Fred Wilson at Pace Gallery

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

Fred Wilson continues to consider African diasporic populations of the Mediterranean in a selection of recent work commissioned for the 15th Istanbul Biennial, currently on view at Pace Gallery in Chelsea.  Uncharacteristically dark-toned Iznik tile walls include the text ‘Black is Beautiful’ and ‘Mother Africa’ in elaborate Arabic script while chandeliers combine black Murano glass from Venice with metal elements that evoke Ottoman design.  Wilson’s installation merges diverse traditions with dramatic flair and elegance, suggesting complexity in the histories his art investigates. (On view through August 17th).

Fred Wilson, installation view at Pace Gallery, July 2018.

JR at Galerie Perrotin

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

French street artist JR is back in town this summer with a show of photography, sculpture and installation that continues his outspoken advocacy for vulnerable populations. In this aerial overview, we see the eyes of Mayra, an undocumented immigrant who arrived in California as a child.  Used as backdrop for a picnic on both sides of the US/Mexican border, the image counters division with unity.  (On view at Galerie Perrotin on the Lower East side through August 17th).

JR, Migrants, Mayra, Picnic across the border, Quadrichromie, Tecate, Mexico – USA, 4-color print on paper, mounted on cotton canvas, wooden frame, ½ offset printing plate, h 92 1/8 x l. 186 5/8 inches, 2018.

Genesis Belanger in ‘Distortions’ at Nathalie Karg Gallery

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

A disembodied, boneless hand by Brooklyn artist Genesis Belanger is equal parts attractive and creepy, part of a table-top arrangement of stoneware sculpture that includes a languid cigarette, two partially consumed Pink Lady apples and a lamp with a severely pinched-waist.  Part of Nathalie Karg Gallery’s summer group show ‘Distortions,’ Belanger’s sculpture provocatively blurs the line between human bodies, food and consumer objects in what the New Yorker proffered as ‘funny-pages Surrealism.’ (On view on the Lower East Side through August 15th).

Installation view of works by Genesis Belanger, including Acquiesce (hand in foreground), stoneware, brass, plaster, 13 ½ x 7 ½ x 6 inches, 2018 and Birthday Suit (Background), stoneware, brass, plaster and linen lampshade, 37 ½h x 13w x 14d inches, 2018.

Jean Terry Efiaimbelo at Galerie Perrotin

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

Inspired by traditional grave-marking sculpture, Late Malagasy artist Jean-Jacques Efiaimbelo’s artistic practice continues in the vibrant work of his male descendants.  Galerie Perrotin’s beautifully installed selection of symbolically rich figurative scenes, carved from the sacred wood Mendorave, includes this sculpture of a music group.  Somber but lively, the musicians play Tsapiky music – popular at funerals and other ceremonies.  (On view on the Lower East Side through August17th).

Jean Terry Efiaimbelo, Tsapiky music band, wood, paint, 69 11/16 x 21 ¼ x 7 7/8 inches, 2016.

Robert Gober in ‘Dime Store Alchemy’ at Flag Art Foundation

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

Robert Gober’s sculpture ‘Heart in a Box’ demonstrates more commitment than sending a valentine card or loading a text with heart-eye emojis. A standout in the Flag Art Foundation’s smart summer group show, ‘Dime Store Alchemy,’ curated by Jonathan Rider, it advances the exhibition’s meditation on art delivered in a particular setting, box or kind of framing device.  Gober’s typical handcrafting is an added thrill as what appears to be a cardboard box is actually painted corrugated aluminum.  (On view through August 17th).

Robert Gober, Heart in a Box, corrugated aluminum, cast glass, paper plaster and ink, 6 ½ x 13 x 12 inches, 2014-15.