Duke Riley at Magnan Metz Gallery

Last year, from the decks of a decommissioned Navy ship, artist Duke Riley orchestrated dramatic light shows with over one thousand pigeons carrying LED lights on their legs. If the birds seemed anonymous as they put on a light show in the dark, their identities come into focus now at a two-gallery exhibition of related artwork, including a room of hand-painted and embroidered portraits of 1,000 birds. (On view at Magnan Metz Gallery’s pop up location at 524 West 26th Street and 521 West 26th Street through Oct 21st).

Duke Riley, installation view of ‘The Armies of the Night,’ embroidery and paint on canvas, 14 x 9 inches, 2017.

Sally Saul at Rachel Uffner Gallery

These shoes may not be the most ambition artworks in Sally Saul’s debut show at Rachel Uffner Gallery, but their unassuming quality – a quotidian appreciation for the quiet pleasures in life, such as the perfect shoes for the occasion – is the perfect introduction to a show of what critic John Yau calls ‘funny, sweet and tender’ artworks. (On view on the Lower East Side through Oct 29th).

Sally Saul, Untitled, clay and glaze, 5 pairs, dimensions variable, 2017.

Mounir Fatmi at Jane Lombard Gallery

Moroccan-born artist Mounir Fatmi’s installation ‘Inside the Fire Circle’ offers the idea of literally jump starting conversation via his arrangement of jumper cables, typewriters and paper on which the public is invited to contribute thoughts. The centerpiece of a show that considers the limits of freedom, the installation suggests that self-expression can be risky. (On view at Jane Lombard Gallery through Oct 21st).

Mounir Fatmi, installation view of ‘Survival Signs’ at Jane Lombard Gallery, Sept 2017.

Olivia Locher at Steven Kasher Gallery

“In Delaware, it is illegal to consume perfume.” This law and other seemingly dated statutes meant to address particular situations are the subject of Olivia Locher’s entertaining solo show ‘I Fought the Law’ at Chelsea’s Steven Kasher Gallery. Locher’s staged ‘crimes’ highlight odd ordinances in the 50 states, making for memorable images that question what else is on the books. (On view through Oct 21st).

Olivia Locher, I Fought the Law (Delaware), archival pigment print, 2016, printed 2017, 16 x 20 inches.

Terri Friedman in ‘A Line Can Go Anywhere’ at James Cohan Gallery

Terri Friedman’s multi-part fiber artworks have huge presence; bold colors – from lush green to fiery orange – suggest abstracted strata of the earth and the making process is never far from the surface of a viewer’s consciousness.   (On view at James Cohan Gallery in Chelsea through Oct 14th).

Terri Friedman, Never Odd or Even, wool, acrylic, cotton fibers, 167 x 86 inches, 2016.