Robin Rhode at Lehmann Maupin Gallery

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Known for photo sequences that involve individuals interacting with drawings made on the ground or wall, South Africa artist Robin Rhode branches out into post-performance installation in his latest show at Chelsea’s Lehmann Maupin Gallery. Bikes have long figured in his work as emblems of what the average kid on the street can’t afford; here, he’s used a cast chalk bike as a drawing tool to create a jittery, moving vehicle. (Through August 21st).

Robin Rhode, Chalk Bike, chalk and steel, 41 x 72.5 x 19 in, 2 windows, each 24.75 x 38.5 x 3 inches, 2015.

Patrick Van Caeckenbergh at Lehmann Maupin Gallery

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Belgian artist Patrick Van Caeckenbergh’s meticulous drawings resemble photographs but record trees embellished by his imagination into wondrous monstrosities. (At Lehmann Maupin Gallery on the Lower East Side through August 21st).

Patrick Van Caeckenbergh, Drawing of Old Trees during wintry days 2007-2014, pencil and paint on paper, 21.06 x 30.79 inches, 2007 – 2014.

Ajay Kurian in ‘A Rare Earth Magnet’ at Derek Eller Gallery

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Ajay Kurian’s torture machine for Minions slowly pokes into a plastic toy version of this cheery embodiment of evil, a thought-provoking gesture both absurd and sinister. (At Chelsea’s Derek Eller Gallery through August 21st).

Ajay Kurian, What Should We Do with Our Brains?, toy, steel, Plexiglas, linear actuator, arduino board, magic-sculpt, 14.5 x 14 x 24 inches, 2015.

The Hours of Jacques Hurault in ‘The Written Trace’ at Paul Kasmin Gallery

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It might be a stretch to consider this 16th century French illustrated manuscript as a precursor to R. Crumb’s cartoons, as a handout at Paul Kasmin Gallery suggests. Still, its meticulous detail and historical importance make it a knockout in the gallery’s summer group show celebrating the visual qualities of the written word. (In Chelsea through August 14th).

The Hours of Jacques Hurault, Grand Audienier of France, c. 1500-1510, Book of Hours, use of Rome in Latin and French, illuminated manuscript on parchment, bound in French vellum, 6 ¼ x 4 ¼ x 1 ½ inches.

Ellen Macdonald at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery

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London-based painter Ellen Macdonald snaps her audience to attention by juxtaposing abstraction and figuration in this painting of a hand and a neighboring abstract work composed of looping lines on a vivid orange background. (At Nicelle Beauchene Gallery on the Lower East Side through August 14th).

Ellen Macdonald, Untitled (U include the, wall between and you), oil on linen, 24 x 18 inches, 2015.

Brian Adam Douglas Mural at Andrew Edlin Gallery

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When this show at Andrew Edlin Gallery comes down, it’ll do so literally when the building is demolished later this year. In the meantime, the gallery invited seven artists to make environmentally-themed art directly on the walls. Here, gallery artist Brian Adam Douglas riffs on Gericault’s famous early 19th century shipwreck scene, ‘Raft of the Medusa,’ while picturing the dire effects of environmental catastrophe. (In Chelsea through Aug 15th.)

Installation view of ‘Anthems for the Mother Earth Goddess,’ at Andrew Edlin Gallery, June 2015. (Center – mural by Brian Adam Douglas).

Andrea Wolf in ‘Memory Burn’ at Bitforms Gallery

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Divers stand stiffly, then spring into the air in Andrea Wolf’s projections on small Plexi cubes at Bitforms Gallery. Taken from found super8 and 8mm films, these unknown and blurry figures evoke distant memories from either real life or movies. (On the Lower East Side through Aug 16th).

Andrea Wolf, No 4., Unsolicited Memories, Archival Exercises, Plexiglas cubes, Plexiglas base, projector, multimedia player, mirror, video, 5 x 8 x 6 inches, 3:30min.

Roni Horn in ‘Space Between’ at FLAG Art Foundation

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Ellsworth Kelly’s sleek forms – sometimes abstracted from nature – inspired FLAG Art Foundation’s summer group show and are seen in the background here. But Roni Horn’s ‘Pink Around (B),’ in the foreground is perfectly positioned to beautifully interact with nature, reflecting the sky and recording the changing light during the course of the day. (In Chelsea through August 14th).

Roni Horn, Pink Around (B), solid cast pink glass, 40 x 14 1/2 inches, 2008.

Parker Ito at Andrea Rosen Gallery

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Parker Ito’s riotous mess of an installation in Andrea Rosen Gallery’s summer group show epitomizes his collage art approach. A painting dangling from the ceiling brings together unconnected, sampled phrases like ‘I’m really creative’ and ‘One Love’ against a background of LED light strings, keeping meaning elusive on purpose. (In Chelsea through August 14th).

Parker Ito, One Love/Everyday people/tell me/jelly manhood I’m wearing those pants now/I’m pretty creative /Essay coming soon), oil on canvas, acrylic on aluminum strainers, artist frame, hanging hardware, LED lights, 122 x 96 x 2.5 inches, 2013-15

Ron Arad’s Thumbprint at Paul Kasmin Gallery

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It’s not an official exhibition, but Paul Kasmin Gallery’s 515 West 27th Street space is currently hosting a selection of artworks including designer Ron Arad’s shimmering chair-like sculpture ‘Thumbprint,’ which seems to shape-shift on the gallery floor.

Forcefield in ‘What Nerve!’ at Matthew Marks Gallery

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Art made outside of New York art scene from the 60s to the present inspired Matthew Marks Gallery’s group show this summer, an exhibition that includes work by the collective ‘Forcefield’ who are known for their unconventional costuming. Here, Lord of the Rings inspires a contemporary chain mail chic. (In Chelsea through August 14th).

Forcefield, Lord of the Rings Modulator Shroud, stainless steel ID rings, 2002-15.

Pepo Salazar in ‘Grand Illusion(s)’ at Simon Preston Gallery

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In the still of Simon Preston Gallery, Paris-based artist Pepo Salazar stretches a slim yet commandeering text reading ‘noise’ from wall to wall, forcing visitors to step gingerly through an artwork inspired by heavy metal music fonts. (On the Lower East Side through August 8th.)

Pepo Salazar, Noise, steel, 843 x 331 x 10.16 cm, 2008-2015.

