Black canvases, some formerly used as studio rags, hang from wires in David Zwirner Gallery’s Chelsea space in Oscar Murillo’s new installation, dividing the gallery into sections like a make-shift field hospital. Even more ominous are sculptures inspired by morgue tables and a huge torn canvas featuring a bank note. Both are a far cry from the artist’s last show – for which he created a chocolate factory in the gallery. (Through Oct 22nd).
Peter Shire at Derek Eller Gallery
LA sculptor Peter Shire’s ‘Scorpion’ strikes a fencing pose, but something about the red ball on top of this exaggerated tea-pot shape tones down the menace. Behind it, other sculptures reveal Shire’s involvement with the Memphis design group in the 80s and his own sense of humor in a deeply enjoyable survey of the artist’s work from the 70s to the present. (At Derek Eller Gallery on the Lower East Side through Oct 9th).
OSGEMEOS at Lehmann Maupin Gallery
Twice a day for ten minutes, gallery staff at Lehmann Maupin Gallery switch on this magical instrument, constructed by Brazilian street art twins OSGEMEOS. The gallery fills with an eerie melody in keeping with the dream-like setting constructed by the duo, transporting visitors far away from the everyday. (In Chelsea through Oct 22nd).
Bayne Peterson at Kristen Lorello
Titled ‘Curves,’ Bayne Peterson’s solo show of wood and metal sculpture at Kristen Lorello channels sensuous forms of the mid-20th century modernists (Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore) in dizzying color. At front left, ‘Apollo’ shares a name with the Roman god of music, appropriately, as the sculpture recalls a giant ear resting on a receiver. (On the Lower East Side through Oct 16th).
Ugo Rondinone at Barbara Gladstone Gallery
In Ugo Rondinone’s exhibition of stacked sculptures at Barbara Gladstone Gallery in 2013, the Swiss artist piled rocks to resemble human figures. Here, vivid colors set the tone for a show that is about visual pleasure. In the background, a circular form (made from branches cast in aluminum and gilded) stands in for the sun setting over this cheery, primordial landscape. (In Chelsea through Oct 29th).