Childhood friends and artists unveil inspiring new work at Chelsea gallery

The Joshua Liner Gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting a collaborative show featuring work by artists Sam Friedman and Josh Sperling for the show From the Cradle to the Grave.

Best friends since birth, the artists share a lifetime of shared personal and artistic experiences. About his friend, Sperling says “Sam and I have known each other for thirty years and have been making art alongside each other our entire lives. It feels natural to want to show your work with your friend… I have always looked at Sam’s work and found inspiration.”

Both artists grew up being influenced by Postwar masters such as Frank Stella and the late Ellsworth Kelly whose styles they incorporate in their work. Sperling’s structured canvases capture the changing effects of light and shadow on the surfaces of layered frameworks. One installation that stands out is Searching for Heaven that consists of white semi-circle acrylic shapes with thin arches visible forming the structure of a rainbow. The first piece sits flat on a piece of wood while the other pieces are stacked on top reaching up to the sky.

Installation view of From the Cradle to the Grave

Other intriguing works of Sperling’s include his Love Potion series of several acrylic paintings each with its own color scheme like red and green, or green and blue, Skipping Stones which consists of four oval shaped structures and two creatures, on fat and round and one squiggly sliding over and under the oval shapes evoking the playful innocence of childhood, and Nocturnal Teenager depicting a sleeping adolescent with his tongue sticking out as a cloud separates his triangular shaped chin and brain which has a sky blue background with circles representing dreams.

Friedman’s works, on the other hand, are also acrylic paintings that are grayscale versions of paintings that originally featured bold, contrasting colors that dominated the canvas. With these grayscale versions, the strength of line and contrast are emphasized greatly and include scenes of nature with elements such as trees, grass, sunlight, and moonlight. 

Sperling and Friedman have developed a visual dialogue with their methods. Sperling is focused on the process of putting together a painting by learning what goes into it while Friedman’s approach is more spontaneous as he’s guided by natural instinct. While the artists’ processes are quite different, their final goal is what brings them together as Sperling says, “We are both trying to achieve beauty.”

At The Joshua Liner Gallery, 540 W. 28th St., through Feb. 6. The gallery is open Tues.—Sat. from 11 a.m.—6 p.m.

Marcel Dzama and Raymond Pettibon collaborate for exhibition at David Zwirner

The David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of work by Marcel Dzama and Raymond Pettibon for an exhibition titled Forgetting the Hand. Dzama and Pettibon began collaboration last summer when Dzama would begin work on some drawings that Pettibon would complete and vice versa. By doing this, they developed each other’s compositions through various illustrations, collages, and writing.

The artists explore notions of desire and temptation with works such as The Circle of the Lustful and Try it, You’ll Like It. In The Circle of the Lustful, a pair of hands is seen coming from the side trying to lure a man who appears miniscule as he descends near the bottom of a swirling vortex, with a red rose toward the top following behind. The hot yellow, orange, crimson, and gold colors featured in Try it, You’ll Like It, truly capture the painting’s sinister and dangerous essence. In the piece, a trio of attractive women (a blonde, redhead, and brunette) are seen standing together emerging from smoke and flames as an arm can be seen coming from the left side of the image balancing a small cube on his finger resembling a piece of cheese.

Still from A Flower of Evil (2015) by Marcel Dzama

Dzama also presents a short film called A Flower of Evil featuring himself and Amy Sedaris as well as actors wearing costumes by Dzama in the form of red fabric and white polka dots worn over their heads and going down to their waist. Installations of figures that are similar to the film’s characters can be seen hanging from the corners of the walls. Their faces made from yarn that are half gray and half red, wearing a black cape with polka dots.

Marcel Dzama was born in Winnipeg, Canada and studied at the University of Manitoba where he received his B.F.A. His work has been featured in numerous museums and galleries across the country and around the world. Dzama also designed the costumes and stage design for a production of The Most Incredible Thing based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale that will make its debut at the New York City Ballet in February.

Raymond Pettibon was born in Tucson and based in New York. He earned a graduate degree in economics from the University of California in 1977 before joining his brother in the punk band Black Flag contributing artwork for their album covers, flyers, and t-shirts, as well as for their label, SST Records. His work has been widely exhibited nationally and internationally.