Lisa Williamson in ‘No Vacancies’ at Marianne Boesky Gallery

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Oversized furniture segments, huge matchsticks, nautical implements and memorials come to mind with LA artist Lisa Williamson’s tall, elegant ‘Long Dimension (Gates),’ a standout in Marianne Boesky Gallery’s summer group show. (In Chelsea through August 7th).

Installation view of ‘No Vacancies’ at Marianne Boesky Gallery (Background: Robert Morris, Untitled, 1997. Foreground: Lisa Williamson, Long Dimension (Gates), acrylic on wood, steel base with black acid and wax finish, 2015.)

Michael Smith at GreeneNaftali

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Michael Smith opens a new chapter in the life of his hapless alter ego, Mike, with an exhibition centered around his search for the fountain of youth. A tapestry map, banners featuring Sudoku games and a water cooler are just some of the fun in Mike’s quest. (At Chelsea’s Greene Naftali Gallery through Aug 14th).

Michael Smith, installation view of ‘Excuse me!?!…I’m looking for the ‘Fountain of Youth,’ July 2015.

Tommy Mishima at Nancy Margolis Gallery

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Art history meets sneaker culture in paintings by Tommy Mishima at Nancy Margolis Gallery. (In Chelsea through August 7th).

Tommy Mishima, Sneakers 2, oil on canvas, 24 x 24 inches, 2015.

Peter Williams in ‘Secret Identities’ at Driscoll Babcock

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Painted in response to police violence this year, Peter Williams’ tongue-in-cheek superhero, ‘N-Word,’ clobbers injustice personified by ghoulish characters in his series ‘Common and Proper Nouns.’ Here, with a physique far from the super-hero norm, this likeable underdog triumphs over a crowd of zombies and two scared authority figures. (At Driscoll Babcock through Aug 14th).

Peter Williams, Common Thread, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches, 2015.

Vera Neumann at Alexander Gray Associates

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Blue, green, yellow, orange and red walls at Alexander Gray Associates are the perfect backdrop for a show of gorgeously colored paintings by late artist and housewares designer Vera Neumann, famous in the ‘60s and ‘70s for producing colorful, nature-inspired textiles, scarves, wallpapers and more. (In Chelsea through Aug 7th).

Vera Neumann, Installation view at Alexander Gray Associates, July 2015.

Kate Newby at Laurel Gitlen Gallery

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New Zealand artist Kate Newby’s handmade ceramic skipping stones were a standout last summer at Tracy Williams’ summer group show; a year later, she’s enjoying her first New York solo show at Laurel Gitlen Gallery. Given the extra space to work with, she’s constructed a bright yellow platform to show off tiny handmade sculptures that suggest precious finds along a beach juxtaposed with unexplained spills. (On the Lower East Side through July 31st.)

Kate Newby, installation view of ‘I memorized it I loved it so much,’ wood, wax, concrete, mulberries, paint, 2015.

Marc Bijl at Marc Straus Gallery

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A stolen sign from Gagosian Gallery’s Berlin location excites speculation on how artist Marc Bijl came by it and why. Gagosian Gallery’s polished reputation is at odds with the scrappy silver-taped board on which its sign now rests, suggesting a reversal of fortunes for this abducted fragment. (At Marc Straus Gallery through July 31st).

Marc Bijl, Collateral Image, stolen Gagosian Berlin sign, found poster, tape, acrylic on board, 43 x 60 ¼ inches, 2006.

Bertozzi and Casoni at Sperone Westwater

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The wreckage of international consumer culture continues to inspire sculptures by Italian artists Bertozzi & Casoni, now on view at Sperone Westwater on the Lower East Side. Here, storks nest in stick and tin can nests atop a dismal pillar of old tires and old drums. (Through July 31st).

Bertozzi & Casoni, Composizione n. 12 (Cicogne), glazed ceramic, 137 ¾ x 63 x 60 5/8 inches, 2008.

Eirik Saether at 47 Canal

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For his first show in the US, Oslo-based artist Eirik Saether suggests strange, hybrid identities with furry cast feet and hand-stitched skirt. (At 47 Canal on the LES through July 31st.)

Eirik Saether, Staplass (Throat infection), printed silk and textile acrylic on fleece blanket; steel cast polyurethane, fur, dog collar, steel chain, polyester, printed denim, 2015.

KRIWET in ‘All Watched Over’ at James Cohan Gallery

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In colors that suggest political banners, Dusseldorf-based artist KRIWET created this bold ‘comic strip’ in 1970, using letters to create mental pictures. It is part of the group exhibition ‘All Watched Over’ at Chelsea’s James Cohan Gallery, which muses on the power of futuristic technology to improve life. (Through Aug 7th)

KRIWET, Comicstrip, 1970.

Amy Bessone & Matthias Merkel Hess at Salon94 Freemans

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Ceramic artists Amy Bessone and Matthias Merkel Hess meet in Salon94 Freemans for a two-person show juxtaposing her female torsos, shaped as empty vessels (maybe vases?), and his containers derived from everyday items like paint buckets and wastebaskets. Bessone’s containers pick up on the long association between vessels and the female body in art history, and provocatively change Hess’s work by their proximity. (On the Lower East Side through August 21st).

Installation view of Torsos and Buckets, featuring work by Amy Bessone and Matthias Merkel Hess, July 2015.

Josh Smith in ‘Marlborough Lights’ at Marlborough Gallery, LES

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Given that Marlborough Gallery’s first show in its Lower East Side space was themed on pizza, an exhibition titled ‘Marlborough Lights’ had to happen sooner or later. Here, Josh Smith’s jack o’ lantern basketball lights the way back to Sadie Laska’s magically glowing, alien-like creature and Oscar Tuazon’s blocky, street-light-like lamp. (Through Aug 1st).

Josh Smith, Illuminated Jackal Lantern Basketball, ceramic, wooden stool, light bulb, socket and wire, ceramic: 8 ½ x 8 ½ inches, 2015.

EVOL at Jonathan LeVine Gallery

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Cardboard boxes are an inspired background for Berlin-based artist EVOL’s spray paintings of elements lifted from gritty urban facades. (At Jonathan LeVine Gallery in Chelsea through July 25th).

EVOL, Berliner Luft, spray paint and mixed media on cardboard, 28 11/16 x 36 9/16 inches, 2015.

