Tara Donovan at Pace Gallery

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

Masses of everyday objects (pencils, cups, index cards) transform into wondrous landscapes, creatures and more in Tara Donovan’s labor-intensive sculptural practice, but her latest show at Pace Gallery elicits awe at purely abstract forms.  Black drinking straws by the thousands create subtle patterned surfaces in the main gallery while manipulated wire screens dipped in ink demonstrate the endless possibilities of transformation on a grid.  The show’s centerpiece is the most interactive, causing visitors to circle around a sphere composed of slim plastic cylinders in an attempt to reconcile how light can make hard plastic appear soft and fuzzy.  (On view at Pace Gallery through March 6th).

Tara Donovan, Sphere, PETG, 6’ x 6’ x 6’, 2020.

Irving Penn at Pace Gallery

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

Irving Penn coined the term ‘Photographism’ to describe his style, a synthesis of graphic design and fine art, but the impact of his images goes beyond words.  Isolated against a white background that emphasizes strong tonal contrast and boldly outlined form, this 1971 photograph at Pace Gallery lends these two buds a hyperreality and heightened beauty.  (On view in Chelsea through Feb 13th).


Irving Penn, Imperial Pink Bud (top), Imperial Gold Bud (bottom), New York, pigment print mounted to board, 16 7/8 x 21 ¾ inches (image, paper and mount), 1971.

Eleanor Swordy in ‘In Situ’ at Marianne Boesky Gallery

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

Inspired by a late 19th century story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in which the narrator’s confinement drives her into another reality, Marianne Boesky Gallery’s group show ‘In Situ’ zeroes in on lone individuals in personally meaningful moments.  Here, Eleanor Swordy’s curvy character unzips an alarming torrent from an alternative universe (or maybe just a tent flap) from within the cocoon of a sleeping bag.  (On view in Chelsea through Feb 6th).

Eleanor Swordy, Hard Rain, oil on canvas, 60 x 60 inches, 2020.

Adrian Ghenie at Pace Gallery

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

Ghosts of Van Gogh and Gauguin haunt Romanian artist Adrian Ghenie’s latest body of work, now on view at Pace Gallery.  Titled ‘Hooliganism,’ the show is inspired by the idea that beneath the attractive colors or forms of historic avant-garde painting is an explosive departure from painterly norms.  This painting recalls Van Gogh’s 1889 self-portrait made after cutting his ear but substitutes Van Gogh’s impassive stare with a face literally swirling with psychic force.  (On view through April 24th).

Adrian Ghenie, Untitled, oil on canvas, 39 3/8 x 27 9/16 inches, 2020.

Alice Aycock at Marlborough Gallery

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

‘Wind, waves, turbines and vortexes of energy’ take solid form in Alice Aycock’s undulating aluminum sculptures at Marlborough Gallery.  Intended to evoke the power of natural elements, Aycock’s cyclones – towering or tiny – are static but strongly suggestive, resembling game pieces, cut paper or dancing forms.  (On view in Chelsea through Feb 27th).

Alice Aycock, installation view Marlborough Gallery, Dec 2021.