Andra Ursuta at Ramiken Crucible

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Andra Ursuta, installation at Ramiken Crucible, 2012.
Andra Ursuta, installation at Ramiken Crucible, 2012.

Smashed gallery windows and a wall plowed down by a shiny cart set a restive mood for Andra Ursuta’s  latest solo show at Ramiken Crucible on the Lower East Side.  Totemic female torsos crafted from a mix of concrete and manure and marble statues of a Romanian gypsy woman awaiting deportation from France are weighed down and beautified by jewelry made from coins.  Partly informed by a story of Romanian witches casting a curse on their government, the show’s female characters stubbornly resist tidy concepts of national identity. (Through October 21st.)

William Wegman at Salon94 Freemans

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William Wegman, Dog Duet, 1975-76.
William Wegman, Dog Duet, 1975-76.

You don’t even have to be a dog lover to appreciate William Wegman’s videos with his Weimaraners May Ray and Fay Ray.  Here, the duo watches an off-screen ball with rapt attention, creating a mesmerizing, slow-motion dance performed with the utmost concentration.  See this video and more early Wegman videos at Salon 94 Freemans on the Lower East Side. (Through Oct 27th).

Matt Johnson at 303 Gallery

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Matt Johnson, Wifebeater, bronze, 2011.
Matt Johnson, Wifebeater, bronze, 2011.

Conceived of by accident when a shirt used as a glue rag dried into an arresting form, Matt Johnson’s Wifebeater is as pedestrian and delicately ephemeral as a plastic bag in the wind.  At least on first glance.  A closer look reveals Johnson’s trademark twist of using unlikely materials to make his sculpture.  This t-shirt is made of bronze.  (At Chelsea’s 303 Gallery through Nov 17th.)

Anya Kielar at Rachel Uffner Gallery

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Anya Kielar, installation view of 'Women' at Rachel Uffner Gallery, 2012.
Anya Kielar, installation view of ‘Women’ at Rachel Uffner Gallery, 2012.

From dyeing fabric to altering the weave of burlap, Brooklyn-based artist Anya Kielar harnesses an assortment of techniques to create her monumental ‘Women’ now on view at Rachel Uffner‘s Lower East Side gallery. Totemic goddesses and folksy females on floating screens transcend the everyday, literally becoming larger than life. Join Merrily next Saturday the 13th, 2-4pm on a tour of this show and more on the Lower East Side.

Marco Anelli at Danziger Projects

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Marco Anelli, four selections from 'Portraits in the Presence of Marina Abramovic,' 2010.
Marco Anelli, four selections from ‘Portraits in the Presence of Marina Abramovic,’ 2010.

For two and a half months in 2010, during every hour the Museum of Modern Art was open, performance artist Marina Abramovic sat silently facing a chair filled by a steady stream of visitors.  Photographer Marco Anelli was there with her, capturing the thoughtful, blank and tearful faces of each participant as they engaged in a wordless exchange with the artist. (Anelli’s ‘Portraits in the Presence of Marina Abramovic is at Chelsea’s Danziger Projects through Oct 27th).