At David Zwirner, 533 W. 19th St., through Feb. 20. The gallery is open Tue.-Sat. from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Yutaka Sone presents new works reflecting 'Day and Night' at Chelsea gallery

The David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of work by Yutaka Sone for the exhibition Day and Night. For his seventh show at the gallery, Sone presents paintings of major cities at night that were modeled after his large-scale marble sculptures that reflect his interest in both natural and architectural landscapes. 

Sone captures the energetic and enthusiastic ambience of nightlife in major cities like Hong Kong that beautifully illustrates the bright lights and billboards on small and tall buildings that can be seen on the city’s waterfront, and dark hills obscured in the back with miniscule homes representing the suburbs.

 Similar paintings include The Light at That Time which beautifully captures lower Manhattan at night with the glowing lights of the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg bridges, and Amusement in the Night depicts the scene of an amusement park at night as the title suggests with traditional rides such as a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, a merry-go-round, and a tilting swing.

In addition to his paintings, Sone presents a small-scale geometric marble sculpture known as Movie Theater that illustrates a staircase leading to a movie theater where the screen is hit with the point of a right triangle to create the illusion of the screen omitting light reaching audience members.

    The Light at That Time (2015, acrylic on canvas) by Yutaka Sone

Sone’s fascination with palm trees is also evident as indicated in his Sky and Palm Tree Head series of paintings, and a large-scale Tropical Composition/Canary Island Palm Tree series of large-scale sculptures. Sone created his palm tree paintings in his garden in his Los Angeles home, capturing their true essence with vibrant, evergreen leaves that compliment the bright, blue sky in the background. The sculptures represent Sone’s inner ongoing dialogue between natural and manmade structures. Sone created this piece with help from local artists from the Michoacán region in Mexico. The trees are made from rattan that is woven around a metal framework. The works in this series are Sone’s largest to date to date standing between one and two meters tall.

Yutaka Sone was born in Japan and studied fine art and architecture at Tokyo Geijutsu University. He’s been a member of the David Zwirner gallery since 1999 and his large-scale marble sculpture Little Manhattan created between 2007 and 2009 is currently on view at the High Line until March 2016.

At David Zwirner, 525 W. 19th St., through Feb. 20. The gallery is open Tue.-Sat. from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Artists unite to debut 'New Work' at Lower East Side Gallery

The Woodward Gallery on the Lower East Side is currently presenting a fascinating collection of work for a group exhibition titled New Work New York. The 18 artists featured in the show come from all corners of the globe and are all making their debut at the gallery, each artist has his or her own unique message to convey. The works in the show include mostly sculpture, painting, and photography where abstraction, surrealism, and figurative styles are used.

One of the most enigmatic pieces in the show is the painting Zissou by the artist Vedran Misic. It features a middle-aged man presented from the shoulders up and shown as though he’s living underwater or in another world as he’s covered in neon colors and designs and dreamy patterns. The color in the background is blue which likely represents water and fish, seaweed, and algae shown in the man’s chest. The warmer reds and oranges surrounding the blue water in the man’s body likely represent sand at the bottom and opposing elements of water and fire. The shape of a seahorse can be seen in the man’s ear and his facial expression suggest that he’s dreaming of the future as is further emphasized with the letter “Z” in the center of his forehead.

Zissou (2015, ink on paper) by Vedran Misic

 Shaun O’Rourke illustrates the pressures of being in the public eye with Celebrity, a black and white oil painting. The subject appears to be a young woman whose face is shown in the background covered with makeup with her eyes closed as she appears distant and oblivious to what’s happening around her. Several microphones are thrust in her face as well as the hand of an eager fan wanting to get close, and the face of another woman in the background watching her.

Another intriguing work in the show titled Metallic Landscape by Javier Infantes Lopez is a painting made from resin with red, white, and blue colors. Often when these colors are presented together, white in the middle as in the French flag. However, the color in the center here is a slim sliver of light blue compressed by the red on the bottom and the white on top.

Other notable works in the show include images of water such as with And Again, a series of acrylic panels by Jessica Hurley Scott where she brilliantly creates the illusion of a wave crashing , and Mary Armstrong’s painting Green Wave which has a calming effect with the water emitting a green hue as part of it smoothly rises up toward the horizon line.

