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).
Finely sifted red soil imported from Oklahoma becomes a patterned carpet in Rena Detrixhe’s first New York solo show at Spencer Brownstone Gallery. Using a trowel to smooth down the dirt, then imprinting it with modified shoe soles, the Kansas-based artist considers the symbolic value attached to land in the mid-west while alluding to mankind’s impact on it. (On view on the Lower East Side through June 16th).
Inspired by his home country’s rich tradition of textile working, Malian artist Abdoulaye Konate employs colorful patterns, cut-out shapes and embroidery to depict a sea abundant with life. As with many of his representational works, Konate alludes to social issues including the desertification of the country and the lack of access to clean water while he celebrates the beauty of its traditional fabrics and indigo dyes. (On view at Blain Southern in Chelsea through June 15th).
