plants and flowers sprouting eyes, teeth and an ear. This arrangement, with its lights (electric and candle) and card reading, “…really rules the world” unnervingly suggests hidden surveillance. (At Horton Gallery on the Lower East Side through Dec 8th).
Michael Cline, Arranged Portrait, oil on linen, 2013.
Martin Creed’s exhibition at Hauser & Wirth’s 69th Street location includes portraits painted by leaping high in the air with a paintbrush, stacking sculptures based on mathematical ratios and room-altering minimal, monumental wall paintings. None seem to involve much effort on Creed’s part to create – this being his signature style – yet each will definitely create a reaction. (Through Dec 21st ).
Martin Creed, work no. 1782, toilet roll, unique, 2013 (foreground). Martin Creed, work no. 905, emulsion on wall, 2008 (background).
As construction continues apace on several new buildings in Chelsea, French artist Cyprien Gaillard’s first solo show at Barbara Gladstone Gallery – featuring sculptures made of excavator heads) feels particularly apt and a little too familiar. Fixed with calcite rods sourced in Iran and Utah, Gaillard reaches for international import, but his general point about destruction and progress stemming from the same tool is a little blunt. (At Barbara Gladstone Gallery through Dec 21st).
Cyprien Gaillard, installation view of ‘Today Diggers, Tomorrow Dickens,’ at Barbara Gladstone Gallery, (excavator heads and banded calcite), November 2013.
Michael Williams’ latest paintings employ tacky techniques – inkjet and airbrush – and mingle dominant subject matter with incidental-seeming doodles. They stand out for their utter weirdness, demonstrating that there are rules of taste by breaking them. (At Canada Gallery through Dec 8th).
Michael Williams, Art Loft Eviction Sale, inkjet and airbrush on canvas, 2013.