Sadie Laska at Canada New York

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

Sadie Laska’s flags line the walls of Canada NYC’s Tribeca project room in a profusion of color and an abundance of possible messages. An evolving fish strides along with the message ‘go fund yourself,’ as if suggesting a fundraising campaign to finance future development.  Nearby, a quilted star hovers over the image of planet earth featured in the 1960s-designed Earth Flag, while a mysterious silhouette thoughtfully paces above it all.  With humor, Laska suggests more complex flag-flying.  (On view in Tribeca through Dec 5th).

Sadie Laska, Installation view of EREHWON at Canada Gallery, Nov 2020.

David Kennedy Cutler in ‘Masks’ at Klaus Gallery

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

Why stop at masking your mouth and nose these days?  David Kennedy Cutler’s standout contribution to Klaus Gallery’s group exhibition, ‘Mask,’ shows the artist’s rack of cloned selves in the form of complete suits constructed by printing scanned images on cotton and plastic.  Designed to be worn in performances by multiple individuals, including the artist, each character manifests the digital self with ‘real’ self hidden beneath.  (On view on the Lower East Side through Nov 28th.  Masks and social distancing required.)

David Kennedy Cultler, Second Skins, inkjet on cotton and PETG, zipper, Velcro, deconstructed sneakers, performance detritus, wood rack, outfits: 79 x 22 x 12 inches, 2017-2020.

Stephanie Temma Hier in ‘This Sacred Vessel, part 3’ at Arsenal Contemporary Art

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

While most artists would choose between a ceramic sculpture or a painting for a given artwork, young Brooklyn-based Canadian artist Stephanie Temma Hier combines both in wall-mounted sculptures that frame representational paintings of fruit, vegetables, and flowers.  Surrounded by natural imagery, the artworks set up conversations between painting and crafted subjects that literally expand our thinking beyond the frame.  Here, fresh, clean and ready to cook greens meet both wild (hallucinogenic?) and chopped mushrooms offering a variety of pathways to consumption.  (On view at Arsenal Contemporary Art on the Lower East Side through Dec 20th.  Masks and social distancing required).

Stephanie Temma Hier, Beloved by the Caterpillar, oil on linen with glazed stoneware, 21.5 x 18 x 3 inches, 2020.

Jordan Nassar at James Cohan Gallery

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

A rich array of colors make Jordan Nassar’s flame-worked glass bead sculptures at James Cohan Gallery an immediate and present pleasure, yet the experience of dislocation drives these abstracted landscapes.  Raised in the US, the young Palestinian-American artist grew up understanding aspects of his family’s culture at a geographical remove.  Here, he creates points of entry into imagined landscapes through transparent grids of glass beads.  (On view on the Lower East Side through Nov 21st.  Masks and social distancing required.)


Jordan Nassar, Bab Al-Amoud (Gate of The Pillar), hand-flamed glass beads, steel, wire, 12 x 29 x 10 inches, 2020.

Inka Essenhigh at Miles McEnery Gallery

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

Inspired by a multitude of sources from Dali to Disney, Inka Essenhigh continues to craft fantastical scenarios as intriguing as they are bizarre.  Here, a curvy female figure (seemingly crafted from a single orange/green material from her hair to her off-kilter shoes) primps in front of a shattered mirror that reflects a monster-like apparition.  Are we seeing reality?  Will she continue to transform before our eyes?  Essenhigh’s rich stories leave us wanting more.  (On view at Miles McEnery Gallery on 22nd Street in Chelsea through Nov 14th).

Inka Essenhigh, Forever Young, enamel on canvas, 60 x 42 inches, 2020.