Global contemporary art events and news observed from New York City. Suggestion? Email us.

New York – Robert Irwin: “Cacophonous” at Pace Gallery Through May 9th, 2015

May 4th, 2015

Robert Irwin, South South West (2014-2015), via Pace Gallery
Robert Irwin, South South West (2014-2015), via Pace Gallery

Currently on view at Pace Gallery’s W. 25th Street location is a set of new, “site-conditioned” works by Light and Space pioneer Robert Irwin, continuing the artist’s ongoing experimentation with the perceptual capacities of fluorescent lighting, and the complementary reactions of color, shadow and spacing. Read More »

New York – Tomás Saraceno: “Hybrid solidarity… semi-social quintet… on cosmic webs…” at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery Through May 2nd, 2015

May 2nd, 2015

Tomás Saraceno, Avior 9 (2013)
Tomás Saraceno, Avior 9 (2013)

Currently on view at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery is Hybrid solidarity… semi-social quintet… on cosmic webs…, Argentinian artist Tomás Saraceno’s new body of work in his fifth collaboration with the gallery. Before studying fine arts in Buenos Aires and Frankfurt, the Berlin-based artist completed a degree in architecture, a field that has profoundly influenced his artistic technique, in which various practices related to biology, geometry and space studies gently merge with his sociological and cultural observations, all the while bearing an alternatively-focused aesthetic. Read More »

New York: Charline Von Heyl: “Dusseldorf: Paintings From The Early 90’s” at Petzel Gallery Through May 2nd, 2015

April 30th, 2015

Charline Von Heyl-Dusseldorf Paintings from the early 90's- Petzel Gallery
Charline Von Heyl Untitled (1995)

Petzel Gallery is currently inaugurating its new uptown location with early works from contemporary abstract painter Charline Von Heyl. Considered one of the leading female contemporary abstract painters, the New York based artist, known for an eclectic style which admires both the natural and the constructed.  Serving as a window into the painter’s early work and artistic roots, Düsseldorf: Paintings from the early 90’s is a collection of paintings never before shown in the U.S. Shown in Cologne and Munich during 1991 and 1995, these paintings posses a bold approach to abstraction, with their provocative aesthetic strength and impressive historical awareness.  In light of a past show with Petzel in September of 2013, this exhibition provides insight into some of the deeply rooted artistic practices that are still present in Von Heyl’s current works, combining heavy use of illustration and abstraction to powerful effect. Read More »

Chaumont-sur-Loire – Gabriel Orozco: ‘Fleurs Fantômes’ At Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire Centre D’arts Et De Nature Through December 31st, 2016

April 28th, 2015

gabrielorozco_chaumont_11
Gabriel Orozco, Fleurs Fantômes (2014-2015), all photos by S. Kitching for Art Observed

Gabriel Orozco‘s ‘Fleurs Fantômes’ (‘Phantom Flowers’) is a long-term large-scale monographic exhibition (2014-2016) in the Château-de-Chaumont. Entrusted with the third special commission by Centre-Val de Loire Region for the Domaine of Chaumont-sur Loire, Gabriel Orozco created a new body of work inspired by the wallpapers adorning the once occupied private apartments of the Château.

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New York – “America is Hard to See” the Debut Exhibition at the Newly Completed Whitney Museum, Through September 27th. 2015

April 27th, 2015

Outside the New Whitney Museum, via Art Observed
Outside the New Whitney Museum, via Art Observed

When the Whitney’s migration downtown was first announced, the anxiety and anticipation over its move away from the Breuer building on 75th and Madison was palpable, to say the least.  But as the initial reviews of the space begin to trickle in, the move downtown seems to have made all of the difference for one of the bastions of American fine arts.  Sure enough, the museum, which opens its Renzo Piano-designed doors to the public on May 1st, has created the conditions for something truly incredible in the Meatpacking District, an effortless, flowing viewing experience that manages to tie the museum’s impressive holdings together with the skylines and scenic views of its iconic hometown.

John Storr, via Art Observed
John Storr, via Art Observed Read More »

New York – “Debris” at James Fuentes Gallery Through April 26th, 2015

April 23rd, 2015

Cal (Factory Face) 1984, James Fuentes Gallery

David Wojnarowicz, Cal (Factory Face), 1984

The group show is an undeniable part of the New York art world’s summer repertoire, dabbling in different styles and scenes while blending together the works of artists ranging from the young to the historical, emerging to the iconic. Among the early entries into the spring group show calendar is Debris currently on view at James Fuentes Gallery in the Lower East Side. This show is packed with familiar, utilitarian, and recognizable objects, many of which can be easily found in the vibrantly fluid New York urban landscape. Read More »

London – Marlene Dumas: “The Image as Burden” at Tate Modern Through May 10th, 2015

April 23rd, 2015

Marlene Dumas, The Image as Burden (1993) © Marlene Dumas
Marlene Dumas, The Image as Burden (1993) © Marlene Dumas

Currently on view at Tate Modern is Image as Burden, a retrospective looking at the career of the prolific South African painter Marlene Dumas. Adopting its title from an oil on canvas painting in which a male figure is depicted carrying a female figure, the retrospective, considered the most expansive survey of Dumas’ work in Europe so far, sheds a light on the exceptionally subliminal oeuvre of Dumas, who has, for the most part of her career, maintained a humble profile despite the scholarly and commercial recognition her work has achieved globally. Read More »

New York – Philip-Lorca diCorcia: “East of Eden” at David Zwirner Through May 2nd, 2015

April 22nd, 2015

Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Cain and Abel (2013)
Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Cain and Abel (2013)

Currently on view at David Zwirner is East of Eden, Philip-Lorca diCorcia’s latest photographic investigation on contemporary humanity and its position within a complexly interwoven cultural setting.  This series reflects diCorcia’s interpretation of a search for equilibrium after the deep impacts of the Financial Crisis in 2007, both during and after the Bush administration. Read More »

London – Lee Ufan at Lisson Gallery Through May 9th, 2015

April 17th, 2015

Lee Ufan, Dialogue-Silence (2013)
Lee Ufan, Dialogue-Silence (2013)

Lisson Gallery is currently presenting a new body of work by Lee Ufan, the influential artist who first gained recognition within the avant-garde art movement Mono-ha (School of Things) during the 1960’s. Considerably less known and understood in the West, Mono-ha emerged in Japan as a response to Eurocentric notions of representational and descriptive art making, focusing instead on the dialogue between nature and material.  Ufan, who started his career as a professor and art critic, stands out as an influential figure from the movement with his visually serene yet intellectually intriguing works, often harmonizing sculpture with works on canvas. Read More »

Los Angeles – Glenn Ligon: “Well, it’s bye-bye/If you call that gone” at Regen Projects Through April 18th, 2015

April 15th, 2015

Glenn Ligon, Come Out #5 (2014)
Glenn Ligon, Come Out #5 (2014)

Regen Projects is presenting its fourth exhibition with Glenn Ligon, the prominent New York-based artist who has established himself as one of the strongest voices in American contemporary art.  Well, it’s bye-bye/If you call that gone, featuring three bodies of work, adopts its title from the lyrics of the blues song “What’s the Matter Now”, projecting Ligon’s interest in text as a mode of expression and an agent of collective identity. Read More »