With a spirited fall art season on the way, Whitewall spotlights must-see presentations from New York’s top galleries, including Ibrahim Mahama at White Cube, Janaina Tschäpe at Sean Kelly, and more.
Ibrahim Mahama: “A SPELL OF GOOD THINGS”
White Cube New York
September 5 — October 26, 2024
1002 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10075
Ibrahim Mahama, “Abena,” 2024, Charcoal drawing on archival map,
Approx. 1.10m x 1.30m;
© the artist, Courtesy White Cube.
The visionary Ghana-born artist Ibrahim Mahama unveils an inaugural solo presentation in New York with “A SPELL OF GOOD THINGS,” at White Cube New York. Following in the footsteps of his illustrious participation in the High Line’s 2021 “Forms of Liberty” endeavor, this vibrant show of new artworks delves deeply into themes of post-colonial decay and renewal. World-renowned for his sweeping installations, utilizing recycled and rejected materials, the artist brings viewers on a visceral journey through Ghana’s institutional deterioration. The premier gallery’s ground floor sings with Mahama’s main, ceremonial work, offering objects of the historic Gold Coast railway system juxtaposed with possessions of Northern Ghana’s Tamale Teaching Hospital. An experiential collaging of deserted train cars and dilapidated hospital beds—woven with the names of those who have mysteriously perished—culminates in a profound study on memory, loss, and recovery.
What we love: Visitors will not want to miss the second-floor presentation of Mahama’s large-scale drawings which honor the artist’s extraordinary process of saving and reshaping Ghanaian Railway train carriages into libraries, studios, and classrooms.
Janaina Tschäpe: “a sky filled with clouds and the smell of blood oranges”
Sean Kelly, New York
September 6 — October 19, 2024
475 Tenth Avenue, New York, NY 10018
Janaina Tschäpe, “Walking through fields (Passeando no tempo),” 2023, oil and oil stick on linen in three parts,
each panel: 92 x 70 inches (233.7 x 177.8 cm), overall: 92 x 222 inches (233.7 x 563.9 cm); © Janaina Tschäpe Courtesy: the artist and Sean Kelly, New York/Los Angeles.
On September 6 in New York, Sean Kelly New York will raise the curtain on Janaina Tschäpe’s momentous fourth solo show with the eminent gallery. Evocatively titled “a sky filled with clouds and the smell of blood oranges,” the prismatic exhibition places the artist’s internal voyage at its heart in the form of new, flowing gestures, intimate scales, and abstract revelations. Delicate works of oil and oil stick on canvas, as well as luminous works on paper and multi-paneled masterpieces, conjure vivacious symbols of Brazilian cultural symbols and wondrous German landscapes. Meaningful poetry by luminary Octavio Paz, and the teachings of masterful geographer Alexander Von Humbolt, are intermeshed with the artist’s soulful and cerebral analyses of love, life, and Mother Nature’s omnipresence.
What we love: A significant monograph of Tschäpe’s boundless imagination and intellectual prowess will be unveiled by Hatje Cantz and Sean Kelly, enhanced by notable art historian Joachim Pissarro’s riveting insights.
“Jasper Johns: Drawings 1982–2021”
Matthew Marks Gallery
September 13 — October 26, 2024
523 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011
Jasper Johns, “Untitled,” 2012, Watercolor, crayon, and graphite on plastic, 36 × 28 inches; 91 × 71 cm; courtesy of Matthew Marks Gallery.
The prestigious Matthew Marks Gallery will offer a spellbinding presentation of artworks created by the one and only Jasper Johns this fall. Spanning 25 rapturous pieces, “Jasper Johns: Drawings 1982–2021” allows a closer look into the artist’s immense skill in a range of media. The singular collection of little works spotlight the visionary’s dazzling language of imagery and emblems. “Take an object,” said Johns in 1954 about his process. “Do something to it. Do something else to it.” From American Flag references, personal memories, and lush homages to Rodin, de Kooning, and Picasso, each and every work is a portal into a brilliant and intuitive heart and mind.
What we Love: The supremely illustrated exhibition catalog with an unforgettable essay penned by Hilton Als—a perfect holiday gift or personal treasure.
“Liza Lou: Painting”
Lehmann Maupin, New York
September 10 — October 12, 2024
501 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011
Liza Lou, “Gravity’s Rainbow,” 2024,
glass beads and oil paint on stretched canvas with artist’s frame,
50 x 50 inches,
Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London.
“Liza Lou: Painting” will radiate throughout Lehmann Maupin’s posh New York space from September 10 – October 12. The Los Angeles-based creative displays luxurious new abstract masterpieces with her expressive glass beads on canvas. Echoing the classic ebb and flow of painterly brushstrokes, Lou employs the emotional colors and lyrical facets of her material of choice to create passionate movement, closeness, and repose.
What we love: During the jubilant show, the artist’s substantial installation titled Trailer (1998-2000) debuts as a permanent gem of the Brooklyn Museum.
Mark Grotjahn: “Out of Country”
Gagosian, New York
September 10 — October 19, 2024
980 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10075
Mark Grotjahn, “Untitled (Backcountry 55.89),” 2023, oil on cardboard mounted on linen, 74 3/8 × 94 inches (188.9 × 238.8 cm) © Mark Grotjahn. Photo: Douglas M. Parker Studio. Courtesy Gagosian.
With the enigmatic title “Out of Country,” artist Mark Grotjahn’s upcoming presentation at Gagosian in New York will build upon the soaring “Backcountry” series. New paintings on both white and black backgrounds recall the majesty of rural America. Peaceful moments of fly-fishing and skiing in Colorado’s backcountry bring hypnotic color and dimension to revelatory new works. Abstract indications of moonlit passageways and snow capped mountains beckon viewers into a magical realm of lavish texture with enthusiastic arcs of primary hues, honoring the environmental jewels which surround us.
What we love: The artist’s enduring devotion to Minimalism and Abstract Expressionism, experimenting with an even more delicate use of paint rolls for veiled perfection, as well as a continuation of utilizing cardboard mounted on linen—resulting in structural vistas.
