Mujeres Muralistas Soi Noma in ‘The Precious Life of a Liquid Heart’ at the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art

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This seven-foot painting on canvas by Soi Noma, a collective of female mural artists from the Shipibo-Conibo community in Lima, Peru adds a blast of color to the small but impactful group exhibition ‘The Precious Life of a Liquid Heart’ at the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art in Tribeca.  Addressing water crisis in Latin America and the spiritual importance of rivers and water bodies to indigenous communities, the show includes work by artists who decry environmental damage and others who focus on an appreciation of the natural world.  Soi Noma’s ‘Manifesto against Contamination’ mixes both approaches, employing kene, geometric patterns that express world views of the community, and images of animals to picture a come-back from contamination caused by oil companies. (On view through Feb 10th).

Mujeres Muralistas Soi Noma, Manifesto against Contamination, mixed media on canvas, triptych: 86 x 51 x 1/16 inches, 2022.

Tony Matelli in ‘Friends of the Pod’ at Broadway Gallery

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‘Friends of the Pod,’ an enjoyable group exhibition at Broadway Gallery in Tribeca featuring artists linked to a podcast hosted by advisor Benjamin Godsill and Vanity Fair art columnist Nate Freeman opens with this wonderfully weird assemblage by Tony Matelli.  Anyone who knows Matelli’s sculpture knows to mistrust what they see; the master of trompe l’oeil has produced realistic human bodies and floral arrangements that appear to float upside down as well as pieces of what look to be classical statuary that include pieces of fruit and vegetables.  Traditionally understood in European painting as a warning of mortality, perfect fruits and flowers point to the inevitability of what will come next.  Matelli’s veg avoids this fate while triumphing over a human head that no longer stands upright.  (On view through Feb 3rd).

Tony Matelli, Bust (Eggplant and Celery), concrete, painted bronze, 13 x 18 x 12 inches, 2022.

Jung Eun Hye at Ricco/Maresca Gallery

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Jung Eun Hye’s black and white conte crayon drawings of her dog Jiro, now on view at Ricco Maresca Gallery, are a testament to the artist’s appreciation of and love for an animal she rescued nine years ago.  Jiro comes across as spunky, wise, laughing in various iterations.  Jung enhances the dog’s vivacity with lively patterning and flowers and plant life that add interest to each composition. (On view in Chelsea through Feb 17th.)

Jung Eun Hye, Brave Jiro, conte crayon on handmade Hanji paper, 28 x 23 ½ inches, 2023.

James Welling at David Zwirner Gallery

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Double-takes are the norm at James Welling’s show of recent photographs at David Zwirner Gallery as the iconic West coast artist continues to make images that take time to understand.  In this photograph of rocks and the sea in Prouts Neck, Maine, printed in UV curable ink that adds to the images’ rich color, Welling recalls Winslow Homer’s and subsequently, John Marin’s paintings in this historic spot.  The ocean is placid in Welling’s rendering but the overlaid patches of color that he adds create a visual disturbance that mimics the crashing waves and stormy surf that Homer captured.  Interested in the patterning created as he cleaned off paint rollers on newspaper for another project, Welling started adding these ‘prints’ to his photos, altering areas of color to create complex images that emphasize the malleability of photography (On view in Chelsea through Feb 10th).

James Welling, Prouts Neck near Winslow Homer’s Studio, UV-curable ink on Dibond aluminum, 42 x 63 inches, 2015/2023.

Francoise Grossen and Tau Lewis in ‘Making Their Mark’ at the Shah Garg Foundation

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Swiss fiber artist Francoise Grossen moved her textiles moved off the loom in the ‘60s, creating bold and colorful sculpture that existed in three dimensions.  This large piece from 1977 is a highlight of the Shah Garg Foundation’s first public exhibition of its museum-quality collection featuring over eighty artists.  Abstract and constructed from manila rope, this sculpture was nevertheless inspired by functional objects including rope bridges, ship lines and the ancient Incan recording device, the quipu.  On the wall beyond Grossen’s piece, a more contemporary textile-based work by Tau Lewis uses recycled fabric to form a head inspired by Yoruban mask drama.  (On view through March 23rd in Chelsea, at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in Sept ‘24 and Kemper Art Museum, St Louis in Sept ’25).

Francoise Grossen, Contact III, manila rope (abaca), 1977. Tau Lewis, Saint Mozelle in the Aphid Orgy, steel, enamel paint, acrylic paint, acrylic finisher, repurposed leather, repurposed suede, organic cotton twill, and coated nylon thread, 2023.