First off, there is a whole section devoted to Nordic galleries and artists this year. I could watch this kinetic work by Tommi Gronlund and Petteri Nisunen in the Galerie Arhava booth for an hour. Thousands of minute ball bearings are on a metal platform with sides high enough for the balls not to escape. The platform moves ever so slowly making a wave of balls from one end to another creating random forms and a waterfall sound. Its fun to watch and totally hypnotic.
I am insane for this beautiful Diana Al-Hadid work on paper at the Marianne Boesky booth. Known for her elaborate and enormous sculpture, she has also be working on these drawings simultaneously as well. Her works on paper first started out more architecturally based but her newer drawings are more abstracted with a introduction of color (blue watercolor here). The texture in materials really need to be experienced in person. This is quite large compared to her previous works. I am eagerly anticipating her first solo exhibition with this gallery in the fall.
Also in the Marianne Boesky booth, there are these new works by Barnaby Furnas. Here is an example. He is taking his Flood Series to a new level, with a single canvas now sectioned vertically with separate intervals of the same scene, a repetition of the same scene or more cubistic view of the flood (of blood). Either way, they are intriguing. I am looking forward to his next show at this gallery in the fall as well.
I am crazy about the Cuban art duo, Los Carpentieros, at the Sean Kelly Booth. These works are based on Lego renderings of Eastern European Monuments. Much of the time they turn their watercolor studies, like you see here, into sculptures in the future. I really hope that we get to see these in 3-dimensional form. What I love about their works is their high technical skill with watercolor, the non-overt subversive nature of their work and their commitment to humor in all they do.
These Richard Dupont sculptures at the Gallery Michael Janssen booth are very interesting. Like his previous works, the artist bases his sculpture on his own body. Here are massive heads made from a transparent composite that contain personal and studio detritus. Are these the thoughts of the subject? Are our thoughts too crowded with images on a daily basis? Are these memories that we can't escape? Whatever it means, they really capture you.
This is the most striking work at Peter Blum. Daniel Rich's acrylic painting of a close up view of the Milad Tower in Tehran in all its intricate detail in a straight-edged style is fantastic. The work requires you to look up close and the colors are superb.
It was exciting to see the new direction that Kevin Zucker is taking in his work at the Eleven Rivington booth. There are two landscape "paintings" - large and computer generated. The texture and colors of the surface are fun to look at and are somewhat pointilistic in their rendering. The marks up close turn into palm trees as you move away from the canvas. I like their muted tones and although it seems that many are finding it difficult to be excited about computer generated painting these days and are looking forward to more traditional technique, I find his works to continue to be intriguing.
A great thing about this Armory is there seems to be a few more single artist exhibitions - which is a great way to get to know a new artist or see an artist's work more in depth.
I found these faceless paintings by Gideon Rubin in the Rokeby booth very arresting. I love the nostalgic, muted palette and scenes. They are quiet, unnerving and I love the play in scale among all the works.
Not to miss is the Horton Gallery booth showing Wallace Whitney's gorgeous colorful abstractions. The colors are vibrant and vivid and evoke a lot of feeling. Beautiful.
In the same vein, do not miss the CRG booth highlighting new works by Tomory Dodge. Small, jewel-like, colorful abstractions next to more modern landscapes. I love the colors and textures of these paintings. And, you can definitely fit these in a NYC apartment!!
Greenberg Van Doren is showing two artists, one which is one of my favorite contemporary landscape painters, Cameron Martin. (See a previous blog with his last exhibition with this gallery.) Continuing the same idea of his last exhibition, these are very muted, almost monochromatic, paintings of mountains, close-ups of birch trees and rock formations that you can barely distinguish from far away. They look like faded old photographs. However, here, in these new paintings, he has added some black horizontal and vertical lines and geometric rectangles and squares. These bring these landscapes to the present by referencing minimalism as well as digital imagery. I think these are my favorite works in the whole fair!!!!
Enjoy!!
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