Rachel Whiteread on Governors Island

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

Hands down, the best views from any piece of New York real estate are to be had from a tiny, isolated shack on the side of a hill overlooking New York Bay. You can’t actually enter Rachel Whiteread’s ‘Cabin,’ for which she cast a small structure in concrete, but the surroundings are more the point anyway.   With Manhattan’s skyscrapers in view to the north and the Statue of Liberty looking over from the east, this new permanent public artwork is both isolated and at the center of the city. (On permanent view on Governors Island).

Rachel Whiteread, Cabin, concrete and bronze, installation view on Governors Island, 2016.
Rachel Whiteread, Cabin, concrete and bronze, installation view on Governors Island, 2016.

Judith Schaechter at Claire Oliver Gallery

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Judith Schaechter’s relatively small stained glass work, ‘Botanical Study,’ opens a show of new work that pits the human body against fabulous depictions of nature in all its rich abundance. Here, Schaechter ignores humans entirely, zeroing in on a single drop of rich plant and insect life, amplifying the wonders of the natural world. (In Chelsea at Claire Oliver Gallery, through Oct 22nd).

Judith Schaechter, Botanical Study, Stained Glass Lightbox, 20 x 15 x 4 inches, 2016.
Judith Schaechter, Botanical Study, Stained Glass Lightbox, 20 x 15 x 4 inches, 2016.

Wayne White at Joshua Liner Gallery

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LA artist Wayne White combines set design with his signature word paintings to eye-popping effect in his latest Chelsea solo exhibition at Joshua Liner Gallery. Using found prints or paintings as backgrounds, he adds phrases that are completely at odds with their tranquil subject matter and more in keeping with iconic movie lines; here, the phrase, ‘I’m gonna play like you didn say that’ dominates a mountainscape. (Through Oct 8th).

Wayne White, installation view of ‘I’m Having a Dialogue with the Universe and You’re Just Sitting There,’ at Joshua Liner Gallery, Sept 2016.
Wayne White, installation view of ‘I’m Having a Dialogue with the Universe and You’re Just Sitting There,’ at Joshua Liner Gallery, Sept 2016.

Lars Fisk at Marlborough Gallery

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While living in an artfully converted shipping container next to a Costco parking lot in Queens, New York sculptor Lars Fisk developed his hugely entertaining concept of a real-world place rolled up into a tidy, circular package. His first show at Chelsea’s Marlborough Gallery features the largest ‘Lot Ball’ to date, along with balls inspired by subway signs and a Mr Softee truck. (Through Oct 15th).

Lars Fisk, Lot Ball, expanded polystyrene, asphalt, paint, 180 x 180 x 180 inches, 2016.
Lars Fisk, Lot Ball, expanded polystyrene, asphalt, paint, 180 x 180 x 180 inches, 2016.

Rashid Johnson at Hauser & Wirth Gallery

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At the center of Rashid Johnson’s ‘architectural grid work,’ classically trained pianist Antoine Baldwin plays jazz compositions on a piano fixed high in the structure. Complex and intriguing sounds merge with an arrangement of evocative objects – plants in planters hand-made by the artist, blocks of shea butter, stacks of books relating to African-American culture and early video work by Johnson. Together they continue the artist’s theme of freedom and anxiety experienced by African-American men in America, offering escape through lush greenery (signaling travel to a warmer land) and abundant reading material (liberation for the mind) or imprisonment by a rigid grid. (At Hauser & Wirth Gallery through Oct 22nd).

Rashid Johnson, Antoine’s Organ, black steel, grow lights, plants, wood, shea butter, books, monitors, rugs, piano, unique installation, 480.1 x 858.5 x 321.9 cm, 2016.
Rashid Johnson, Antoine’s Organ, black steel, grow lights, plants, wood, shea butter, books, monitors, rugs, piano, unique installation, 480.1 x 858.5 x 321.9 cm, 2016.