Titled ‘The UFOs,’ Peruvian artist Arturo Kameya’s new show at Tribeca’s GRIMM Gallery conveys an otherworldly atmosphere through dark-toned paintings (made more subdued by mixing paint with clay powder) that tell strange tales. A man buried alive attracts the attention of news crews in one image while an ancient Peruvian mummy emerges from a cooler bag in another. Even the everyday can seem bizarre as a roach sits up, eating from a tiny plate in one picture while in another, a shower-head/water heater dangerously mixes water and electricity. Here, a planter cut and painted to resemble a swan seems to come to life to sip water from a leaky hose that has morphed into a fountain, blurring the lines between the real and man-made nature. (On view through May 6th).
Kennedy Yanko at Deitch Projects
A quote from John Cage at the entrance to Kennedy Yanko’s show at Deitch Projects declares that silence doesn’t exist; even if nothing at all can be heard, the sounds of the body’s systems functioning will advance themselves. Yanko’s new sculptures likewise assert the aesthetic potential of humble materials: dried sheets of paint and found metal. In their contrast between smooth and rough surfaces and complementary colors like the green and purple, sculptures like ‘An Ode to Hugs’ (pictured here) are driven by Yanko’s intuitive method and for her, the ‘livingness of her medium.’ (On view in SoHo through April 22nd).
Leo Villareal at Pace Gallery
Can you capture the feeling of a sunset and make it last? New media artist Leo Villareal has explained that his latest ‘digital sculptures’ – LED lights and electronics behind acrylic panels – at Chelsea’s Pace Gallery, have a similar effect to watching natural phenomena. Titled ‘Interstellar’ and inspired by images from space, including photos from the James Webb Telescope, the new wall-mounted works manifest in a range of palettes, from calming blue/greens to blazing yellow/orange tones. Powered by custom coding, the imagery constantly morphs, enticing viewers to linger. (On view through April 29th).
Shellyne Rodriguez at PPOW Gallery
New Yorkers get on with their business, striding forward in this colored-pencil on black paper drawing by Bronx-based artist Shellyne Rodriguez at PPOW Gallery in Tribeca. Informed in layout by ‘80s Hip Hop poster designs by Buddy Esquire, Rodriguez’s diagram includes the upbeat phrase ‘together but separately and in agreement’ in English, Spanish, Twi, Kichwa and other languages. Sourced from a Zapatista text, the words “show how our autonomy can be embedded within our collectivity.” (On view in Tribeca through April 22nd).
Tony Cragg at Lisson Gallery
Protesters and police clash in a blaze of color in British sculptor Tony Cragg’s 1987 piece ‘Riot’ a sculptural installation running the length of one of Lisson Gallery’s Chelsea spaces. Forty years ago, Cragg made a name for himself with artworks and installations composed of found plastic elements, a material that lacked the associations carried by more traditional media like bronze, marble or wood. Inspired by social unrest in ‘80s Britain, Cragg employs a modern material, fragmented and formerly discarded, to illustrate conflict between citizen and state. (On view in Chelsea through April 15th).