Four paintings hang against chain link fencing at David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea, inaccessible to the public except by a narrow corridor between the fence and the wall, which has been painted with towering figures of sinuous dancers, themselves depicted behind a painted fence. The show is titled ‘Paradise Lost’ and follows Ofili’s ‘The Caged Bird’s Song’ at London’s National Gallery, for which the artist alluded to the practice in his adopted home, Trinidad, of raising caged songbirds. Here, aggressive fencing suggests that it is not the song of the caged bird that is sweeter. (On view through Oct 21st).
Celeste Dupuy-Spencer at Marlborough Contemporary
Amid a gorgeous Hudson Valley landscape, friends mingle on the porch of ramshackle Rokeby mansion in Celeste Dupuy-Spencer’s colorful celebration of togetherness at Marlborough Contemporary. Anchored by homeowner Ricky Aldrich in a blue jumpsuit, this multiage gathering of babies, dogs, kids and neighbors pays homage to community. (On view in Chelsea through Oct 7th).
Sze Tsung Nicolas Leong at Danziger Gallery
Since 2001, Sze Tsung Nicolas Leong has photographed horizon lines around the world from a tantalizing distance, hanging his images so that the Kenyan countryside abuts a view of Toledo, Spain, for example. In this detail, the wind whips tourists on a landscape so barren they look like actors on a stage-set. (On view at Danziger Gallery, in collaboration with Yossi Milo Gallery, on the Lower East Side through Oct 28th.)
Charles Ritchie at BravinLee Programs
Charles Ritchie’s tiny, meticulous watercolor and graphite drawings include reflections in the windows of his suburban home, offering a scene of the outdoors that’s at the same time, a view of his workplace. The merged locations feel dream-like and explore connectedness between interior and exterior realms. (At BravinLee Programs in Chelsea through Oct 14th).
Wim Delvoye at Perrotin
Perfect craftsmanship allows Wim Delvoye’s fabricated, ready-made sculptures to fool the eye, tricking us into thinking he’s performing magic with pieces like this twisting tire. Constructed completely in polished and patinated stainless steel, this remade motorbike tire is fit for a stunt bike. (On view on the Lower East Side at Perrotin through Oct 28th).