At The Woodward Gallery, 133 Eldridge St., through Feb. 27th. The gallery is open Tue.-Sat. from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sundays from noon until 5 p.m.

Alec Egan unveils paintings 'Close to Home' at Lower East Side gallery

The Freight + Volume gallery on the Lower East Side is currently presenting an intriguing collection of work by Alec Egan titled Close to Home. For this show, Egan presents several oil paintings characterized by rich brushstrokes with subjects ranging from portraits of animals, to still-lifes of objects such as clothing, food, or furniture. 

Most of Egan’s animal paintings are close-ups of furry four-legged mammals and are full of emotion. One of these paintings titled Bison depicts the hearty creature resting on its stomach on a soft surface, resting its head on its arm. He appears strong but peaceful as he gazes at the viewer intently. The works Bear and Dog, are close-ups of the animals faces with the bear behaving fearlessly as he lets out a loud roar, and the dog gazing up at its owner in a pleading way and barking for attention.

Bear (2015, oil on canvas) by Alec Egan

Egan’s still-life paintings reflect nostalgia, as they’re mostly of objects that have been significant in his life at one time, but no longer hold the same meaning in his life today. For instance, an image titled Sandwich illustrates a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread, a popular and simple for among many children and hat many children outgrow. 

Other works that convey this idea include Book and Stack of Books as they might symbolize a favorite book read during the childhood or adolescent years, and Room depicting a child’s messy bedroom with open, overflowing drawers and unmade beds. Egan also includes still-lifes reflecting transitions into adulthood with more sophisticated items like a neatly folded white shirt with buttons and a collar, or a light pink living room armchair covered with floral patterns above a velvet, emerald-green rug, or a vase of assorted flowers depicted in Elegy of Flowers.

Egan is from Los Angeles and studied at the Otis College of Art and Design where he earned his MFA. His work has been featured in group and solo shows in California, New York, Portland, and Amsterdam.

At Freight+Volume, 97 Allen St., through Jan. 17. The gallery is open Tues.—Sat. from 11 a.m.—6 p.m.

Michel Delacroix captures the beauty of Paris in latest show

The Axelle Fine Arts Galerie in Soho is currently presenting a collection of work by Michel Delacroix for the exhibition Le Temps Retrouve (Time Regained). For this show, Delacroix presents several paintings of the streets of his native city of Paris as he remembers it. These include images of iconic buildings such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and scenes of daily Parisian life.

One painting that effectively captures the spirit of the holiday season is Joyeuse nuit de neige which translates to “Merry Night of Snow” which illustrates a snowy evening in the City of Light. The image looks precisely as though the viewer is looking outside a window at what’s happening out in front of them. Snowflakes fall lightly from the sky covering the ground, and several rooftops. The mood is lively as locals ride in their streetcars and on horses and carriages, as several others walk along the sidewalks and children play happily in the street, with one chasing a puppy and others gathered around a Christmas tree decorated with bright red ornaments in the middle of a narrow lane. The action takes places in a friendly neighborhood with small apartment buildings with small business and shops below. Out in the distance is the rest of the city where a church and the Eiffel Tower can be seen.

Paris au mois d'aout (2015, acrylic on board) by Michel Delacroix

A closer image of the Eiffel Tower at night can be seen in Sur la Terrasse (On the Terrace) with a bright blue light beaming its rays horizontally from the top. As the title of the painting suggests, the image is seen through the perspective as someone on the terrace of their apartment as the balcony can be seen in the foreground where a couple, their two children, and their dog are enjoying the evening. The orange and red leaves on the trees out in the distance suggest that it’s autumn.

Finally, one truly heartwarming image titled La Jeune Mere is set inside the living room of a young mother who is watching over her baby with love as it rests in its crib. The curtains are drawn to reveal the light shining through as her husband walks across bringing flowers over to the dining table in the corner, as the family dog travels faithfully by his side.

At The Axelle Fine Arts Galerie, 472 West Broadway, through Dec. 28. The gallery is open from 10 a.m.—6 p.m.

Giorgio Morandi's celebrated paintings on view in Chelsea

The David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of paintings by critically acclaimed Italian artist Giorgio Morandi in a self-titled exhibition. The works featured in this show were completed within the 1940s-1960s, the last two decades of Morandi’s life, and the time period where he focused on serial and reductive forms that are evident in several pieces known as Natura morta (Still life). With this series, he continues painting subjects that inspired him early in his career such as bottles, dishes, vases, flowers, and containers among other things.

