Analia Saban at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

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

Can painting be a tapestry?  Can it be sculpture?  Analia Saban continues to explore painting’s possibilities in her current show at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, in which she presents woven paintings, pigments derived from Tesla paint, and dried paint as a printing surface.  Here, one of a series of paintings created by weaving dried paint strips through linen features a gradient inspired by image-editing software.  Appearing in various colors of the spectrum, each gradient painting juxtaposes the digital and handmade, painting and fabric production, offering a fascinating hybrid medium.  (On view in Chelsea through June 19th.  Masks and social distancing required).

Analia Saban, Woven Angle Gradient as Weft, Medium Violet, woven acrylic paint and linen thread on panel, 70 1/4 x 70 1/4 x 2 1/4 inches, 2021.

Gareth Cadwallader in ‘and I will wear you in my heart of heart’ at the Flag Art Foundation

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

Inspired by moments of tenderness, Flag Art Foundation’s 35 artist summer group show explores a variety of expressions of affection, from a child asleep in a parent’s arms to a beautifully hand-stitched scene of self-care.  British artist Gareth Cadwallader’s Orange Juice, a small oil painting with a lot of detail, suggests we pause to appreciate the pleasures of the natural world, from the orange that produces juice to the jumble of plant life to the left, topped by two bird-of-paradise. (On view in Chelsea through Aug 13th.  Masks and social distancing required).

Gareth Cadwallader, Orange Juice, oil on canvas, 32 x 24.8cm, 2015.

Adriana Varejao at Gagosian Gallery

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Tiles influenced by Moorish design and imported from Portugal to Brazil have long inspired Brazilian artist Adriana Varejao’s meditations on cultural and ethnic hybridity.  Now focusing on Mexican Talavera tiles, Varejao’s new work at Chelsea’s Gagosian Gallery considers how the tiles relate to indigenous, Hispanic, Italian and Chinese ceramic production.  At the center of the gallery, columns covered in tile are revealed to have meat-like cores that recall the white veined, red marble columns of Baroque architecture.  For Varejao, Baroque culture – and the ‘chaotic pulsing matter’ of the columns – is predicated on accepting difference and embracing multiple identities.  (On view in Chelsea through June 26th. Masks and social distancing required.)

Adriana Varejao, Talavera Meat Ruin I, oil on aluminum and polyurethane, 145 11/16 x 15 ¾ x 15 ¾ inches, 2021.

Pedro Reyes at Lisson Gallery

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Striking in her streamlined beauty, ‘Tlali’ greets visitors to Chelsea’s Lisson Gallery, where Mexico City based artist Pedro Reyes’ latest solo show draws inspiration from pre-Columbian aesthetics.  Translated as ‘earth,’ Tlali has been created in volcanic stone, a material that Reyes links not just to the land but to sustenance (as it is used to create mortar and pestles).  In this photo, behind Tlali, a scribe represents the preservation of knowledge while an abstract tower of reddish tezontle stone was inspired by temple supports resembling Toltec warriors. (On view through June 18th.  Masks and social distancing required.)

Pedro Reyes, Tlali, volcanic stone, 32 ¼ x 26 ¾ x 39 ¼ inches, 2020.

Natalie Frank at Salon94

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Tiny at just 8 x 8 inches, this underpainted and glazed ceramic sculpture has a powerful presence in Natalie Frank’s solo exhibition at Salon94’s Lower East Side location.  ‘Woman, Bride,’ is one of many female figures depicted in paper pulp paintings or ceramic sculpture who appears to know her own mind and is prepared to use it.  Whether Frank is partnering with Ballet Austin on a performance, illustrating books with her expressive paintings, or crafting sculpture, the dynamism and daring of her imagined characters stands out.  (On view on the Lower East Side through May 22nd.)

Natalie Frank, Woman, Bride, glazed ceramic, 8 x 8 x 1 inches, 2021.