BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN
Cuban cars, post-apartheid identity & film are hot prospects
EAST VILLAGE/ L.E.S.
Allegra LaViola Gallery: “Pornucopia”
This group show is inspired by concepts of abundance. One area of investigation is the contemporary supermarket, which is filled with more items than the eye can grasp and certainly with more food than anyone could stomach. In Paul Brainard’s paintings, depictions of junk food appear alongside provocative sexual images — commenting on the perversity that the idea of plenty beholds. Through Mar.11 (179 E. Broadway). For info, 917-463-3901 or allegralaviola.com.
Feature Inc.: “Gary Batty: Drawing” and “Cary Smith: Splat”
Both artists work with abstraction, exploring color and texture through notions of materiality and repetition. Though sharing a similar aesthetic, Batty and Smith clearly convey their own style and outlook. Presented in one context, these two solo exhibitions can be expected to initiate an interesting dialogue as well as an inspiring exploration of the diverse language of abstraction. Feb. 16-Mar. 13 (131 Allen St., btw. Delancey & Rivington Sts.). For info, 212-675-7772 or featureinc.com.
Lisa Cooley: “Frank Haines: Under the Shadow of the Wing of the Thing”
Haines’ new works on paper and sculptures explore dualities between form and concept, energy and matter, light and darkness — or between the primal and the cerebral. The artist finds inspiration in mystic iconography, the occult and alchemy. Along these lines it comes as no surprise that the title of the exhibition was derived from a passage in David Foster Wallace’s dystopian opus “Infinite Jest” — in which an inscrutable darkness is being articulated. Feb. 27-Mar. 27 (34 Orchard St.). For info, 212-680-0564 or lisa-cooley.com.
Sloan Fine Art: “Single Fare 2: Please Swipe Again”
Last May, artists Jean-Pierre Roy and Michael Kagan hosted an exhibition in their Brooklyn studio that was open to all artists. The only constraint was that any submitted artwork had to be completed on a used MetroCard. This March, the show will see its second incarnation — this time presented in a professional gallery setting. Detailed submission instructions can be found at single-fare.com. Works will have to be delivered to the gallery between Feb. 17 and Mar. 12 to make it into the show (which runs Mar. 18-26 at 128 Rivington St., below Stanton St.). For more info, 212-477-1140 or sloanfineart.com.
SOHO/WEST VILLAGE
Maccarone Inc.: “Corey McCorkle”
Exploring how landscape is articulated and ritualized, McCorkle works in installations, sculpture, photography and film. One focus will be the Desert de Retz, an immense 18th century garden devised by the French aristocrat Francois Racine de Monville. McCorkle’s featured work Zoetrope (2010) — a five-channel projection of still and tracking shots of these grounds — transforms the now-derelict structures into eerie protagonists. Feb. 19–Mar. 19 (630 Greenwich St. and Morton St.). For info, 212-431-4977 or maccarone.net.
Peter Freeman, Inc: “ Silvia Bächli: Fjall”
Inspired by the Icelandic word for the mountainous landscape of the far north, Bächli’s recent works relate to the forms and colors of these remote highlands. While usually rendered in black and white, her works now take on the palette of moss, lichen, creeks, rocks and stones. Though Bächli’s shapes are derived from human form, domestic space and landscape, they are abstracted and reduced to simple lines and washes. Feb. 24–Apr. 2 (560 Broadway, below Prince St., #602). For info, 212-966-5154 or visit peterfreemaninc.com.
Team: “Massimo Grimaldi: Highlights”
This will be the first American solo presentation of the Italian artist, who examines and reassesses existing platforms of spectatorship. In this context, he questions the functionality of the contemporary work of art as it relates to specific communities and social spheres. Grimaldi consistently asks his audience to consider the value of the aesthetic marketplace and its position within the larger global economy. Feb. 17–Mar. 26 (83 Grand St., btw. Wooster and Greene Sts.). For info, 212-279-9219 or visit teamgal.com.
BELOW CANAL
KS Art / Kerry Schuss:”POP: Eddie Arning, Freddie Brice, Ray Hamilton.”
Curated by Anne Doran, this exhibition of drawings brings together three self-taught artists: Eddie Arning (1898-1993), Freddie Brice (1920-1998) and R.A. “Ray” Hamilton (1919-1996). Though they were never a part of the mainstream art world, their works share startling affinities with Pop art and postmodernist methodologies. Through Mar. 12 (73 Leonard St., btw. Broadway & Church Sts.). For info, 212-219-9918 or kerryschuss.com.
Art in General: “Emily Roysdon: Positions”
Roysdon’s practice is eclectic — in the past, she’s worked in photography, printmaking and performance. This exhibition will be inspired by the dialectic consideration of language, choreography and political representation. By means of installation, Roydson will explore the intersection between figure and ground, the logic of the grid and the repetition and accumulation of ungrounded figures. Mar. 25–May 7 (79 Walker St., btw. Broadway & Lafayette). For info, 212-219-0473 or artingeneral.org.
RH Gallery: “Wolfgang Ellenrieder: Time is out of joint”
Though having received much attention in Europe (a book of Ellenrieder’s work is published by Prestel next month and his work is currently featured at The Hamburger Kunsthalle in Germany alongside Gerhard Richter and Ugo Rondinone), this will mark the painter’s U.S. solo debut. Working in the language of representation, Ellenrieder explores images that impact daily life, derived from media outlets or personal archives. Mar. 5-Apr. 19 (137 Duane St., btw. W. Broadway & Church St.). For info, 646-490-6355 or rhgallery.com.
