Matt Bollinger at Zurcher Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

‘This is the American dream gone wrong’ declared a review of past work by Matt Bollinger whose paintings were inspired by the people and places of the artist’s home state, Kansas.  Bollinger is back with new work at Zurcher Gallery featuring electric colors that run counter to his usual muted tones, but which make the the weariness of his characters all the more noticeable.  Even when they’re in public, Bollinger’s characters are alone, caught in a moment of reflection and looking devastated.  (On view on the Lower East Side through April 29th.  Masks and social distancing are required.)

Matt Bollinger, Countdown, flashe and acrylic on canvas, 48 x 38 inches, 2021.

Sydney Vernon in ‘Black Femme: Sovereign of WAP and the Virtual Realm’ at Canada Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Pretty in pink but commanding her space, the subject of this portrait by Sydney Vernon at Canada Gallery is full of life.  Along with an accompanying video the mixed media portrait is actually a memorial to a family matriarch, ‘a tender reflection on familial love and loss.’  A pelvic x-ray to the left, a photo of two children on the right along with living spaces and artwork suggest episodes from a life while writing on the column to the left offers sage advice including ‘beauty is only skin deep.’ (On view in Tribeca through April 10th.  Masks and social distancing is required and occupancy is limited).

Sydney Vernon, Tying Loose Ends, pastel, charcoal, acrylic and collage on paper, 52 x 46 inches, 2020.

Elias Sime at James Cohan Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Megaphones accent the surfaces of Ethiopian artist Elias Sime’s latest sculptures at James Cohan Gallery, prompting viewers to question what voices are amplified in public discourse.  In the context of politics and the pandemic, Sime explains that he’s thinking about “…how humans are easily manipulated by individuals and rush to conclusions that they often regret when the truth begins to surface.”  Having recently created domed sculpture for a show at the Saint Louis Art Museum inspired by Native American Cahokia Mounds and the St Louis Gateway Arch, this huge, bowl-like sculpture is a highlight of Sime’s current show. (On view in Tribeca through April 24th.  Masks, social distancing and appointments are required).

Elias Sime, Tightrope: Eyes and Ears of a Bat (1), reclaimed electrical wires on wood, 47 ¼ x 83 ½ inches, 2020.

Karon Davis at Deitch Projects

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

In her impressive New York solo show debut, Karon Davis transforms Deitch Projects’ cavernous SoHo space into the 1969 Chicago courtroom in which Bobby Seale stood trial bound and gagged.  Before a plaster cast of the Black Panther leader, a towering bench houses a replica of Judge Julius Hoffman, who Davis describes in the trial as ‘brutal and monstrous.’  Here, on the gallery’s elevated platform, a row of jurors looks on impassively, isolated in red and blue cases that disengage them with the scene unfolding before them.  (On view in SoHo through April 24th).

Karon Davis, Jury Member #3, plaster bandages, plaster, glass-eyes, steel, acrylic, plywood, white paint, 70 x 22 x 22 inches.

Red Grooms at Marlborough Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest ShowPosted on Comments are Disabled

Is Red Grooms a ‘zany genius’ or ‘so much kitsch?’  The New York Times pondered the question in a 2018 profile of the New York-based creator of ‘sculpto-picto-ramas’ – sculptures of New Yorkers and their habitats.  Now, visitors to Marlborough Gallery’s exhibition of Grooms’ work from ’74 to the present have the opportunity to consider anew Grooms’ affectionately eccentric characters, such as this dog-walker from 1981.  (On view in Chelsea through May 8th).

Red Grooms, Walking the Dogs, painted canvas, papier-mache and metal chain on wood support, 36 ¾ x 20 x 22 ½ inches, 1981.