Without putting pencil or brush to paper, Beijing-based artist Fu Xiaotong created this enigmatic cityscape, seen as if in a fog or snowstorm. Created entirely by piercing a thick piece of paper with a needle, the scene’s suggestion of nature (even in the built environment) is appropriate, given Fu’s signature subject matter of mountains, water and other organic elements. (On view at Chambers Fine Art in Chelsea through August 17th).
Congresswoman Barbara Lee literally opens her hands to the issues that matter to her constituents in this quilted artwork by Bay Area artist Alice Beasley. Beasley’s tribute is a standout in Robert Mann Gallery’s summer group show ‘In Her Hands’ (curated by Orly Cogan and Julie Peppito), an exhibition that celebrates female political leaders. (On view in Chelsea through August 17th).
“Stand-up comedy and painting are both performative acts,” explains Brooklyn painter Peter Schenck, who has first-hand-experience of both. Titling his latest show at Freight and Volume ‘Comedy Cellar,’ after the West Village club, Schenck creates colorful but tense scenarios in which various characters must make good under the spotlight. Here, a wide-eyed, robed painter grins wildly next to a giant scull and floating paint brushes. (On view on the Lower East Side through July 8th).
Self-taught Czech artist Jana Paleckova’s endlessly inventive paintings on original vintage photos reimagine the past in humorous and surreal ways. The apparent awkwardness of these boys and their wary-looking adult takes on new meaning, given the gormless looking cyclops in their ranks. (On view through August 3rd at Edward Thorp Gallery in Chelsea).
A campfire made of LED matrix panels, a slightly misshapen monolith in cool blue light and this glowing quilt with changing patterns are standouts in computer programmer/ artist Luke Murphy’s latest show at Canada NY. Here, both subject matter and execution exude homey charm. (On view on the Lower East Side through July 15th).
