Katherine Bernhardt at Canada NYC

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Known for the ‘stupid, crazy, ridiculous, funny patterns’ (a 2014 show title) of her paintings, Katherine Bernhardt’s new work at Canada NYC continues to amuse with repeating images of Bart Simpson at his most irreverent.  Dropping his shorts and flanked by two giant smoking cigarettes, the day-glo cartoon character is an emblem of provocation and yet hard to take seriously. Bernhardt finds more contrast in each paintings’ combination of street-art channeling spray-painted outlines vs washy acrylic staining that signals considered painterly abstraction.  To those who might worry about the seriousness of Bernhardt’s series, the painting’s title applies: ‘Don’t have a cow, man.’ (On view through Feb 25th).

Katherine Bernhardt, Don’t have a cow, man,’ acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 60 x 48 inches, 2022.

Marlon Mullen at JTT Gallery

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Marlon Mullen‘s paintings, now on view at JTT Gallery, take imagery from art magazine covers and other art-related publications and filter it, altering graphic elements and text to transform the original image into something highly personal.  An artist with autism spectrum disorder who does not communicate verbally, the import of Mullen’s carefully rendered text is amplified.  Mullen’s project is also poignant for its focus on images – magazine covers – that have a great deal of cultural importance when fresh but are quickly replaced by new images/covers.  With his bold and imaginative interpretations, Mullen extends the life of these moments in art history while forcing recognition of their fleeting relevance.  (On view in Tribeca through Feb 11th).

Marlon Mullen, untitled, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 40 inches, 2022.

Cynthia Talmadge at Bortolami Gallery

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The streetscape in this painting by Cynthia Talmadge at Bortolami Gallery is a rendition of the gallery’s actual Tribeca location, but created in a pointillist painting style, the place doesn’t quite seem real.  Appropriately, each picture depicts a scene in the imagined life of ‘Alan Smithee,’ a pseudonym used in place of a real film director’s name when (s)he has lost creative control of a film and disowns it.  Talmadge pictures Smithee in various Hollywood haunts (the Scientology Celebrity Center, the Beverly Hilton) and later in New York as he ditches his west coast lifestyle and disastrous film career in favor of a shot at Broadway.  Redemption eludes Smithee but the story – also told with details of Smithee’s life on the cover of various issues of Playbill – entices with its conflict between big dreams and dashed hopes.  (On view in Tribeca through Feb 25th).

Cynthia Talmadge, Maserati (39 Walker), oil and canvas with wood frame, 30 x 24 inches, 2022.

RaMell Ross in ‘William Christenberry & RaMell Ross: Desire Paths’ at Pace Gallery

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After moving to Hale County, Alabama several years ago, writer, filmmaker, photographer and professor RaMell Ross has become known for creating contemplative portraits of the area’s Black residents in film and photography.  A selection of these images are a highlight of Pace Gallery’s dual show (curated by Ross) of Ross’s own work alongside artwork by the late photographer William Christenberry.  In this show, Ross’ focus is on place as much as people; inspired by Christenberry’s use of red-toned Alabama earth, Ross employs the material in flag boxes and picture frames and photographs dirt manipulated by man and machine.  Titled ‘Typeface,’ this piece suggests that earth can be used as a language or means of communication as it is developed to tell a new story.  (On view in Chelsea through Feb 25th).

RaMell Ross, Typeface, pigment print mounted to Dibond, 59 x 73 ¾, 2021.

Renata Bonfanti at Kaufman Repetto

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Experimentation and a quest for the new has been at the heart of Italian textile designer Renata Bonfanti’s work since she traveled from her native Italy to complete her studies in Olso in the early 50s.  A selection of woven work from 1968 – 1990, now on view at Kaufmann Repetto in Tribeca, foregrounds Bonfanti’s inventive techniques and varied geometries, which she explains are always inspired by the built environment.  (On view through Feb 18th).

Renata Bonfanti, Kilim 3 (from the Bengala series), linen, wool, and meraklon, 89 x 71.5 inches, 1982.