These paintings evoke the stillness and quiet of their surrounding environment with their soft, dimly lit colors. For instance, in a Natura morta painting from 1952, the background features a beige wall, covering half the canvas with slightly darker shades of brown beneath it to illustrate a table holding several types of white dishes, one turquoise dish, a white vase, and a pale, yellow cloth.

Natura motura (Still Life) (1952) by Giorgio Morandi

A similar painting from 1956 depicts a pale grey wall with darker shades of grey illustrating a table holding a bottle, a dish, a round light green container, and several rectangular containers in white, pale yellow, and light pink. These items are clustered together in the center while the items in Natura morta (1952) were also in the center but somewhat more spread out as though each object had a little extra breathing room.

Notions of dominance and superiority come into play in a Natura morta painting from 1962 where a pitcher of water can be seen standing proudly above a trio of glasses lined up next to and touching each other. The water pitcher holds a lot of clout with its large, pointy top, titled slightly as though holding its head high. He also captures the negative space between the pitcher and it’s large, curvy handle.

Giorgio Morandi was born in 1890 in Bologna, Italy, where he lived until his death in 1964. Today, his work can be found in hundreds of public and private collections across the country and around the world including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

At David Zwirner, 537 W. 20th St., through Dec. 19. The gallery is open Tue.-Sat. from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Herb Fixler's painterly photographs featured at Upper East Side salon

An upscale Upper East Side salon is presenting a stunning exhibition of visually striking photographs in its gallery space by photographer Herb Fixler. An avid traveler, Fixler has taken numerous images throughout his native New York City as well as many desirable places across the country and around the world. Some of these images are in black and white while others are in color and the subjects include bridges, mountains, water, animals, plants, and people.

One of the most ethereal works in the show is the dreamy Windmill Impression taken in a field in central France. Covered in a blue haze, the photo shows of a field of hyacinths up front, a group of trees with flowers on the side, and out in the distance a field of grass where a windmill sits. The soft clouds in the blue sky give the photograph a painterly quality. 

Fixler effectively captures the ambience of a foggy and misty day with Fog Bank where a schooner holding about six people can be seen very clearly sailing very calmly on the water amidst the dense fog in Key West, Florida. There are no other boats in the water, and, though heavily obscured, a few beach houses can be seen out in the horizon.

Windmill Impression (2014) by Herb Fixler

Fixler also captures light and reflection in extraordinary ways with images such as Dune 45 photographed in Namibia in the late afternoon where a large Dune is half dark on one side and half light on the other. The two halves are separated by a curvy structure in the middle that spreads out with the darker half being the more dominant. He also captures a scene from a cold winter evening with Niagara Falls at Night where a frozen waterfall can be seen as the bright spot in the middle dark surroundings, as an incredible hue of pink and purple light hovers over a small house.

Fixler illustrates reflection well with image photographs like Venice Canal taken on an early morning in Venice, Italy where the reflection of a small, arched bridge and surrounding building are clearly reflected in the water below. Similarly, in Iceberg Reflection, the image of a sturdy iceberg is clearly mirrored in the frozen water below. The photo was taken in Harjeford in Eastern Greenland.

Fixler offers many New York City images such as Super Moonrise, Brooklyn Waterfront at Night, and Belvedere Castle. Super Moonrise is a panoramic image of a full moon on the left side of the image shining over the Manhattan skyline revealing landmarks such as the Bank of America Tower and Empire State Building, while Brooklyn Waterfront at Night features the Brooklyn skyline with the iconic Watchtower and the beautifully lit Brooklyn Bridge.

Central Park is undoubtedly a popular location for Fixler as it is for many artists as there are so many intriguing elements and features. For instance, Belvedere Castle in Winter II beautifully depicts the magnificent landmark built in 1869 by Calvert Vaux, co-designer of the park. The word “Belvedere” name translates to “beautiful view” in Italian and the photo was taken in the days following a snowstorm in 2008.

At the gallery at Paul Labrecque Salon Spa, 171 E. 65th St., through Jan. 23. The gallery is open Mon.—Fri. from 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat. from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sun. from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.