Sophie Calle at Paula Cooper Gallery

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‘Souci’ (worry) was French conceptual artist Sophie Calle’s mother’s last word, uttered several years ago on her deathbed as she told her daughter not to worry about her.  Chelsea’s Paula Cooper Gallery is now showing a selection of Calle’s projects directly or indirectly relating to her mother, including one for which she traveled to the North Pole to bury her mother’s jewelry.  While not as powerful as Calle’s last show, it’s a must-see for fans.  (Through Nov 16th).  

Sophie Calle, installation view of ‘Absence’ at Paula Cooper Gallery, Oct 2013.

Thomas Eggerer at Petzel Gallery

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Titled ‘The Connoisseur,’ this painting by New York based German artist Thomas Eggerer begs the question of what the central figure is so delicately gathering.  Multiple outlines of the man suggest he’s involved in an ongoing process, while a fiery background and dark skies convey a sense of foreboding and urgency.  (At Chelsea’s Petzel Gallery through Nov 9th.)  

Thomas Eggerer, The Connoisseur, acrylic on canvas, 2012.

Arlene Shechet at Sikkema, Jenkins & Co.

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Art critic Blake Gopnik once called New York ceramic artist Arlene Shechet’s abstract sculptures ‘so bizarrely shaped they could be science-fair models of germs.’  The sculptures in the artist’s latest solo show at Chelsea’s Sikkema, Jenkins & Co are just as quirky, conjuring natural and manmade forms and challenging us to puzzle them out.  (Through Nov 16th).  

Arlene Shechet, ‘Not to Mention,’ glazed ceramic, painted plywood base, 2013.

Alison Elizabeth Taylor at James Cohan Gallery

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Brooklyn-based artist Alison Elizabeth Taylor is known for scenes of people in the landscape and decrepit interiors, all meticulously crafted from wood veneer.  In her latest solo show at Chelsea’s James Cohan Gallery, she wields her signature technique and adds paint in service of depicting nature mangled by humans.  (through Nov 30th).  

Alison Elizabeth Taylor, Transparent Eye, wood veneer, shellac and oil on panel, 2013.

Olivio Barbieri at Yancey Richardson Gallery

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Italian artist Olivio Barbieri’s photographs of European mountain ranges are often breath-taking, but he takes something else away in his latest series, namely large sections of the mountain that he substitutes for snow-like areas of white.  Barbieri explains that he’s interested in the hiker’s point of view, including ‘mirages and hallucinations.’  (At Yancey Richardson Gallery’s new 22nd Street location through Nov 2nd).  

Olivio Barbieri, Alps – Geographies and People #11, archival pigment print, 2013.