Gina Beavers in ‘Painting/Sculpture’ at Marianne Boesky Gallery

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

Gina Beavers’ acrylic and foam constructions feel delightfully excessive, their high relief suggesting an eagerness to be noticed.  Inspired by glossy social media images of food, makeup and more, the work both revels in and critiques consumption, a point Beavers emphasizes by packing five paintings onto one cube, currently on view at Marianne Boesky Gallery in Chelsea.  Here, thick brushes and lush lips conflate on-line makeup tutorials with the painter’s art, humorously questioning art’s role in selling product.  (On view in ‘Painting/Sculpture’ through August 9th).

Gina Beavers, Lips with Painter’s Lips, acrylic and foam on canvas on panel with wood frame, framed: 31 x 31 x 8 inches, 2019

Tony Cox at Marlborough Gallery

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

Dramatically colored abstract forms rise off the canvases in Tony Cox’s engaging new show of textured panels at Marlborough Gallery in Chelsea.  Inspired by psychotherapy and Jungian psychology, Cox emerged from a recent health crisis to create labor intensive works that reward contemplative viewing.   (On view through August 2nd).

Tony Cox, Shadow Taser, thread, acrylic, suede, lamb leather, twisted lipcord, poly stuffing on canvas in walnut frame, 73 ½ x 57 ½ inches, 2019.

Robin Kang in ‘Pool Party’ at C24 Gallery

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

Robin Kang morphs circuit board imagery into patterns resembling peacock feathers in a textile created with a digitally operated Jacquard hand loom.  An abundance of gold from metallic yarns suggests a link to the divine, the receding space a throne-like seat or corridor leading to the beyond.  (On view in ‘Pool Party’ organized by Field Projects at C24 Gallery in Chelsea through Sept 21st).


Robin Kang, Daggerwing, hand jacquard woven wool, chenille, hand dyed cotton and metallic yarns, 53 x 65 inches, 2016.

Mary Heilmann in ‘Abstract, Representational and so forth’ at Gladstone Gallery

by Merrily KerrDon't Miss, Features & Commissions, Hottest Show, Inside ViewPosted on Comments are Disabled

Mary Heilmann’s red and black ceramic sculpture ‘Curl’ seems to defy its title with its angular panels, yet each segment dynamically spins around a central core like a step on a spiral staircase seen from above.  Each tile evokes a riser with three treads or a chunky version of the Egyptian deity Isis’ throne in Constructivist colors that make a bold statement.  (On view at Gladstone Gallery’s 24th Street Chelsea location through July 26th).

Mary Heilmann, Curl, glazed ceramic, 15 ½ x 20 ½ x 2 ¼ inches, 1984.

Kevin Umana in ‘The Usual Suspects: A View of Abstraction’ at DC Moore Gallery

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

Music, 20th century design and the dingy tiles of New York’s Holland Tunnel have inspired New York-based painter Kevin Umana’s abstract canvases.  Here, the artist nods to the award-winning film ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ in the color scheme of this small, energetic, and fractured painting.  (On view in Chelsea at DC Moore Gallery through August 8th).

Kevin Umana, One O’clock Jump, acrylic with marble dust on linen, 12 x 12 inches, 2019.