‘Old Truths and New Lies’ at Rachel Uffner Gallery

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How do you make a show that’s the ‘antithesis of a white male abstract painting show?’ With inclusiveness and anti-status quo intentions, artist and curator Mae Fatto has hung work by female (and male) artists who push the idea of what abstract art should be – from Wilder Alison’s banner-like work hanging from the rafters to Annabeth Marks’ soft-shaped intense blue canvas to Ana Cardoso’s acrylic and digital print panels stretching up the gallery walls. (At Rachel Uffner Gallery on the Lower East Side through July 31st).

Installation view of ‘Old Truths and New Lies’ at Rachel Uffner Gallery, July 2015.

Roula Partheniou in ‘Objects, Foods, Rooms’ at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

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Toronto-based artist Roula Partheniou makes her NY debut in a group show inspired by Gertrude Stein’s text ‘Tender Buttons’ in which strange objects come together and ordinary objects are not as they seem. Here, a selection of dated items – an old board game, floppy disks and a film canister – speak to technology’s quick transformation of everyday stuff. (At Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in Chelsea through July 31st).

Roula Partheniou, Packed Boxes with Clutter, acrylic and enamel paint on wood and MDF, flocking on foam balls, 54 x 28 x 28 inches, 2015.

‘Ordering Nature’ at Marianne Boesky Gallery

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An overturned boat on an inverted ocean, a neon shape grouped with three dried tobacco leaves and nests made by pet finches are three standout works in Marianne Boesky Gallery’s summer group show ‘Ordering Nature,’ organized by Kelly Woods. Whether they’re seen as collaborations with or manipulations of nature, the show’s ephemeral artworks tread lightly on the natural world, evoking wonder. (On the Lower East Side through July 31st).

Installation view of ‘Ordering Nature’ at Marianne Boesky Gallery’s 20 Clinton Street address on the Lower East Side, July 2015.

Conor Backman at James Fuentes Gallery

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Wall mounted sculptures made of cast marble dust by Hudson, NY artist Conor Backman at James Fuentes Gallery feature faux-lichen, suggesting salvaged architectural fragments with hints of possible historical significance. (On the Lower East Side through July 24th).

Conor Backman, installation view at James Fuentes Gallery, July 2015 (foreground: Monday and Sunday, marble dust, resin, cast aquaresin, 2015).

Atsushi Kaga at Jack Hanley Gallery

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Inspired by his own experiences and memories, New York-based Japanese artist Atsushi Kaga displays over 100 paintings and sculptures in his current show at Jack Hanley Gallery featuring his alter ego, an adventuresome bunny. The creature’s cute quips are engaging, as is his friendship with the bear, though a sad sense of isolation pervades. (On the Lower East Side through July 31st.)

Atsushi Kaga, Like this?, acrylic on board, 15 x 19 cm, 2014.

Jane Corrigan, Gatherer at Feuer/Mesler

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After a stand-out show featuring paintings of sporty girls at Kerry Schuss Gallery last fall, Jane Corrigan is back on the Lower East Side with three large canvases at Feuer/Mesler. It’s hard to tell if the ragtag subject of ‘Gatherer’ is eyeballing us or her scattered carrots with a wild look; either way, the effect is disarming. (Through July 31st.)

Jane Corrigan, Gatherer, oil on canvas, 70 x 50 inches, 2015.

Li Bo in ‘Up-Youth’ at Klein Sun Gallery

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‘Up-Youth,’ a group exhibition at Chelsea’s Klein Sun Gallery presented with the Times Art Museum in Beijing, features this piece by Li Bo, whose fragmented bike on flat sections of concrete suggests a jittery ride for disappearing national symbol. (Through August 8th).

Li Bo, White in Dark Grey No. 3, mixed media, 2010-12.

‘Hello Walls’ at Barbara Gladstone Gallery

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Titled after a Willie Nelson ballad about lost love, ‘Hello Walls’ at Barbara Gladstone Gallery’s 21st Street space dwarfs the viewer with huge wall paintings by big-name artists. Here, Ugo Rondinone’s fuzzy target at the show’s entrance acts like a pulsing beacon to draw visitors into the gallery while Michael Craig-Martin’s take-away cup is so big it feels architectural. (Through July 31st).

Installation view at Barbara Gladstone Gallery’s 21st Street location, Michael Craig-Martin on left, Ugo Rondinone on right, July 2015.

Greg Bogin at Marlborough Gallery

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The neon color and curvy, wave-contoured form of Greg Bogin’s shaped canvas ‘Sunny disposition (oasis)’ is a summery-feeling merger of beach culture and minimal abstraction. Like Martin Puryear’s Phrygian cap sculptures which it resembles, it suggests freedom, but more of a sand-between-the-toes variety. (At Marlborough Gallery Chelsea through July 31st).

Greg Bogin, Sunny disposition (oasis), synthetic paint and urethane on canvas, 72 x 73 inches, 2014.

De Wain Valentine at David Zwirner Gallery

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California Light and Space artist De Wain Valentine pushed his chosen medium of polyester resin by finding a way to make larger pours and bigger pieces in the ‘60s; with their huge size, pieces like ‘Circle Gold-Rose’ from 1970 become actors in the room, changing the environment with shifting color. (At David Zwirner Gallery through August 7th).

De Wain Valentine, Circle Gold-Rose, cast polyester resin, 70 3/8 x 70 x 4 7/8 in, 1970.

Ruth Root, Abstract Painting at Andrew Kreps

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Using paint, fabric and Plexiglas, New York artist Ruth Root paints and sews her way toward charmingly idiosyncratic understandings of what abstract painting can be in her latest show at Chelsea’s Andrew Krep Gallery. (Through August 14th).

Ruth Root, Untitled, fabric, Plexiglas, enamel paint, and spray paint, 104 ½ x 63 ¼ inches, 2014-15.

Sam Messer at Fredericks and Freiser Gallery

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Painter and Yale associate dean Sam Messer has long collaborated with writer Jonathan Safran Foer on artworks; here in a piece from 2008 titled ‘All the Animals,’ he paints Safran Foer, vegetarian and author of ‘Eating Animals,’ surrounded by playful (and grateful?) barnyard muses. (At Chelsea’s Fredericks & Freiser Gallery through July 31st).

Sam Messer, All the Animals, oil on canvas, 74 x 82 inches, 2008.

