Tetsumi Kudo at Andrea Rosen Gallery

Cage-based artworks from the ‘60s to the early ‘80s by late, Paris-based Japanese artist Tetsumi Kudo at Andrea Rosen Gallery demonstrate human estrangement from nature. Despite the bright colors, a heart shape, plastic flowers and the label reading ‘Bonheur,’ happiness seems far from this abject couple’s experience. (In Chelsea through Nov 16th).

Tetsumi Kudo, Bonheur, painted cage, artificial soil, plastic flowers, cotton, plastic, polyester, resin, string, cigarettes, thermometer, Aspro tablets, circuit board, 21 x 11 x 14 inches, 1974.
Tetsumi Kudo, Bonheur, painted cage, artificial soil, plastic flowers, cotton, plastic, polyester, resin, string, cigarettes, thermometer, Aspro tablets, circuit board, 21 x 11 x 14 inches, 1974.

Elmgreen and Dragset at Flag Art Foundation

Created in mirror-polished stainless steel, this sculpture of a lifeguard by Scandinavian art duo Elmgreen and Dragset shimmers like an apparition on the Flag Art Foundation’s 9th floor terrace. Peering intently toward the Hudson River (or the buildings on the block in between), the guard is perpetually alert to a situation we can’t see. (In Chelsea through Dec 17th).

Elmgreen and Dragset, Watching, mirror-polished stainless steel, 118 x 31 ½ x 37 2/5 inches, 2016.
Elmgreen and Dragset, Watching, mirror-polished stainless steel, 118 x 31 ½ x 37 2/5 inches, 2016.

Chow Chun Fai at Klein Sun Gallery

Hong Kong artist Chow Chun Fai paints stills from Hong Kong films, including this distillation of loneliness from Wong Kar-wai’s 1994 classic Chung King Express. Filmed just three years before Hong Kong’s return to China, the movie is about failed relationships and new beginnings, a position that interests Chow Chun Fai as Hong Kong heads towards socialist governance by 2047. (At Klein Sun Gallery in Chelsea through Nov 12th).

Chow Chun Fai, Chungking Express – Tears, oil on canvas, 39 3/8 x 59 inches, 2016.
Chow Chun Fai, Chungking Express – Tears, oil on canvas, 39 3/8 x 59 inches, 2016.

Spencer Finch at James Cohan Gallery

Spencer Finch literally changes the atmosphere inside James Cohan Gallery by creating an installation of hanging glass panels that create fog-like conditions inside the space. The shifting panels obscure the view across the gallery only from certain spots, meaning that visitors have to keep peering intently ahead to make out what’s there – an experience akin to moving through fog. (At Chelsea’s James Cohan Gallery through Nov 26th).

Spencer Finch, Thank You, Fog, 85 glass panels, aircraft cable, muted grey walls, dimensions variable, 2016.
Spencer Finch, Thank You, Fog, 85 glass panels, aircraft cable, muted grey walls, dimensions variable, 2016.

Claire Sherman at DC Moore Gallery

Inspired by sublime landscapes she’s encountered on road trips, Claire Sherman pictures the majestic outdoors as studies in light and form. (At DC Moore Gallery through Nov 5th).

Claire Sherman, Island, oil on canvas, 102 x 84 inches, 2016.
Claire Sherman, Island, oil on canvas, 102 x 84 inches, 2016.