Ajay Kurian explores the chemicals we consume using materials that range from melted gummy bears to microwaved bars of soap. The surprise in this attractive display is that these pretty ‘rocks’ contain traces of recycled nuclear waste. (At Jack Hanley Gallery on the Lower East Side through May 5th).
Ajay Kurian, Spiegel-Leben 2, plexiglass, epoxy clay, Gobstoppers, recycled nuclear waste, 2013.
I’ve been looking forward to globe-trotting street artist JR’s opening at Chelsea’s Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery next Tuesday, so spotting the artist and Jose Parla as they created this wall mural last Saturday on the gallery exterior was a treat. For their collaborative project, JR and Parla photographed and interviewed seniors including this stately woman. (‘The Wrinkles of the City’ opens May 7 and runs through July 12).
Is Ryan McGinley’s huge figure falling or floating? McGinley’s signature photos show young people living their lives with abandon. Here, his ambiguity is unsettling, but the gorgeous blue color on drab, early-spring 10th Ave is alluring. (At 18th Street and 10th Ave, presented by High Line Art, through April 30th)
Ryan McGinley, Blue Falling, print on vinyl, 2007.
In his latest New York solo show, British artist Richard Hughes turns drabness into whimsy by appearing to transform light posts into a pair of jauntily high-stepping legs. They’re actually meticulously created to look like the real thing, but that fact’s almost irrelevant to their enjoyment. (At Chelsea’s Anton Kern Gallery through May 18th).
Richard Hughes, Pedestrian (Hot Ste P), architectural grey board, fiberglass, stone resin, steel and paint, 2013.
On a pedestal of lava rock, Larry Bamburg stacked a 400lb redwood burl, then proceeded to add animal hoofs, turtle shells and more burls. The materials are evocative and the arrangement is a feat of balance but the real charge comes from nature used as both raw material and formal element. (At Simone Subal Gallery through April 28th)
Larry Bamburg, ‘Burls Hooves and Shells on a Pedestal of Lava Rock,’ wood burls, animal hooves, turtle and mollusk shells, lava rock, ratchet strap, 2013.
