‘Emotional and empathetic’ painting has been New York painter Doron Langberg’s goal since he saw a show of Lucian Freud’s paintings as a kid. His first solo show at Yossi Milo Gallery is a tour de force of sensitively conceived, often monumentally-scaled portraits of friends and family at ease, enjoying leisure time or intimacy. (On view in Chelsea through Oct 19th).
Inspired in part by Charles C. Ebbet’s iconic staged photograph of Rockefeller Center ironworkers eating lunch on a suspended girder, Amy Sherald’s portrait of an anonymous young man pictures him at home in the air, his mind on other things. Poised as if about to speak, Sherald’s subject points to the possibility and promise of communication. (On view in Chelsea at Hauser & Wirth Gallery).
Would New York be better without the people? An empty subway entrance at West 4th Street, Rockefeller Center buried by snow and a deserted Coney Island beach – all scenes included in Brooklyn-based painter Brian Alfred’s latest show at Miles McEnery Gallery – suggest that if the city’s human inhabits would step aside, the views would improve. Here, two city bridges silhouetted by a gorgeous sunrise or sunset may or may not be busy with traffic, but they appear as tranquil as the country-side. (On view in Chelsea through Oct 5th).
‘Property Rights,’ Mitch Epstein’s latest photography series focuses on contested land in the U.S., from protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock to the conflict between immigration activists and self-organized patrols along the southern border. Though each location is defined by its tensions, Epstein’s photos are marked by their calmness and sensitivity to the experience of everyday people navigating the impact of larger forces on their lives. (On view at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. in Chelsea through Oct 5th).
“Driving through Los Angeles, you see all kinds of things out your window, and they go by so quickly,” Alex Prager told the New Yorker as she explained the bizarre scenarios and eccentric characters in her latest photos and video at Lehmann Maupin Gallery. This towering, nine-foot-tall sculpture dominates the gallery and appears in an even larger version in Prager’s short film ‘Play the Wind,’ an homage to the unexpected and strange on the streets of Prager’s hometown. (On view in Chelsea through Oct 26th).
