After a stint photographing patriotic camps and schools in Russia, US photojournalist Sarah Blesener turned her focus to schools like the Utah Patriot Camp, a short summer camp in Utah that aims to help kids memorize the articles of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and more. Blesener’s goal – to invite conversation about nationalism vs patriotism – makes for a timely and provocative body of work. (On view at Anastasia Photo on the Lower East Side through April 1st).
A superabundance of color and curving forms characterize Brazilian artist Maria Nepomuceno’s ‘imaginary nature,’ as she calls her sculpture composed of woven straw, beads, ceramics and resin forms. With direct links to the human body – beads are cells, straw references skin – the artist’s life affirming constructions celebrate nature in its eye-popping variety. (On view at Sikkema Jenkins and Co in Chelsea through April 7th).
Though they conjure Monet’s quiet gardens at Giverny, Zhang Enli’s new abstract canvases were inspired by Shanghai’s greenery. Known for representational paintings of everyday objects that twist and turn – cord, branches, wire – and immersive painted installations, Zhang’s new work continues to suggest movement. (On view at Hauser & Wirth through April 7th).
Titled ‘Devotional Flowers,’ Mimi Lauter’s show of soft pastel and oil pastel blooms at Derek Eller Gallery suggests mystical experience as a sunflower morphs into a blazing sun and landscape. Critics have praised the young LA artist’s work as ‘enthralling’ and ‘rapturous.’ Today and tomorrow are the final days to test for yourself the transcendent power of Lauter’s petals. (On view on the Lower East Side through March 18th).
Pleasure is the driving factor in Carrie Moyer’s eye-popping new work at DC Moore Gallery in Chelsea. Here, ‘Jolly Hydra: Unexplainably Juicy’ suggests the multi-headed hydra of Greek mythology as it encounters blocks and washes of bubble gum-bright color and sensually curving bodily forms. (On view through March 22nd).
