Iconic German artist Sigmar Polke created this painting the year after a trip that took him around Asia, from Papua New Guinea to Thailand and beyond. Painted on checked fabric, Polke’s hovering, calligraphic mountains compete with a rectangular pattern of curving black splashes, creating an almost mythical realm at center. (At David Zwirner Gallery’s 20th Street location through June 25th).
Meg Webster’s environmentally friendly project at Paula Cooper Gallery uses a solar-powered electrical system to power grow lights that maintain planters full of herbs, lettuce, flowers and more. Mylar-covered walls reflect light and emphasize how unnatural Webster’s carefully maintained, secluded slice of nature is. (In Chelsea through June 24th).
LA artist Naotaka Hiro’s fragmentary, cast self-portraits question what we do and don’t see from the exterior. ‘Big Question’ also appeals our sense of hearing as the artist demonstratively takes hold of his ear. (At Brennan & Griffin on the Lower East Side through June 5th).
Anish Kapoor’s monumental sculpture ‘She Wolf’ appears to be tipping over under its own weight, or deliberately leaning to the gallery floor from its marble pedestal. Given the title, giant quasi-oval shapes suggest teats, though a covering of soil over the structure’s rocky forms ties it to the earth, creating a kind of living geology. (At Barbara Gladstone Gallery’s 21st Street location through June 11th).
New York artist Josh Blackwell morphs a plastic carrier bag into a wonder of colorful stitching in a free-standing sculpture that’s a poster child for reuse and recycling. (At 11R on the Lower East Side through June 5th).