Mona Hatoum at Alexander and Bonin

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The title of Mona Hatoum’s ‘Stool III’ ignores the drama happening on top of the furniture as a blood-red glass form looks ready to shift weight and crash to the floor. Referred to in other of Hatoum’s artwork as cells and looking like internal organs, the precipitously arranged red shape implies an impending crisis. (At Chelsea’s Alexander and Bonin through July 24th).

Mona Hatoum, Stool III, painted metal and glass, 30 ½ x 16 x 14 ½ in, 2014.

Summer Group Exhibition at Marian Goodman Gallery

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Summer stripes dominate at Marian Goodman Gallery this summer where Gerhard Richter uses software to create patterns of thousands of lines in an eleven meter long digital artwork that runs perpendicular to richly colored wood columns by Anne Truitt. Beyond, Sol LeWitt’s 1985 ‘Wall Drawing #459 adds more bold color to the room with a shape-shifting asymmetrical pyramid. (On 57th Street through July 31st).

Installation view at Marian Goodman Gallery, June 2015.

Carolyn Salas at Koenig & Clinton

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Brookyn-based sculptor Carolyn Salas’ wonky minimalism hides a surprise – what appear to be metal sculptures are Aqua-Resin covered in graphite and Styrofoam cut-outs are Hydrocal. Stepping down the production values on ‘metal’ sculpture and upping the ante on Styrofoam make for a light-hearted game changer. (At Chelsea’s Koenig & Clinton through July 10th).

Carolyn Salas, installation view at Koenig & Clinton, June 2015.

Roger Brown at DC Moore Gallery

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The Gulf War, AIDS crisis, Savings and Loan collapse and more inspired Chicago Imagist artist Roger Brown’s paintings from the 80s and early ‘90s, including ‘Landscape with Dollar Sign,’ in which a huge dollar sign materializes from the clouds over two tiny human figures like a doomsday omen. (At DC Moore Gallery through July 31st).

Roger Brown, Landscape with Dollar Sign, oil on canvas, 48 x 72 inches, 1991.

Antoine Catala in Six Advertisements at Marlborough Gallery Chelsea

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French artist Antoine Catala contributed a standout piece to the New Museum’s Triennial last spring by commissioning an ad agency to work on a campaign to promote empathy in an info-saturated age. With similar humor, the man absorbed in his cell phone here is not only acting distant but has the word stitched onto his body in happy, puffy letters. (At Chelsea’s Marlborough Gallery through July 31st.)

Antoine Catala, Feel Images (Distant), digital photograph on suede fabric, cotton, wood, batting, 72 x 48 x 5 ¼ inches, 2015.

Sandra Allen in ‘Land and Sea’ at Danese Corey

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Known for graphite-on-paper drawings of trees, Massachusetts-based artist Sandra Allen creates an almost abstract, immensely powerful image from the trunk of a tree in ‘Ballast’ from 2009. (At Danese Corey through July 31st).

Sandra Allen, Ballast, graphite on paper, 11 x 18.5 feet, 2009.

Paul Wackers at Morgan Lehman Gallery

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Whether they’re painted subject matter on the shelves of a particularly cluttered design shop, or sculptures in the round, Paul Wackers’ ceramic forms revel in the possibilities of color and form. (At Chelsea’s Morgan Lehman Gallery through July 18th).

Paul Wackers, Untitled, low fire clay, glaze, under glaze, 13 ¾ x 14 x 12 ½ inches, 2015 (foreground). Nachtwinkel (Night Shop), acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 72 54 inches, 2015 (background).

Sally Mann Photos at Edwynn Houk Gallery

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On the occasion of Sally Mann’s memoir, ‘Hold Still,’ Edwynn Houk Gallery is exhibiting a selection of work by the artist best known for photos of her children. In this picture from 2004, Mann veils our view of her daughter Virginia, whose beauty is nonetheless apparent. (In the 57th Street area through July 10th).

Sally Mann, Virginia #36, gelatin silver enlargement print with varnish, 50 x 40 inches, 2004.

Jacob Lawrence’s Great Migration at MoMA

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This painting from Jacob Lawrence’s 1941 series about the Great Migration of African-Americans from the rural south to the industrial north starkly describes how discrimination also took place in the north. (At the Museum of Modern Art through Sept 7th).

Jacob Lawrence, from the Great Migration series, tempera, 1941.

Richard Dupont, Lauren at Tracy Williams Ltd.

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New York artist Richard Dupont inaugurates Tracy Williams Ltd‘s new Lower East Side location with sculptures and drawings of distorted bodies that recall both digital effects and fun-house mirrors. (Through July 29th).

Richard Dupont, Lauren, Marylene 1, bronze (polished), 30 x 17.5 x 8 inches, 2014-15.

Lisa Ruyter at Eleven Rivington

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In the spirit of Sherry Levine’s iconic rephotographing of Walker Evans 1930s photos, Lisa Ruyter’s latest paintings reproduce photos from the Farm Security Administration’s archive of images shot during the Great Depression. In Ruyter’s words the images are, ‘a record of what was already being lost to Americans even as it was being constructed, an American dream of self-determination, independence and freedom.’ (At Eleven Rivington through July 3rd).

Lisa Ruyter, Russell Lee: Mother and child of agricultural day laborers family encamped near Spiro. Sequoyah County Oklahoma, acrylic on canvas, 78.74 x 39.37 inches, 2014.

Yoan Capote at Jack Shainman Gallery

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Self-identity and national identity are tightly bound in Cuban artist Yoan Capote’s politically inflected artworks. Here, Capote peeks out from behind his sculpture of Castro, made from door hinges gathered from Havana households, suggesting either an open or closed door. (At Chelsea’s Jack Shainman Gallery through July 10th).

Yoan Capote, Immanence, mixed media including hinges, wood doors, metal armature, 120 x 180 x 180 inches, 2015.

Marcel Odenbach at Anton Kern Gallery

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For his latest solo show, German video and collage artist Marcel Odenbach produces collaged images of what he calls ‘Green Zones,’ or marginal spaces in which nature and unexplained human activity meet. Seen here in detail, a scarf tied around a tree branch suggests a memorial, composed of clipped and copied press images referring to “…religious delusion, racism and murder…’ explains the gallery. (At Anton Kern Gallery in Chelsea through July 3rd).

