Gil Batle at Ricco Maresca Gallery





In this meticulous hand carving on ostrich egg by Gil Batle, who spent two decades incarcerated in California, a cast of characters carries on life in prison. Here, ‘Hollywood’ makes prison wine. (At Chelsea’s Ricco Maresca Gallery through Jan 9th). 

Gil Batle, Chrysalis, Carved ostrich egg shell, 6.5 x 5 x 5 inches, 2014.

Ian Ruhter at Danziger Gallery





This tranquil Lake Tahoe scene looks timeless, or at least captured about one hundred and fifty years ago. Working with a wet plate collodion process from the 19th century, photographer Ian Ruhter modernizes the method by shooting from inside a truck on huge plates, enacting what he calls a kind of alchemy. (At Chelsea’s Danziger Gallery through Jan 16th). 

Ian Ruhter, Snow on Pines, Lake Tahoe, 30 x 40 inch pigment print, 2010.

Dan Hernandez at Kim Foster Gallery





Toledo-based artist Dan Hernandez combines scenes from early Renaissance paintings with 80s video game imagery to humorous effect at Kim Foster Gallery in Chelsea. Inspired by the flat sense of space and major size discrepancies between the characters in both genres, Hernandez creates epic battles between characters that stretch the idea of supernatural powers. (Through Jan 16th) 

Dan Hernandez, Nocturne, mixed media on panel, 12 x 24 inches, 2015.

Eleanor Ray at Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects





Eleanor Ray’s tiny rendition of Fra Angelico’s Annunciation at the Convent of San Marco in Florence substitutes the early Renaissance master’s exquisite detail for a soft-edged summary. Seen in Ray’s painting through a doorway and from below, the architecture acts like a winged altarpiece, opening to reveal a mirage-like vision. (At Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects through Dec 24th). 

Eleanor Ray, San Marco Stairs, oil on panel, 6 x 5 ½ inches, 2014.

Sharon Lockhart at Barbara Gladstone Gallery





Visitors to Sharon Lockhart’s latest solo show at Barbara Gladstone play a game of peek-a-boo with the LA artist’s recurring subject, a Polish teen with whom she’s worked for years. Moving around the large walls erected at the center of the gallery, visitors can ponder how much a photo can ever really reveal of its subject. (In Chelsea, through January 23rd). 

Sharon Lockhart, Milena, Jaroslaw, 2013, three framed chromogenic prints, 50 ¾ x 40 ¾ inches, 2014.