Art lovers are reveling in the fairs and exhibitions across the city this week, and we’re bringing you front and center for singular shows at Deitch, The Met, Gagosian, Kasmin, Lehmann Maupin, Noguchi Museum, and Galerie Lelong.
Lauren Halsey: the eastside of south central los angeles hieroglyph prototype architecture (I)
The Met
April 18–October 22, 2023
Los Angeles-based artist Lauren Halsey’s dynamic, immersive structure for The Met’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden is currently on view through October 22. The 10th site-specific commission for the sweeping space is an astounding ode to Halsey’s family roots in the community of South Central Los Angeles, juxtaposed with her vibrant interest in ancient Egyptian symbolism and 1960s utopian architecture. The 22-foot work is an experiential mecca composed of concrete tiles, columns, and otherworldly sphinxes. Tagged with powerful phrases such as “Reflection,” “Moving Forward,” and “Look What You Created,” the artist commands viewers’ attention with fierce imagination and optimism.
Bisa Butler’s, “The World Is Yours,” courtesy of the artist and Deitch, New York.
Bisa Butler: The World is Yours
Deitch
May 6—June 30, 2023
Deitch presents the poetic exhibition, “Bisa Butler: The World is Yours,” currently on view through June 30 in New York. American artist Bisa Butler’s first solo show at Jeffrey Deitch in New York is a shimmering ode to African American culture—past, present, and future. Energized by the 1994 song lyrics of rapper Nas: “Whose world is this? The world is yours,” Butler reflects deeply on the universal theme of racism and prejudice, creating unforgettable tapestries of tradition and everlasting hope. The colorful quilts evoke the depth of paintings, illustrating realistic portraits of Black Americans with dynamic patterns, textured expanses, and floral appliques. Inspired by textile artists such as Faith Ringgold and Harriet Powers, as well as the photographic works of Gordon Parks and Jamel Shabazz, Butler has developed a style all her own. In a collage of unique materials like Nigerian hand-dyed batiks, African wax-resist cotton, velvet, and lace, Butler offers a compelling, visual dialogue on art and social change.
Installation view of Donald Judd at Gagosian, New York, photo by Rob McKeever, courtesy of Judd Foundation/Artists Rights Society and Gagosian.
Donald Judd
Gagosian
May 13–July 14, 2023
This spring, Gagosian’s Madison Avenue spaces are dedicated to the late American artist Donald Judd, offering a lively exhibition of visionary, sculptural objects, on view through July 14. By way of three-dimensional materials such as colored plexiglass, plywood, and painted aluminum, Judd explored the physicality of art, creating pure titles for works like “wall piece” and “floor piece.” Among the 15 objects on view is an untitled 1964-74 work of fluorescent-orange wood and blue lacquered aluminum, as well as two untitled metallic wall works from 1970 and 1979 featuring cuboidal elements in hypnotic mathematical rhythm. Layers of color, transparency, and austerity ebb and flow in a celebration of sleek form and rich simplicity.
Samuel Ross, “SLAB,” 2022, granite, powder coated steel, 18 x 76 x 22.75 inches, photo by Timothy Doyon, courtesy of Friedman Benda and Samuel Ross.
Samuel Ross: Coarse
Friedman Benda
May 10—June 17, 2023
Friedman Benda presents a striking exhibition of objects by British creative director, designer, and artist Samuel Ross titled “Coarse,” currently on view through June 17. In a conceptual journey of material and memory, Ross’s sculptures of stone, steel, wood, and marble experiment with the relationship between humanity and industry. Sensitive to the dualities present in all rituals and intentions, the artist generously offers multiple interpretations in the works. Evocative titles such as ANESTHESIA (2022), BIRTH AT DAWN (2022), BORDER (2022), and FIRE OPENS STONE (2022) are provocative messages of freedom, mythology, and process. Materials lacquered with layers of milk, honey, and turmeric tell an emotional and memorable story of our earth’s bounty.