Marcel Odenbach, Grunflache 3 (Green Zone 3), ink and collage on paper, 81 x 108 inches (framed), 2014/15.

Lee Krasner in ‘Abstraction’ at Robert Miller Gallery

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Major Ab Exp school artist Lee Krasner’s huge ‘Comet’ signals the celestial realms in surprising color and washes of pure white light in a standout piece from 1970 in ‘Abstraction’ at Chelsea’s Robert Miller Gallery. (Through July 31st).

Lee Krasner, Comet, oil on canvas, 70 x 86 inches, 1970.

Ellen Berkenblit at Anton Kern Gallery

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A stylized nose, heavily made-up eyelashes and explosively arranged red hair are nearly submerged beneath expressionist flowers in Ellen Berkenblit’s ‘Color Forms,’ in which her character both merges and clashes with the landscape. (At Anton Kern Gallery in Chelsea through July 3rd).

Ellen Berkenblit, Color Forms, oil on canvas, 94 x 76 inches, 2013.

Olaf Breuning Solo Show at Metro Pictures

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Flotsam from the digital world materializes in Olaf Breuning’s latest solo show at Chelsea’s Metro Pictures gallery, which is crowded with large wall-paper covered MDF panels that reference thought bubbles, emoticons, motivational slogans and more. (Through July 31st).

Olaf Breuning, installation view of ‘The Life,’ at Metro Pictures, June 2015.

Peter Harkawik at Derek Eller Gallery

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Is digital technology making physical bodies less important? LA artist Peter Harkawik addresses this very contemporary concern with a sculpture that is both a musical instrument and a paean to the human body. Colors on the armature reference brands (like Home Depot orange) while a carefully rendered hand, ear, scrunched bottle and more signal the human touch. (At Derek Eller Gallery through July 10th).

Peter Harkawik, (detail of ) Everything But (Klondike Blue/Pepto Bismol Pink, UPS Brown, Pluot Purple/Home Depot Orange, Risperdal Green/Tiffany Blue, Post-It Note Yellow/Wiffle Ball Yellow, T-Mobile Pink/John Deere Green, Aquafresh Blue, Tiffany Blue), mechanically polished cast stainless steel, electropolished cast stainless steel, 316 stainless steel, 308 stainless steel, carbon steel, Imron fleet paint, SAE F-55 felt, hardware, rubber mallet, 68 x 60 x 16 inches, 2015.

Lee Ufan at Pace Gallery

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Lee Ufan continues his decades-long practice of bringing basic natural and man-made materials into new relationships with the viewer with his latest work at Chelsea’s Pace Gallery. Here (foreground), a piece subtitled ‘the cane of titan’ draws mythical Greek giants into the mix, proposing that we’ve stumbled upon an astonishing yet casually placed artifact. (Through June 27th).

Lee Ufan, Relatum – the cane of titan, steel and stone, 2015.

Daniel Rozin at Bitforms

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Faux fur pom poms and cute stuffed penguins move in response to gallery visitors, creating rough portraits in Israeli-American artist Daniel Rozin’s solo show at Bitforms on the Lower East Side. (Through July 1st).

Daniel Rozin, Pom Pom Mirror, 928 faux fur pom poms, 464 motors, control electronics, video camera, custom software, microcontroller, wooden armature, 48 x 48 x 18 inches, 2015.

Viola Frey at Nancy Hoffman Gallery

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Known for massive sculptures of men in blue power suits and seated nudes, the late Bay Area artist pushed the limits of her medium. Chelsea visitors can take the measure of this huge figure, who looks a little startled to have landed on the floor of Nancy Hoffman Gallery. (Through June 27th).

Viola Frey, Falling Man in Suit, ceramic, 74 x 89 x 73 inches, 1991.

Diane Simpson in ‘Over & Under’ at Sikkema Jenkins & Co.

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This mystery object (Exercise machine? Seesaw? Giant snowshoe?) by Diane Simpson is a humorous stand-out in Sikkema Jenkins’ summer group show of minimalism-inspired objects. It depicts an oversized sombrero. (In Chelsea through July 24th).

Diane Simpson, Sombrero, acrylic paint, MDF, polyester spunbond fabric, metallic cord, 34 x 90 x 25 inches, 1995. (Background wall cover: Matt Keegan, double-wall cardboard, dimensions variable, 2015).

Anna Betbeze in ‘Body/Image’ group show at Susan Inglett

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Anna Betbeze’s process of cutting, tearing and burning Flokati rugs while coloring them with acid dyes leaves a textile that both attracts and repulses. Hanging from the wall like a sagging pelt in Susan Inglett Gallery’s summer group show ‘Body/Image,’ this piece looks as if it could once have been alive. (Through July 31st).

Anna Betbeze, Playtime, acid dyes, ash on wool, 144 x 118 inches, 2015.

Jonathan Gardner at Nicelle Beauchene Gallery

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Clashing juxtapositions of patterns and color, a doubled figure (or tripled if you include the shadow), flatten shapes and simplified figures quote canonical 20th century artists from Magritte to Picasso, suggesting we look to the past to see the present in this surreal scenario by Chicago artist Jonathan Gardner. (At Nicelle Beauchene Gallery through June 28th).

Jonathan Gardner, The Shadow, oil on linen, 36 x 22 inches, 2015.

Paul Winstanley at Mitchell-Innes & Nash

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British artist Paul Winstanley’s paintings of empty art studio spaces in colleges around the UK are improbable subject matter for such pleasingly still, light-infused minimal compositions. Come September, they’ll fill with bodies, activity and color but at the moment, the tranquility is a pleasure. (At Mitchell-Innes & Nash in Chelsea through July 19th).

Paul Winstanley, Art School 40, oil on panel, 56 5/8 x 37 3/4inches, 2015.

Gillian Laub at Benrubi Gallery

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New York photographer Gillian Laub’s photographs of segregated high school dances in small-town Georgia (which continued until 2010) have appeared twice in national publications but still have the power to shock. They form the core of her current solo show at Benrubi Gallery in Chelsea, along with this image of two men who chose public humiliation – walking the streets with signboards for hours a day – over jail time. (Through June 27th).

Gillian Laub, Public Shaming, 2013.

Caragh Thuring at Simon Preston Gallery

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What do your windows say about you? London-based artist Caragh Thuring’s new paintings were inspired by the window displays of Dutch homes she photographed, which she sees as self-portraiture and a unique portal between public and private spaces. (At Simon Preston Gallery on the Lower East Side through June 21st).

