Inspired by shipwrecks in iconic 19th century paintings by Gericault and Delacroix, Cecily Brown’s latest oil paintings allow strange, fraught characters to emerge from the depths. In this detail from ‘Sirens and Shipwrecks and Bathers and the Band,’ a figure appears from swirling blue depths like a figurehead on a ship, a seemingly stray blue line forming a knowing smile. (At Paula Cooper Gallery in Chelsea through Dec 2nd).
A crumpled red duvet at the entrance to Jane Lombard Gallery is at once cozy and alien – a symbol of the comforts of home, but a symbol that belongs to someone else. Constructed in fired clay by Ashley Lyon, sculptures including the bed covering, a piece of memory foam, pillows and this quilt offer a conceptual appreciation of the soft furnishings that make a house a home. (On view in Chelsea through Dec 21st).
Taking the history of painting, particularly 20th century modernism as one major influence, painter Matt Connors shapes color and form into optical experience in new paintings at Canada NY on the Lower East Side. (On view through Dec 10th).
Known for combining art, architecture and design, Jorge Pardo takes a turn towards two-dimensional work at Petzel Gallery with laser cut light boxes bearing his self-portraits. This surprising turn away from 3-D objects and spaces, along with Pardo’s recent self-portraits crafted on furniture, begs the question of whether all of the artist’s design isn’t a form of portraiture. (On view at Petzel Gallery through Jan 13th).
Over a period of weeks or months, photographer Tanya Marcuse builds up sections of earth with transplanted mushrooms, berries, and various plants, adding in preserved animals (who have died elsewhere) along with fresh materials. The result is a tour de force of nature, which she likens to the roiling bodies of Jan van Eyck’s Last Judgment or a Jackson Pollock dense, all-over composition. (At Julie Saul Gallery through Nov 25th).