Jack Hanley Gallery: “Ajit Chauhan: From the Pencil Area”
The show will feature new works by the San Francisco-based artist, who attempts to subvert our sense of perception by reorganizing existing visual languages. Mar. 11-Apr. 2 (136 Watts, at Greenwich St.). For info, 646-918-6824 or jackhanley.com.
CHELSEA
Gladstone Gallery: “Gary Hill: of surf, death, tropes & tableaux: The Psychedelic Gedankenexperiment”
Known for his unique combination of video, sound, performance and installation, Hill’s investigation is as simple as it is all-encompassing. He explores how we perceive the world through a network of visual, aural and linguistic signals. Concerned with an increasingly homogenized visual culture, Hill examines and deconstructs electronic media by playing with sound, speed and sequence. Mar. 18-Apr. 23 (515 W. 24th St.). For info, call 212-206-9300 or gladstonegallery.com.
Gallery 307: “Photographs: Cuba & India 2010”
The Carter Burden Center for the Aging’s Gallery 307 continues to champion the work of older professional artists, self-taught artists and artists with special needs (who are often under-represented by the art community). This exhibition represents the work of 76-year-old artist Sara Petitt — featuring dozens of photographs from her visits to Cuba and India in the past year. Mar. 3-24 (307 Seventh Ave, Suite 1401). For info, 212-879-7400 or burdencenter.org.
Jack Shainman: “Claudette Schreuders: CLOSE, CLOSE”
The South African artist creates deeply moving wooden figures. Carefully carved and painted, they address the ambiguities inherent in the search for an African identity in the post-apartheid 21st century. Schreuders is a storyteller who explores the ways in which society makes people who they are (or how it can alienate them in their environment). Mar.17–Apr. 16 (513 W. 20th St.). For info, 212-645-1701 or jackshainman.com.
Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert, Inc.:
“Ellen Phelan: Landscapes and Still Lifes: A Selection”
Phelan’s landscapes and still-life paintings were completed between 1997 and 2010. In a manner that at times is reminiscent of the German artist Gerhard Richter, Phelan’s compositions blur the divide between photorealism and abstraction. It is her palette that truly stands out, providing her subject with a sense of atmospheric mysticism and exuberance. Through Mar. 19 (524 W. 19th St.). For info, 646-944-6197 or gassergrunert.net.
McKenzie Fine Art: “James Nelson: Two Ton Hammer”
The drawings comprised here reflect Nelson’s reaction to the recent loss of his friend, Tomcat Mahoney —who hosted the Blues radio program “The Other Half” on WNYE from 1990 to 1995. The exhibition title refers to the first line of Captain Beefheart’s “Hard Working Man” — which Mahoney used as a theme song for his show. Through Mar. 19 (511 W. 25th St). For info, 212-989-5467 or mckenziefineart.com.
Von Lintel Gallery: “Mark Sheinkman”
Sheinkman’s elegant black and white abstractions evoke notions of time, space and transition. Employing expressive lines that play with subtle variations in tone, these compositions reveal as much about process as they do about material. While striking in their visual immediacy from afar, Sheinkman’s works become more complex upon closer observation. As one discovers that no truly crisp lines exist, Sheinkman’s paintings become less graphic — luring us into a space defined by fine nuances and persistence. Feb. 17–Mar. 19 (520 W. 23rd St.). For info, 212-242-0599 or vonlintel.com.
David Zwirner: “Marcel Dzama: Behind Every Curtain”
For the past decade, the Brooklyn-based artist has created prolific drawings that feature a vast array of fable creatures and figures. In recent years, Dzama has branched out into the fields of sculpture, installation and film. His latest film features characters based on the game of chess. Figures are dressed in geometrically designed costumes and disguised by elaborate masks (including a quadruple-faced mask for the King). As these obscure characters dance across a checkered board, they pay homage to artists and movements of the past — above all to the chess enthusiast Marcel Duchamp and the German Bauhaus artist Oskar Schlemmer. Through Mar. 19 (525 W. 19th St.). For info, 212-727-2070 or davidzwirner.com.
ABOVE 14th STREET
Exit Art: “Geometric Days”
Featuring Rico Gatson, Charles Koegel, Paul Pagk and Dannielle Tegeder (among others), this group show presents works that employ geometry to expose organizational structures. The latter can range from microscopic to political and even spiritual — making a case for the limitless possibilities inherent in the vocabulary of geometric abstraction. Feb. 25-Apr. 30 (475 Tenth Ave. at 36th St.). For info, 212-966-7745 or exitart.org.
Jason McCoy Gallery: “After Paradise”
This exhibition brings together a vast array of artists who explore transitional states in the fields of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation. While some works evoke abstract dreamscapes, more figurative works explore the human need for fantasy. Featured artists include James Brooks, Yvonne Estrada, Sidney Geist, Glenn Goldberg, Arshile Gorky, Damien Hirst, Lee Krasner, Marci MacGuffie, Bryan Osburn, Milton Resnick, David Row, Tamara Zahaykevich and Balint Zsako. Through Mar. 25 (41 E. 57th St. and Madison Ave.). For info, 212-319-1996 or jasonmccoyinc.com.
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery: “Abstract Expressionism: Reloading the Canon”
Including rarely seen works by Adolph Gottlieb, Grace Hartigan, Hans Hofmann, Richard Pousette-Dart and Jack Tworkov, this sophisticated exhibition offers an interesting addendum to the Abstract Expressionism show at the Museum of Modern Art. However, in contrast to MoMA, you will not need to share each picture with a large crowd. To view these works in an intimate setting is a treat that should not be missed. Though Mar. 19 (24 W. 57th St., btw. 5th and 6th Aves.). For info, 212-247-0082 or michaelrosenfeldart.com.