Caragh Thuring, Sharp Sand, oil, gesso, pigment, graphite on linen, 84 x 60 inches, 2015.

Ellsworth Kelly, Blue Angle at Matthew Marks Gallery

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At age 92, just two years after his previous major multi-gallery solo show, Ellsworth Kelly is back at Matthew Marks’ Chelsea galleries (all four locations) with works so bold that a New Yorker critic was prompted to call this Kelly’s ‘all-time most thrilling gallery show.’  Here, an elegantly minimal blue shape could be a stylized arrow pointing upwards, the measure of an angle and much more. (Through June 20th).

Ellsworth Kelly, Blue Angle, painted aluminum, 90 x 150 x 4 1/8 inches, 2014.

Tony Oursler at Lehmann Maupin Gallery

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Huge whispering heads with combined features of several people tower over visitors to Tony Oursler’s latest solo show at Lehmann Maupin’s Lower East Side space. Inspired by his wariness of facial recognition technology, Oursler creates hybrid faces composed not of a unified whole but of identifiable parts ready to be stored as info in a database. (Through June 14th).

Tony Oursler, CV (15), wood, LCD screens, inkjet print, sound, performed by Jason Scott Henderson and Joanna Smolenski, 106 x 71.5 x 30.5 inches, 2015.

Joan Brown at George Adams Gallery

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Late Bay Area painter Joan Brown’s self-portrait at age 31 includes her dog and third husband (artist Gordon Cook) standing outside the San Francisco Opera House. Hovering on a sidewalk that recalls a conveyor belt and an inverted red carpet, Brown and her partner pause stiffly in an urban landscape curiously devoid of other people. (At George Adams Gallery in Chelsea).

Joan Brown, Gordon, Joan and Rufus in Front of S.F. Opera House, oil on canvas, 2 panels, 80 x 30 5/8 inches and 80 x 60 inches, 1969.

Jacqueline Humphries at Greene Naftali Gallery

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New York abstract painter Jacqueline Humphries imports the digital world into her latest paintings, bringing the painting surface in and out of focus with swirls of silver and purple and using overlays of dots to suggest ellipses or colons thereby signaling interrupted communication or expectation. (At GreeneNaftali in Chelsea through June 20th).

Jacqueline Humphries, :::, oil on linen, 100 x 111 inches, 2014.

Shirana Shahbazi at On Stellar Rays

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Photos taken just last year on a road trip between Zurich and Tehran are the subject of Tehran born, Zurich-based artist Shirana Shahbazi’s solo show at LES gallery On Stellar Rays, but her printing technique (two-color lithography) and age-old scenery create timeless, captivating scenes. (Through June 14th).

Shirana Shahbazi, Wuste, two-color lithography on Zerkall Butten paper, 20 ¼ x 26 inches, 2014.

Tony Matelli at Marlborough Gallery

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A sandblasted garden sculpture decorated with bronze sausage is a gratifying opener at Marlborough Gallery for fans of Tony Matelli’s offbeat humor and meticulous craft. But it’s the inverted, nude Adam and Eve sculptures in the back gallery that make the show unmissable. (In Chelsea through June 20th).

Tony Matelli, Warrior (detail), concrete and painted bronze, 55 x 21 x 17 inches, 2015.

Lee Lozano at Hauser & Wirth Gallery

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Titled after actions including ‘pitch,’ ‘slide,’ ‘cram,’ and ‘swap,’ Lee Lozano’s paintings from the mid 60s merge serene minimal abstraction with forceful angles and directional lines that give each canvas suggestive power. (At Hauser & Wirth through July 31st).

Lee Lozano, Lean, oil on canvas, three parts, 78 ¼ x 123 ¼ x 1 5/8 inches, 1966.

Carl Andre & Brancusi at Paul Kasmin Gallery

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‘All I’m doing is putting Brancusi’s Endless Column on the ground instead of in the sky,’ explained Minimalist sculpture Carl Andre in reference to ‘War & Rumors of War,’ a sculpture composed of 90 Australian hardwood timbers. The piece opens Paul Kasmin Gallery’s exhibition of two elegant Brancusi sculptures and works by the major American mid-century artists they inspired. (In Chelsea through June 20th).

Carl Andre, War and Rumors of War, 90 Australian hardwood timbers, overall: 35 ½ x 149 x 138 inches, 2002.

Cildo Meireles at Galerie Lelong

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Brazilian artist Cildo Meireles creates an awkward space for viewers, who are invited to climb onto a platform of wooden eggs under a canopy of bullets. Titled ‘Amerikkka,’ the piece’s extra consonants suggest racial discord in a loaded and fragile environment. (At Chelsea’s Galerie Lelong through June 27th).

Cildo Meireles, Amerikkka, 20,050 painted wooden eggs and 31,695 bullets, 158 x 236 x 118 inches, 1991/2013.

Pablo Bartholomew at Thomas Erben Gallery

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New Delhi-based photographer Pablo Bartholomew’s photos of 1970s counterculture in Bombay, New Delhi and Calcutta include plenty of languid hanging out, none as charming as this sunny scene with friends. (At Thomas Erben Gallery in Chelsea through June 20th).

Pablo Bartholomew, Hanging out at Sunder and Ammu’s with Poli, Sheena, Jai and the kids, Calcutta, 1978, silver gelatin print, 1978.

Michael Heizer at Gagosian Gallery

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Believe it or not, Michael Heizer’s ‘Potato Chip’ sculpture is not the heaviest sculpture in Chelsea right now (Richard Serra’s ‘Equal’ at David Zwirner Gallery has it beat), though at 18 tons, it may be the most incongruously titled. Still, it makes a hefty impact as visitors take the measure of the artwork with their own bodies. (At Gagosian Gallery’s 24th Street space through July 2nd).

Michael Heizer, Potato Chip, 18-ton granite rock in steel frame, 172 x 106 ¾ x 92 inches, 2015.

Beverly Buchanan at Andrew Edlin Gallery

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Known for constructing mini-models of everyday architecture from the southern United States, Beverly Buchanan captures the look and feel of a place in scraps of wood, metal and plastic. (At Chelsea’s Andrew Edlin Gallery through June 13th).

