Newly represented by Galerie Lelong, Leonardo Drew’s inaugural show at the gallery arrives with a bang with an installation that resembles a hovering mass of exploded material. Like the artist’s recently opened outdoor work at Madison Square Park, the piece offers an unexpected blast of color unfamiliar to fans of Drew’s black, white and wood-colored wall sculptures while continuing to ponder themes of destruction and regeneration. (On view in Chelsea through August 2nd).
‘Seething’ is the perfect word to describe the undulating mass of red and purple folds that writhe and twist in South African artist Frances Goodman’s ‘Seething Mass,’ a standout in Richard Taittinger Gallery’s current group show. Composed of acrylic nails in colors that range from blood red to vivid magentas and purples, this abstract wall sculpture hangs near shields that resemble sharpened, painted fingernails. In both cases, Goodman gives adornment dangerous potential. (On view on the Lower East Side through June 30th).
Human connection is the subject of ‘In the Bedroom,’ South African artist Claudette Schreuders’ latest show of wood sculpture at Chelsea’s Jack Shainman Gallery. Here, in ‘Guilty Bystander,’ Schreuders offers an intimate look at a pensive, uncomfortable character who is somehow implicated in an event that we don’t see, begging the question of whether one must be physically close to an activity to be involved. (On view through June 22nd).
Shara Hughes’ new paintings of lush, psychedelic flowers dominate landscapes so teeming with life it’s almost alarming. Here, several colorful plants sprout blossoms supported by curvaceous stems resembling cursive script, as if new language was needed to describe this beautifully alien world. (On view at Rachel Uffner Gallery on the Lower East Side through June 23rd).
It comes as no surprise when pondering ‘Tau,’ currently installed at Pace Gallery’s 25th Street location, that sculptor Tony Smith began his career as an architect, building spaces designed to be experienced by bodies in motion. Towering over visitors to the gallery’s 25th Street space, the sculpture’s sleek sophistication invites admiration from all angles. (On view in Chelsea through June 22nd).