Hernan Bas, “Conceptual artist #19 (A child of the 80’s, he places his Polaroid self portraits in a familiar spot whenever he’s feeling lost),” 2023, 72 x 60 in., acrylic on linen; photo by Silvia Ros, courtesy of the artist and Lehmann Maupin.
Hernan Bas: The Conceptualist: Vol. II
Lehmann Maupin
May 17 – June 17, 2023
Artist Hernan Bas marks his momentous sixth solo exhibition at Lehmann Maupin with “The Conceptualist: Vol. II,” on view through June 17. The lively presentation is an evolution of the artist’s Conceptualists series, which explores fictitious artists on their deeply personal creative journeys. With dreamlike and humorous references to pop culture, literature, and mythology, Bas peels back the many layers of artmaking for creative and audience alike in colorful and expressive imagery. New work Conceptual artist #19 (A child of the 80’s, he places his Polaroid self portraits in a familiar spot whenever he’s feeling lost) (2023) contains vibrant allusions to the iconography of Andy Warhol, as a young artist sits on the tiled floor of a food market, attaching his polaroid to the side of a milk carton. Conceptual artist #17 (With the aid of scissors, paper doilies and origami he elevates lily ponds to attract potential princes) recalls Monet’s water lilies and the warmth of nature, evoking feelings of romance, longing, and immersed artistic process.
Liam Lee, “Chair 11,” 2022, 530 x 610 x 1070 mm., felted merino wool and poplar plywood; courtesy of the artist, LOEWE FOUNDATION, and The Noguchi Museum.
LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize
The Noguchi Museum
May 17—June 18, 2023
Rejoicing in its sixth year, the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize displays the artwork of 30 finalists within the Isamu Noguchi Studio at The Noguchi Museum, on view through June 18 in New York. Creative Director Jonathan Anderson champions modern craft making and its vibrant future, providing a platform for inspired artists skilled in a myriad of mediums such as woodwork, paper, jewelry lacquer, and ceramics. A diverse panel of experts, including Andrew Bonacina, LOEWE Art Consultant and Independent Curator, Antonia Boström, Director of Collections at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and Hyeyoung Cho, Chairwoman at the Korea Association of Art and Design, selected the artists which represent 16 countries worldwide. In this year’s iteration, artists such as Mabel Irene Pena of Argentina, Claire Lindner of France, Kaori Juzu of Denmark, and Kyouhong Lee of the Republic of Korea, fully explored texture, tone, and the grand inner life of sculptural objects. Complex relationships between light and dark, stillness and movement, are examined with both levity and the depths of the human imagination. “Craft is the essence of LOEWE,” explained Anderson. “As a house, we are about craft in the purest sense of the word. That is where our modernity lies, and it will always be relevant.”
Samuel Levi Jones, “Conscious Intuition,” 2022-23, Triptych, each: 30 x 30 x 2 ½ in., Pulped law book covers, pulped US flag, and stars from US flag on canvas; courtesy of the artist and Galerie Lelong & Co., New York.
Samuel Levi Jones: Conscious Intuition
Galerie Lelong & Co.
May 11—June 17, 2023
Artist Samuel Levi Jones brings to light vital records of African American life and history with “Conscious Intuition,” an exhibition of new pieces and a renowned work, currently on view through June 17 at Galerie Lelong & Co. In an intuitive layering of objects that includes the pages and bindings of encyclopedias, as well as books of medicine and law, Jones creates documentary-like abstract paintings. Depths of oppression, racism, and inequalities in modern society are exposed in a deft act of artistry and activism. The artist’s acclaimed 48 Portraits (underexposed) (2012) is also displayed, actively confronting artist Gerhard Richter’s 48 Portraits (1972). While Richter championed historic white males of the 1972 encyclopedia, Jones embraces those leading figures who were left out of the year’s encyclopedia entirely. Legends such as Nina Simone, Langston Hughes, and James Baldwin are featured in deep respect for their astounding, unforgettable contributions to art, culture, and society.