Beverly Buchanan, Sculpture House, wood, copper, acrylic and plastic, 14.75 x 18 x 16 inches, 2012.

Nevet Yitzhak at Yossi Milo Gallery

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Inspired by Afghan women who modified traditional rug patterns to include weapons and war vehicles after the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Israeli artist Nevet Yitzhak creates digital war rugs featuring tanks, airplanes, and helicopters. Here (seen in detail), helicopters direct missiles at each other, causing explosions and devastation that belies any idea of weaving (even digitally) as a peaceful art. (At Yossi Milo Gallery through July 10th).

Nevet Yitzhak, detail from the series WarCraft, War Rug #2, projection of FHD video and animation, 8:00 min loop, stereo sound, 2014.

Jessica Jackson Hutchins at Marianne Boesky Gallery

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Jessica Jackson Hutchins’ newspaper-covered sofa scattered with rough ceramic forms was a standout of the 2008 Whitney Biennial. Here, her first show at Chelsea’s Marianne Boesky Gallery opens with another couch more boldly occupied by a huge ceramic shape that the Portland, OR based artist refers to as a whale. (On view through June 6th).

Jessica Jackson Hutchins, installation view of ‘I Do Choose,’ with ‘Ultrasuede Wave,’ in foreground, sofa, oil stick, glazed ceramic, 2015.

Matthew Jensen at Yancey Richardson Gallery

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Artists don’t make road trips like they used to…Brooklyn-based photographer Matthew Jensen left his car parked and instead turned to Google Street View to make this 2009 piece in which he chose an image from each state (apart from Hawaii, which had not yet been mapped). The artists states, ‘The sun used to be the only thing to touch the entire earth and now Google does as well.’ (At Chelsea’s Yancey Richardson Gallery through June 20th.)

Matthew Jensen, The 49 States, 49 chromogenic prints, each 16 x 16 inches, 2009.

Leidy Churchman at Murray Guy Gallery

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New York artist Leidy Churchman considers what it means to be above it all, replicating a promotional picture for 432 Park Ave, the hemisphere’s tallest residential building (for now). Known for more its exclusivity than its architectural merit, Churchman turns the tower’s top floors into a glowing Olympian retreat. (At Chelsea’s Murray Guy through June 6th).

Leidy Churchman, Tallest Residential Tower in the Western Hemisphere, oil on linen, 72 x 60 inches, 2015.

Keith Edmier at Petzel Gallery

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Grace Kelly, Venus and U.S. First Ladies are the elevated subjects of NY sculptor Keith Edmier’s enticing if eclectically-themed solo show at Chelsea’s Petzel Gallery. Here, an orchid developed for former first lady Laura Bush and replicated in dental acrylic is equally attractive and creepy, its waxy appearance and unnatural color suggesting embalmed beauty. (Through June 20th).

Keith Edmier, The Pink Orchid c. 1875-90 (Blc. Laura Bush ‘First Lady’ AM/AOS), dental acrylic and acrylic paint on Tennessee marble base, 15 x 11.5 x 8 inches, 2015.

Hope Gangloff, Yelena at Susan Inglett Gallery

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Do you think Hope Gangloff’s friend Yelena likes patterns? With abundance that recalls Matisse post-Morocco, the upstate painter gives us an explosion of color and design to delight the senses. (At Chelsea’s Susan Inglett Gallery through June 6th).

Hope Gangloff, Yelena, acrylic and collage on canvas, 82 x 45inches, 2015.

Airan Kang at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery

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Some books electrify the reader, some illuminate our understanding; few do so as literally as in South Korean artist Airan Kang’s glowing volumes now on show at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery in Chelsea. (Through June 13th).

Airan Kang, installation view of ‘The Luminous Poem,’ May 2015.

Christopher Wool at Luhring Augustine

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First, a tangle of barbed wire, then a looser, smoother mass of looping lines in bronze greets visitors to Christopher Wool’s latest solo show at Luhring Augustine in Chelsea. In contrast to the inherently dangerous barbed wire, the larger sculptures are freer, suggesting unraveling string or cooked spaghetti dried out, as well as drawn lines unleashed into three dimensions. (In Chelsea through June 20th).

Christoher Wool, installation view at Luhring Augustine Gallery, May 2015.

Yinka Shonibare, Rage of the Ballet Gods at James Cohan

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Few these days think that the gods are responsible when an earthquake or tsunami hits, but British/Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare pictures the wrath of Zeus (background) and Poseidon (front right) to comment on climate change in his latest solo show at James Cohan Gallery. Placed directly on the floor in their bold (signature Shonibare) fabrics, the gender-bending divine dancers emanate power.

Yinka Shonibare, installation view of ‘Rage of the Ballet Gods’ at James Cohan Gallery, May 2015.

Cameron Jamie at Barbara Gladstone Gallery

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Known for videos and drawings channeling disillusioned angst, Cameron Jamie takes a new direction with ceramics that suggest natural forms and which are simultaneously object and pedestal. Undulating stalagmites at bottom have a fecal quality while resembling curving bodies; the top form in the foreground brings to mind vertebra or coral. (At Barbara Gladstone Gallery on West 24th Street through May 30th).

Cameron Jamie, installation view of untitled, glazed ceramic sculptures, May 2015.

David Shrigley Show at Anton Kern Gallery

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Traditionally, Chelsea galleries are closed today – the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend but a sea-change may be coming; it’s the last day to catch David Shrigley’s show at Anton Kern Gallery, which contrary to the tongue-in-cheek signage, will be open today. (Through May 23rd).

David Shrigley, installation view at Anton Kern Gallery, May 2015.

Brent Wadden at Mitchell-Innes and Nash

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Canadian artist Brent Wadden’s hand-woven ‘paintings’ embrace imperfection, incorporating second-hand fibers and mismatched seams on large panels in enticing colors and dynamic patterns. (At Chelsea’s Mitchell-Innes and Nash through May 30th).

Brent Wadden, Tangerine Teal, hand woven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas, 107 x 84 inches, 2105.

Nina Beier at Metro Pictures

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Strange objects – a fish, emu egg shells, pills – in resin fill super-sized glasses scattered on the floor of Danish artist Nina Beier’s New York solo debut at Metro Pictures. In the foreground, a snake curls around a ruler, an enigmatic image inspired by stock photo images that suggests a nasty surprise for the incautious drinker. (Through May 23rd).

