Dylan Martinez in ‘Fire and Water’ at Lyons Wier Gallery

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

Washington-based glass artist Dylan Martinez fools the eye with solid glass sculptures that appear to be plastic bags filled with water.  “Our desires often override our true perception of reality,” the artist explains, anticipating the strong urge to believe that there’s water inside each ‘bag’ when, in fact, it’s the reflections on the exterior that create an illusion of movement.  A standout in Lyons Wier Gallery’s ‘Fire & Water’ group exhibition, Martinez also amazes with glass sculptures resembling cross sections of a vase, undulating in space.  (On view in Chelsea through July 6th).

Dylan Martinez, Glass Water Bags, hollow and solid sculpted glass, 2019.

Terry Haggerty at Sikkema Jenkins & Co

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

It’s risky to take too long a look at Sikkema Jenkins & Co’s gallery wall – British abstract artist Terry Haggerty’s mural can literally upend your balance as his painted lines appear to twist and bend in space.  The optical surprises continue in painted wooden panels that invite us to try to make out the multiple viewpoints depicted in each piece.  Whether you walk away with a headache or invigorated by the effort of wrestling with your perceptions, the show is worth engaging.  (On view in Chelsea through June 30th).

Terry Haggerty, Untitled, acrylic on wall, dimensions variable, 2019.

Kiki Kogelnik at Mitchell-Innes & Nash

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As Pop art burst onto the US art scene in the early 60s, Austrian artist Kiki Kogelnik moved to New York and forged her own related path, imagining humans as robots, bombs as sculpture and later, models as aliens.  In this painting from 1979, Kogelnik morphed the fashion-forward woman of the day into a creature with glowing eyes and stylish garments, hair and skin in reptilian green tones.  Set against floating triangles, the women are as abstract as their backgrounds and ready to defy convention.  (On view at Mitchell-Innes & Nash in Chelsea through June 29th).

Kiki Kogelnik, City, oil and acrylic on canvas, 98 5/8 x 63 1/8 inches, 1979.

Leonardo Drew at Galerie Lelong

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

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).

Leonardo Drew, Number 215, wood, paint and sand, dimensions variable, 2019.

Frances Goodman in ‘Delicate Industry’ at Richard Taittinger Gallery

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

‘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).

Frances Goodman, detail of ‘Seething Red,’ acrylic nails, resin, foam, silicone glue, 51 ¼ x 102 3/8 x 9 inches, 2017.