A picture of a woman with a plastic bag, bubble wrap or toilet paper rolls on her head is going to get nothing but laughs, right? Not if it’s one of Dutch photographer Hendrik Kerstens’ portraits of his daughter, Paula, who manages an ethereal elegance while wearing a stack of doilies that evokes the elaborate collars worn by sitters in Old Master paintings. (At Danziger Gallery, Chelsea, through Feb 16th).
Hendrik Kerstens, ‘Doily,’ pigment print, 2011. Courtesy of Danziger Gallery.
Facility with any particular medium isn’t necessarily a prerequisite for making outstanding artwork any more, which makes Joseph Stashkevetch’s detailed nature scenes all the more enjoyable. Created by sanding away the surface of his rag paper and adding to it with conte crayon, his drawings have an engaging soft focus. Both Stashkevetch’s effort and the geological process he describes are astounding. (At Von Lintel Gallery through Feb 23rd).
‘Drawing in space’ is a familiar term used to describe abstract sculpture, but it turns literal in Wang Xieda’s new bronze sculpture at James Cohan Gallery, which brings Chinese calligraphy into three-dimensions. (In Chelsea through Feb 9th).
On the subject of ceramics (see yesterday’s post about Takuro Kuwata), Matthias Merkel Hess takes an amusing position on aesthetics vs use value in contemporary ceramics with these beautiful gas cans. (At Louis B. James, Lower East Side through Feb 22nd. )
Though Takuro Kuwata’s first US solo exhibition is titled ‘Flavor of Nature,’ the vivid reds, blues, golds and metallic glazes of his ceramics come across as anything but natural. This ‘stone explosion’ vessel was made by adding stones to his clay mix, which surface when fired. (At Salon 94 Bowery, Lower East Side, through Feb 25).
