Tyler Rowland in ‘HiJack’ at Jack Shainman Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't MissPosted on Comments are Disabled
Tyler Rowland, The Stonebreakers (All the Objects Needed to Install a Work of Art), trash from jobsite, 2004-06
Tyler Rowland, The Stonebreakers (All the Objects Needed to Install a Work of Art), trash from jobsite, 2004-06

Artist Tyler Rowland was so taken by 19th century Realist painter Gustave Courbet that he spent a year impersonating (in appearance anyways) his forebear.  In ‘HiJack!’ a show of work organized by the art handlers at Chelsea’s Jack Shainman Gallery, Rowland’s contribution is a missing Courbet painting (presumed destroyed in the WWII bombing of Dresden), along with the tools necessary to install it (all carefully manufactured by the artist from materials recycled from construction jobs).  The layers of reference are complex but readable, making this piece a testament to the continuing influence of art history on contemporary painting while challenging preconceptions of what an artwork should look like. (‘The Stonebreakers (All the Objects Needed to Install a Work of Art), 2004-06’ is on view through Sept 1st. )

Tyler Rowland, The Stonebreakers (All the Objects Needed to Install a Work of Art), trash from jobsite, 2004-06
Tyler Rowland, The Stonebreakers (All the Objects Needed to Install a Work of Art), trash from jobsite, 2004-06

Andrew Kuo in ‘In Plain Sight’ at Mitchell-Innes & Nash

by Merrily KerrDon't MissPosted on Comments are Disabled
Andrew Kuo, 'Tallboy,' acrylic on linen, 2012.
Andrew Kuo, ‘Tallboy,’ acrylic on linen, 2012.

Linsanity goes on hiatus in Andrew Kuo’s tiny painting of Houston Rockets star Jeremy Lin as he is chastised by an angry basketball.  Floating in a tank a la Jeff Koon’s basketballs in his 1985 ‘Equilibrium’ series, the ball becomes the object of our attention, forcing a downcast Lin into the backseat.  The vicissitudes of stardom never looked so cute. (‘Tallboy’ is in the group exhibition ‘In Plain Sight’ at Chelsea’s Mitchell-Innes & Nash through August 17th).

Matthew Brandt at Yossi Milo Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't MissPosted on Comments are Disabled
Matthew Brandt, Bees of Bees 5 (detail), gum bichromate print with honeybees on paper, 2012.
Matthew Brandt, Bees of Bees 5 (detail), gum bichromate print with honeybees on paper, 2012.

Whether he’s burning trees to make charcoal or soaking a photograph of a lake in lake water to get an abstracted effect, Matthew Brandt uses his subject matter to create an image of that subject.  When bee colony collapse led to his discovery of hundreds of dead or dying bees on the California coast, he collected the bees and photographed them in his studio, printing them with an emulsion made of the bees.   The resulting prints are huge and swarming with bees (like the one in this detail), but chilling when a closer look reveals that they are in various states of decomposition. (At Yossi Milo Gallery through August 31, 2012).

Joan Brown in ‘Viva la Raspberries’ at Harris Lieberman

by Merrily KerrDon't MissPosted on Comments are Disabled
Joan Brown, Mary Julia y Manuel, enamel on canvas, 1976.
Joan Brown, Mary Julia y Manuel, enamel on canvas, 1976.

Apart from its large size and bold color, Joan Brown’s ‘Mary Julia Y Manuel,’ from 1976 stands out for its romantic drama, played out on a bright red stage before a swirling San Francisco Bay.  Mary Julia, model and poet, holds a similar pose to Goya’s supposed lover, the Dutchess of Alba and her name is paired with Brown’s ex-husband Manuel, making this nighttime scene ring with tension. (‘Viva la Raspberries’ is at Harris Lieberman, Chelsea, through August 17th).

Davina Semo in ‘Sweet Distemper’ at Derek Eller Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't MissPosted on Comments are Disabled
Davina Semo, You Said We're Skipping the Prelude; Start the Insults, reinforced concrete, safety glass, enamel paint, 2011
Davina Semo, You Said We’re Skipping the Prelude; Start the Insults, reinforced concrete, safety glass, enamel paint, 2011

Three panels of painted concrete covered in shattered safety glass by Davina Semo at Chelsea’s Derek Eller Gallery rest on the floor like they were just brought in from a war-zone.  Minimalist stripes in safety orange appear to have suffered heavy attack but survive to bear witness.  Together they’re titled, ‘You said we’re skipping the prelude: start the insults.” (Though August 16th).