2023 - Issue 82: NYC Roundup
While most of the London art world was busy opening new October shows I was out of town. My trip included a quick three days in Manhattan getting reacquainted with the major museums and checking out a few new tourist attractions. I also squeezed in a few art galleries. 40, to be exact. Yes, FORTY!
Since I’m still playing catch-up with all the London openings, this week’s Roundup showcases 10 NYC gallery shows that caught and kept my attention. Some of these shows have now closed, but the work is still worth looking into.
Shows are listed in the order in which I saw them.
“Who’s George Segal?” I asked, only to be met with a literal jaw drop. That’s the thing about art. There’s so much that you’re always discovering someone new and can still experience some pretty incredible things for the first time. Segal is definitely worth a second look, too. A vastly over-simplified explanation for the Brits is that he’s kind of like a pop-art version of Antony Gormley.
‘Nocturnal Fragments’ at Galerie Templon (@galerietemplon) until 28 Oct
This exhibit was like a mini V&A: part art, part fashion show. The costumes and stilts that Laura Anderson Barbata (@mx_lab) made in collaboration with stilt dancers, artists, and artisans from Mexico, New York, and the Caribbean can be seen in action on videos that play in the show, but I spent more time studying the portraits with faces replaced by inlaid leaves carefully stitched together.
‘Singing Leaf’ at Marlborough (@marlborough_gallery) until 28 Oct
Alicia Brown (@alicialisabrown) paints her family members in bold or unusual perspectives. They’re undeniably skilled portraits that arguably don’t need the generous distractions they’ve been augmented with, but they’re too much fun to take away. Including precious gems attached to the canvas and quirky details like a stuffed elephant or toy dinosaur that vied for my attention, these are works that will keep you deeply engaged.
‘Coming to ‘Merica: Invasive Species’ at Winston Wachter Fine Art (@winstonwachter) until 04 Nov
Sanford Biggers (@sanfordbiggers) distinctly stood out as the one of the most unique sets of work across the forty shows I saw. His forced perspective sculptures are hard to fully appreciate in my photos, and his fabric & gold leaf pattern works were far more captivating in person than geometric explorations deserve to be. If you went to Frieze than you’ll have seen his work ‘Chesire (Janus) 2023’ — the set of big red lips hanging outside the entrance. I’m hoping that’s not the only work of his we’ll be seeing in London.
‘Meet Me on the Equinox’ at Marianne Boesky Gallery (@marianneboeskygallery) until 14 Oct
This museum-quality retrospective showcases works from the short, ten-year career of Tetsuya Ishida, who captured “the anxieties and trauma he shared with countless young Japanese people who reached adulthood in the 1990s, the country's ‘Lost Decade’ that followed the burst of its bubble economy.” This is definitely not a show to attend if you’re feeling lonely, down or depressed — but it’s also not to be missed. The works may have been a reaction to a specific era in Japan, but they seem to be incredibly apt for the current angst and isolation being generated by the proliferation of social media and the internet age.
I couldn’t recall where I’d seen her before but as soon as I walked in the gallery I immediately recognised the works of Anna Kenneally (@annakenneallystudio). Her rough, sketch-like strokes and neon highlights are an incredibly distinct combo that’s hard to resist. There’s always a lot going on in the background of these works, but it’s easy to miss because the eyes in the main portraits fixate on the viewer and command your attention.
‘Nocturnalia’ at Fredericks & Freiser (@fredericksandfreiser) until 21 Oct
A big bronze Octopus with transforming tentacles emerges from a sea of sand. It’s an incredible sight that overwhelms a small gallery space, and it’s social media catnip. Octopi also make an appearance in a weird backroom video containing phallic imagery interspersed with naked women writhing together while squirting breast milk all over a baby. The gallery describes it as “a multifaceted exploration of migration and above all, empathy” but you could sense that everyone in the room felt incredibly uncomfortable watching it. Whatever it actually is, it’s certainly not tame. Laure Prouvost (@studioprouvostsocialclub) is another new artist for me, but shows that can make you both squeamish and smile are a rare thing.
‘Stranded by Your Side’ at Lisson Gallery (@lisson_gallery) until 14 Oct
London has Roy’s People and NYC has Liliana Porter (@lilianaporter.art) — who also creates clever scenes with miniature figures interacting with household objects or the frames in which they are housed. Or even outside of the frames, as one site specific installation has a little man drilling holes directly into the gallery wall. The biggest surprise was these teeny, tiny people command big, big prices: US$10k each.
‘Untitled with Her’ at Bienvenu Steinberg & J (@joseebienvenu) until 21 Oct
I felt trolled in the best possible way by this Heji Shin (@hejishin) show. I mean, who wouldn’t be enticed to walk into an exhibition with ‘The Big Nudes’ proudly displayed on greyed out gallery windows? Except once inside you’re presented with giant photographic prints of… pigs! Porky, playful pigs posing and smirking like they’re 1980s supermodels. Brilliant! Well played, Heji. Well played.
‘The Big Nudes’ at 52 Walker (@52walkerstreet) until 07 Oct
This show of old and new works by real life partners Jeff Way (@jeffwayart) and Carolyn Oberst (@oberst.carolyn) is the debut for a new gallery you can only access via an elevator (lift) that opens directly onto the street. One assumes there must be some secret, private fire escape stairwell in the back, but I didn’t ask. I was too busy looking at the found wooden frames that Oberst turns into her canvas, and trying to figure out which of Way’s works were painted and which were made with a chalk line tool, the kind that carpenters use.
‘PRESS RELEASE: (Cycle VI)’ at Storage (@storage.archive) until 14 Oct
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
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