Sam Falls at 303gallery.com

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

Sam Falls records a direct experience of nature by allowing the elements to interact with the plant material and pigment he places on canvas and leaves outdoors.   His beautifully presented on-line exhibition at 303gallery.com includes photos that elaborate on his process and his ceramic practice, which includes a series of intricate ceramic tile archways on the High Line featuring designs every bit as enticing as the lush foliage surrounding them.  (On view in 303 Gallery’s on-line viewing room through May 15th).

Sam Falls, detail of Untitled (Conception), pigment on canvas, 7ft, 6 in x 41ft, 2018.

Carol Bove at davidzwirner.com

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

Fashion, art history and the relationship between works in an exhibition drive the color choices that make Carol Bove’s hybrid sculptures stand out.  Sharp contrasts between aged, found steel and the smooth geometries of urethane-covered forms give pause to consider the relationships between two familiar yet seemingly mismatched materials.  This piece (seen in detail) from the artist’s last major Chelsea solo show at David Zwirner Gallery in ‘16 juxtaposes found steel with urethane-covered steel to create a wonderfully misleading suggestion of pliability.  When a sculpture’s color can make it appear to have a digital effect, Bove’s at her happiest.  She explains this and more on davidzwirner.com where a new on-line exhibition showcases select new works.

Carol Bove, (detail of) Daphne and Apollo, found steel, stainless steel, and urethane paint, 98 x 72 x 61 inches, 2016.

Broomberg & Chanarin at signsandsymbols.art

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

London and Berlin-based artists and photography professors Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin’s short film, ‘The Bureaucracy of Angels’ grabs the imagination immediately with an unlikely casting choice; the star of the show – a mechanical wrecking arm – makes a riveting appearance as a soulful ballad singer lamenting the pain of migration.  Currently available to watch via the Lower East Side gallery Signs & Symbols’ website, the piece’s premise is absurd but the effect is first mesmerizing, then moving.  Part destroyer, part guardian, the machine keeps watch over migrants being intercepted by rescue agencies before eventually wrecking boats abandoned by travelers who made it to Sicily.  (Available online at signsandsymbols.art through May 13th).

Broomberg & Chanarin, still from ‘The Bureaucracy of Angels,’ 2017.

Rebecca Morgan in ‘Amuse-Bouche’ at asyageisberg.com

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

Rebecca Morgan’s skewering of elitist urban attitudes towards rural Americans has shifted towards the grotesque in recent years.  You wouldn’t guess this to judge by this highlight of Morgan’s 2014 show from New York Art Tours archive, a sensitive portrayal of the artist wrapped in her ‘depression blanket.’  Audacious and merciless as ever, Morgan’s latest work at Asya Geisberg Gallery is part of a group exhibition of work priced under $3k; her young woman in a face mask is a highlight of the presentation.

Rebecca Morgan, Depression Blanket, oil and graphite on panel, 28” x 22,” 2014.

Hilary Pecis in ‘Dwelling is the Light’ at timothytaylor.com

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

West coast light and the pleasures of color define Hilary Pecis’ recent work at Rachel Uffner Gallery and Timothy Taylor Gallery’s current on-line show ‘Dwelling is the Light.’  Working from a photo archive that includes the homes of friends and family, Pecis creates vibrant portraits that leave out actual individuals but make you wish you could meet the characters who’ve created such sunny environments.  (On view at timothytaylor.com through May 15th).

Hilary Pecis, Morning, acrylic on canvas, 50 x 40 inches, 2019.