Highlights
August in New York is nothing without its heat waves and epic weather. While many escape the city, there are lots of wonderful gems to behold. Here are some cool current exhibitions not to miss downtown that will bring some good energy on those hot days.
Summer with Friends and Family, curated by G. Peter Jemison at 47 CANAL
On view through: August 9, 2024
Featuring: Jay Carrier, Joe Feddersen, Hayden Haynes, G. Peter Jemison, Lauren Jimerson, Luanne Redeye, Natasha Smoke Santiago, Marjorie Skidders, Duane Slick, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith
This powerful show reverberates through the soul with deep permeability and velocity. An incredible selection of poignant works by Indigenous artists is artfully curated by G. Peter Jemison; a breadth that spans across various media and approaches, but is also rooted in a deeply ruminating trajectory. Each artist engages in visceral dialogue that bring electrifying imagery together, with the whispering fused glass chimes of the gently swaying Charmed/Kamloops Residential School by Joe Feddersen serving as a continuous companion that moves with the viewer across the gallery. Luanne Redeye’s portraits imbue the gallery with the gazes of her subjects imbued vibrant backdrops. G. Peter Jemison electrifies with gorgeous still-life portraits of the natural world in dazzling shades of complimentary colors that dance off the canvas.
The sculptural works by Natasha Smoke Santiago and Hayden Haynes are poignant, clever on point works that provide insight within every crevice, cranny and corner of their entities. To not slowly move around these reflective sculptures would be a truly missed opportunity. Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s pastel works on paper magnetize, educate, and activate, their energies leaping off the walls and impressing upon the viewer, their depth and majesticness. Jay Carrier’s large painting and mixed-media works are illuminating and beckon from a distance. As they draw you like fireflies on a hot summer night, Marjorie Kaniehtonkie Skidders’s works stun with their magnetizing auras and richness.
Duane Slick’s paintings are enigmatic and haunting; their beauty and allure a dreamscape fusion of fantasy and reality, moving with you wherever you go. Through literal language including the text-based painting of Lauren Jimerson, we are confronted with the tragic histories experienced by indigenous peoples by the hands of colonialism; their immediacy a potent reminder that these practices continue to this day. Each of these exemplary artists tell stories we must reflect upon; as well as underscoring the power of art to connect people through the delicate intersections of each experience lived. To experience this curation is nothing short of engaging in a symphony of beautiful, heartfelt songs that vary in intonation; yet align in utterly perfect pitch and harmony.
Della Wells: Mambo Land, at Andrew Edlin Gallery @andrewedlingallery
On view through: August 16, 2024
The phrase “if these walls could talk” is certainly applicable at Andrew Edlin, as both shows currently on view follow personal histories through narrative-based works. This contemplative storytelling fills the gallery with various moments of personal histories exploring ideas of America. In Della Wells’ show, Mambo Land, collage is the medium of choice: a decidedly accessible practice that reflects on empowerment and a utopian vision where Black women preside over Mambo Land in exhilarating ways. The female gaze stares back, reflecting on this world that Wells constructs, an examination of the American south reality and the world that is within grasp. Through delicate, heartfelt pastiches of information and materials such as paper, found objects, and thoughtful trinkets, the personal touch moves off the wall and into the psyche of the viewer.
These images are an encounter with the divine: we are transported to this world, observers privy to the magic that Wells shares with us as she moves between the two realms. Her uncanny knack for pairing various elements together creates endlessly charming moments within each collage that lends for leisurely lingering and drawing connections as you move back and forth across the length of the gallery. The power of these works is revealed in layers, with each moment that you appreciate what sits before you, all the more is revealed.
Tyler Macko, Bill Miller and John Roberts also deliberate on ideas and experiences of the Americana variety in this three-person exhibition. Like Wells, a relationship to folk art is palpable in this vibrant show. These works speak to each other as friends up late in a shared studio space might converse with another. The intimacy and closeness in proximity and subject matter makes for an engaging experience. Figures are rooted amidst intimate interiors, and lonely exteriors greet viewers, ever so rich in color, dimension and intensity. An exciting sculptural-painting assemblage is firmly anchored on one wall, its earthly belongings of birds, butterflies and bones awaiting a human presence to visually excavate its many layers. Indeed, this stunning show is an opportunity of reflection in endless regards, and a show that will stay with you long after.
Summer Reading, at Shelter, @shelter_gallery
On view through: August 17, 2024
Featuring: Abby Cheney, Alexandra Hammond, Alina Tenser, Allison Kudlow, Courtney Puckett, Dena Paige Fischer, Elisa Lendvay, Esther Ruiz, Elisa Soliven, Heidi Norton, Kate Rusek, Kate Stone, Langdon Graves, Lauren Skelly Bailey, Leah Dixon, Lexa Walsh, MaryKate Maher, Natale Adgnot, Stina Puotinen, Tamsen Williams, and Trish Tillman
Various interpretations of sculpture abound in this selection of works by the Women’s Sculptor Group. It is a bevy of sensorial machinations that conjure up surrealist visions that are betwixting and resplendent. Dena Paige Fisher’s Kitchen Floor Memories and Heidi Norton’s Why Does the Rose Cry delight one’s inner goth through their channeling of macabre twists that are beautiful, mysterious, and enchanting. Tamsen Williams’ Both, Langdon Graves’ Flowers and Fragrance, and Natalie Agnot’s punctuations of color amidst the monochromatic bring excitement and magnetic energy to the amorphous figures within the sculptures.
Works by Alison Kudlow, Alina Tenser, Alexandra Hammond, Esther Ruiz, Kate Rusek, and Kate Stone appear to channel the natural world; while Courtney Puckett, Lexa Walsh, Trish Tillman, MaryKate Maher, Lauren Skelly Bailey, Abby Cheney, Elisa Solven, Stina Puotinen, Leah Dixon and Elisa Lendvay pull from a world intercepted by humankind at various stages of human evolution. Unifyingly, through a shared desire to explore tactility, materiality, layering and building, a playful show comes forth in a roundup of talented artists interested in the expanses of play and process.
All photo courtesy of the writer.
About the writer: Yasmeen Abdallah examines history, contemporary culture, materiality, reuse, memory, and space. She has been a visiting artist at institutions including Columbia University Teaching College, Children’s Museum of NYC; El Barrio Artspace; Fairleigh Dickinson; Parsons; Pratt Institute; Residency Unlimited; Sarah Lawrenc; and University of Massachusetts. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and Studio Art with honors, with a Minor in Women’s & Gender Studies from University of Massachusetts; and received an MFA in Fine Arts, with distinction, from Pratt Institute. Exhibitions include Art in Odd Places; the Boiler; Bronx Art Space; Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center; Cornell University; Ed Varie; Elizabeth Foundation; Nars Foundation; Open Source; Pratt Institute; PS122 Gallery; Spring Break; University of Massachusetts; and Westbeth. Publications include Anthropology of Consciousness; Bust Magazine; Emergency Index; Hyperallergic; Papergirl Brooklyn; Free City Radio; Radio Alhara; Tussle Magazine and Transborder Art. Her work is in public, private, and traveling collections in the U.S. and abroad. Instagram: @86cherrycherry