Nina Beier, Plunge, snake, ruler, resin, martini glass, 24 ¼ x 13 1/8 x 13 1/8 inches, 2015.

Lucas Samaras at Pace Gallery

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Conceived of in 1966 and only realized in 2007, Lucas Samaras’ ‘Doorway’ reverses Yayoi Kusama’s mirrored interiors by putting mirrors on the exterior to reflect visitors and surroundings. At Pace Gallery, these include banks of photos from the artist’s life and a frieze of self-portraits in which Samaras in a flowing white beard and long hair resembles Rip Van Winkle or, after 40 years of using himself as subject matter, god of the selfie. (Through June 27th).

Lucas Samaras, installation view, Pace Gallery, May 2015.

Hank Willis Thomas, Unbranded at Jack Shainman Gallery

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Hank Willis Thomas is banking on Hillary Clinton getting the Democratic nod for president; so much that he was inspired to open up a conversation about the role of women in an update on his famous ‘Unbranded’ series, for which he removed logos and text from ad images to reflect on the naked images used by corporate America to move products. Now he’s selected one hundred images of white women from the past one hundred years. The show at Jack Shainman’s two Chelsea locations is even getting a boost with advertising of its own at the 8th Ave and 23rd Street subway station. (Through May 23rd).

Ad for Hank Willis Thomas’ show ‘Unbranded: A Century of White Women, 1915 – 2015.

Richard Serra at David Zwirner Gallery

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Eight blocks of forged steel weighing 35 tons each are a solid totemic presence in David Zwirner Gallery’s ground floor 20th Street space. As the title, ‘Equal,’ conveys, each is the same but stacked to suggest different sizes and astounding weight. (Through July 24th).

Richard Serra, Equal, forged weatherproof steel, eight identical blocks, each: 60 x 66 x 72 inches, 2015.

Aiko Hachisuka Installation at Eleven Rivington

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It’s not unusual to see second hand clothing as an art material in New York galleries, but no one quite turns it into the unique sculptural and painting surface that LA-based Japanese artist Aiko Hachisuka does. Here, in her installation on the Lower East Side at Eleven Rivington, columns covered in printed fabrics make dramatics statements from close and far. (Through May 17th).

Aiko Hachisuka, installation view at Eleven Rivington, April 2015.

Michele Oka Doner at Marlborough Gallery

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Known for her deep engagement with the natural world through her art, New York/Florida artist Michele Oka Doner creates hybrid plant/animal/human figures in her impressive solo show at Marlborough Gallery’s 57th Street location. Here, a gilded cast-bronze figure has the textured surface of weathered wood while a tree-like wax-covered figure at rear stands in contrapposto. (Through May 16th).

Michele Oka Doner, Interior Life, gilded cast bronze, 58 x 14 x 8 ½ inches, 2014.

Pamela Joseph at Francis M. Naumann Fine Art

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Pamela Joseph’s censored paintings of iconic artworks, including the rendition of Matisse’s Blue Nude pictured here, look like humorously overzealous attempts to stop objectification of female bodies. In fact, Joseph is recreating the distortions imposed by Iranian censors on art books in Iran. (At Francis M. Naumann Fine Art on 57t Street through May 22nd).

Pamela Joseph, Censored Blue Nude by Matisse, oil on linen, 30 x 48 inches, 2014.

Tim Hawkinson in ‘Eureka’ at Pace Gallery

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Art and science perform a beautiful dance in Tim Hawkinson’s ‘Gimbled Klein Basket,’ a rotating bamboo lattice depicting a Klein bottle, a single sided object with no boundaries invented by 19th century mathematician Felix Klein. (At Pace Gallery’s 510 West 25th Street location through June 27th).

Tim Hawkinson, Gimbled Klein Basket, bamboo, motor, pulley, drive belt, 9’ 2” x 11’ 8” x 4’ 6,” 2007.

Yayoi Kusama, The Obliteration Room at David Zwirner Gallery

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When Japanese pop art icon Yayoi Kusama last showed at David Zwirner Gallery, audiences waited on line for hours to enter a mirrored chamber. Two years later, the octogenarian artist is reviving another crowd pleaser, a version of her 2002 ‘obliteration room,’ in the form of a mini-suburban home that viewers will cover with stickers supplied by the gallery. (In Chelsea through June 13th).

Yayoi Kusama, installation view of ‘The obliteration room,’ furniture, white paint, dot stickers, dimensions variable, 2002 – present.

Sarah Peters at Eleven Rivington

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Saying her art practice is about ‘mistranslating the history of ancient objects,’ Brooklyn-based sculptor Sarah Peters ‘misinterprets’ Akkadian rulers, Greek busts and more with stunning results in several bronze heads at LES gallery Eleven Rivington. (Through May 17th).

Sarah Peters, Portrait of a Bearded Man with Triangular Base, bronze, 17.5 x 7 x 13 inches, 2015.

Judith Henry at Bravin Lee

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Both identity and longevity are illusory, Judith Henry’s photos seem to say. Masked and standing in front of paintings that she made in response to others, Henry takes a photo, then uses the painting as a surface for the next work. (At Bravin Lee in Chelsea through May 16th).

Judith Henry, Blue Rectangle, archival pigment print on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Bright White, 19 x 24 inches, 2014.

Charles Burchfield at DC Moore Gallery

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A November sun ignites the tree tops and illuminates a field of jittery stalks in this watercolor by American painter Charles Burchfield at DC Moore Gallery in Chelsea. Painted late in life when Burchfield’s scenes had become more dream-like, the brilliance of the sun belies the impending dormancy of the natural world as winter approaches. (Through June 13th).

Charles Burchfield, November Sun Emerging, watercolor, charcoal, and chalk on joined paper, mounted on board, 37 ¾ x 31 7/8 inches, 1956-59.

Andrew Lord at Barbara Gladstone Gallery

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British ceramic artist Andrew Lord riffs on Gauguin’s ceramics and the colors of the New Mexico sunset in three multi-part sculptures at Chelsea’s Barbara Gladstone Gallery. Here, a female figure with flowing hair becomes one with a pot, making her body a vessel but also suggesting the spiritually imbued function of a canoptic jar. (Through May 30th).

Andrew Lord, detail from ‘at sunset, Carson Mesa (Gauguin),’ 13 glazed ceramic sculptures in 14 parts, 2013.