Gareth Cadwallader in ‘and I will wear you in my heart of heart’ at the Flag Art Foundation

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Inspired by moments of tenderness, Flag Art Foundation’s 35 artist summer group show explores a variety of expressions of affection, from a child asleep in a parent’s arms to a beautifully hand-stitched scene of self-care.  British artist Gareth Cadwallader’s Orange Juice, a small oil painting with a lot of detail, suggests we pause to appreciate the pleasures of the natural world, from the orange that produces juice to the jumble of plant life to the left, topped by two bird-of-paradise. (On view in Chelsea through Aug 13th.  Masks and social distancing required).

Gareth Cadwallader, Orange Juice, oil on canvas, 32 x 24.8cm, 2015.

Adriana Varejao at Gagosian Gallery

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Tiles influenced by Moorish design and imported from Portugal to Brazil have long inspired Brazilian artist Adriana Varejao’s meditations on cultural and ethnic hybridity.  Now focusing on Mexican Talavera tiles, Varejao’s new work at Chelsea’s Gagosian Gallery considers how the tiles relate to indigenous, Hispanic, Italian and Chinese ceramic production.  At the center of the gallery, columns covered in tile are revealed to have meat-like cores that recall the white veined, red marble columns of Baroque architecture.  For Varejao, Baroque culture – and the ‘chaotic pulsing matter’ of the columns – is predicated on accepting difference and embracing multiple identities.  (On view in Chelsea through June 26th. Masks and social distancing required.)

Adriana Varejao, Talavera Meat Ruin I, oil on aluminum and polyurethane, 145 11/16 x 15 ¾ x 15 ¾ inches, 2021.

Pedro Reyes at Lisson Gallery

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Striking in her streamlined beauty, ‘Tlali’ greets visitors to Chelsea’s Lisson Gallery, where Mexico City based artist Pedro Reyes’ latest solo show draws inspiration from pre-Columbian aesthetics.  Translated as ‘earth,’ Tlali has been created in volcanic stone, a material that Reyes links not just to the land but to sustenance (as it is used to create mortar and pestles).  In this photo, behind Tlali, a scribe represents the preservation of knowledge while an abstract tower of reddish tezontle stone was inspired by temple supports resembling Toltec warriors. (On view through June 18th.  Masks and social distancing required.)

Pedro Reyes, Tlali, volcanic stone, 32 ¼ x 26 ¾ x 39 ¼ inches, 2020.

Natalie Frank at Salon94

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Tiny at just 8 x 8 inches, this underpainted and glazed ceramic sculpture has a powerful presence in Natalie Frank’s solo exhibition at Salon94’s Lower East Side location.  ‘Woman, Bride,’ is one of many female figures depicted in paper pulp paintings or ceramic sculpture who appears to know her own mind and is prepared to use it.  Whether Frank is partnering with Ballet Austin on a performance, illustrating books with her expressive paintings, or crafting sculpture, the dynamism and daring of her imagined characters stands out.  (On view on the Lower East Side through May 22nd.)

Natalie Frank, Woman, Bride, glazed ceramic, 8 x 8 x 1 inches, 2021.

Ugo Rondinone at Gladstone Gallery

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Like his colossal humanoids made of rough-hewn blocks of stone at Rockefeller Center in 2013 or his colorful rock stacks located outside of Las Vegas, Ugo Rondinone’s towering sculptures at Gladstone Gallery offer a transformative experience.  Titled ‘nuns + monks,’ the three figures are scaled up bronze versions of stones broken in ways that resemble figures in voluminous ecclesiastical garments.  Rondinone explains that nuns and monks exist as ‘vessel and beacon, human body and mystical source,’ and therefore represent the possibility of new metaphorical interpretation. (On view in Chelsea through June 18th.  Masks and social distancing are required.)

Ugo Rondinone, Installation view of ‘nuns + monks’ at Gladstone Gallery, May 2021.