Whether you’re looking to escape the winter blues or enjoy a rare moment of midwinter sunshine, New York City’s museums and galleries have plenty of fascinating art to view. Get ready for the overlap between the Inauguration and Martin Luther King Day, see Kamari Carter’s profound interpretation of the American flag, admire the spiritual art of the Shakers, and bask in Esther Mullan In the colorful patterns of Esther Mahlangu and the esoteric world of Forrest Bess, and with Michael Let’s wander into the realm of Conceptualism with Arthur. When a blizzard rolls in, curl up on the couch and enjoy dozens of online exhibitions designed by the Morgan Library and Museum, including two about the amazing Beatrix Potter! If you need some creative community on January 20th, visit artist Eva Mueller’s website Wall of Emotions (WOE) Pop-up event at Satellite Gallery on the Lower East Side. Mueller will be showcasing their portraits of people from the LGBTQ+ and allied communities and will be on hand to take photos for visitors who want to join their wall. —Natalie Haddad, Comments Editor
Esther Mahlangu: The Age of Color
Ross + Kramer Gallery515 W 27th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
As of January 25
Award-winning South African visual artist and cultural ambassador for the Ndebele tribe, Esther Mahlangu, uses her community’s “sacred geometry” to paint canvases of varying sizes, using form, color and line to tell her own story Stories that may seem mysterious to others. Unfamiliar people. On display are more than 30 paintings created over a 10-year period (2011-21) as well as a fully hand-painted art car.
Significant in art history since her debut on the international art scene Earth Magician In an exhibition at the Center Pompidou in Paris, she continues to share her practice, which marks an important contribution to our understanding of southern African art and its contribution to contemporary art. I recommend taking the time to look at the work and appreciate the changes in borders and lines and how the artist gives meaning to the words so that they feel as fresh as ever. —Herage Vartanyan
Johanna Seidel: Salamander
Gaa Gallery17 White Street, Tribeca, Manhattan
As of January 25
Not even a single salamander appears in the exhibition’s eponymous painting, named after the spirit creature that scurries across the landscape. However, once you get past the false advertising (I’m still recovering, but I’ll survive), you can easily see the beauty of these works (all painted in 2024), which are delightfully immersed in narrative and between metaphors.
In “October,” three young women sit hand in hand in the back seat of a car. Two of them were smoking while the fourth, who appeared to be the driver, was focused ahead. The spirit is carefree, even as shadowy birds and tree branches circle overhead. These images hint at the fleeting nature of love relationships.
Each title hints at a larger narrative, of which we only glimpse part. In “Rose, Jasmine and Narcissus,” a lazy bather is surrounded by objects that look more like they belong in 1924, while in “Playlist,” the painting’s subject is something we can’t see— — Even the rearview mirror thwarts our attempts at clarity.
The fairy tale world of white women depicted on these canvases is luxurious, urbane, and elegant, at once familiar and contemplative and alien. —high pressure
Kamari Carter: Vexillary
Microscope Gallery525 West 29th Street, 2nd Floor, Chelsea, Manhattan
As of January 25
One of the main works in the exhibition by artist Kamari Carter, titled “Patriot Act,” consists of three loudspeakers (one red, one white, and one blue) connected to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department radio transmission live, DC. The artwork aims to highlight the culture of surveillance before, during and after the inauguration of our 47th President, Donald Trump. Art lovers can even visit the gallery on Inauguration Day (Monday, January 20, 2025, 12-6pm) (which is also MLK Day this year) to hear this unique perspective while exploring the artists creating work for this important event exhibition. political drama. Please note: Be sure not to place your ears too close to the amplifier as the transmission volume may fluctuate suddenly.
The audio piece isn’t the only piece on display, as Carter examines and transforms the American flag in different ways, including “Perfidy,” a white stars-and-stripes banner that hangs in the space. In an adjacent room at the back of the gallery, he also froze Old Glory in a block of ice, alluding to the history of conceptual art practice but also foreshadowing a symbol of captivity. Entitled “The Frozen Flag,” this flag confronts us through temporary barriers, reminding us that the distance between our ideals and our actual selves is challenging, but not insurmountable. —high pressure
Never Simple: Gift Graphics and the Shaker Aesthetic
American Folk Art Museum2 Lincoln Square, Lincoln Square, Manhattan
As of January 26
Simple lines, soft earth tones and minimalist elegance are renowned hallmarks of Shaker designs, reflected in the famous oval nesting boxes, purpose-built wooden furniture and orderly communal living spaces. But bright colors and expressive decoration also had a place in Shaker’s spiritual life, as this special display of 25 “Gift Pictures”, each painted in the 19th century, shows. mid-century, during a period of spiritual renaissance known as the “Age of Manifestation.” Young Shaker women would enter trances and receive comforting sacred messages, which they would transcribe and deliver to their intended recipients .These sacred letters are beautifully painted in ink and watercolor. Frequently detailed, both mysterious and mesmerizing, its appeal continues to inspire artists working today nearly two centuries later (as explored in a museum panel discussion I moderated). Draw pictures and see if you can decipher the messages of love and encouragement. ——Julie Schneider
“Jack was my first art collector.” Forrest Beth – From the Estate of Dr. Jack Weinberg
Franklin Palash Gallery19 East 66th Street, Lenox Hill, Manhattan
As of January 31
Forrest Bess called his paintings “visions.” In an exhibition that is intimate in every sense of the word—from the size of the canvases to the personal, almost private subject matter of the works—these visions are both mysterious and dynamic. Even paintings that are ostensibly landscapes feel like portals to an inner world. For example, an untitled work from 1946 depicts a primary-color landscape dotted with misty cacti, with a figure split down the middle—one half black, the other white—posing as if striding toward the viewer . prospect. The star of the show may be another untitled painting from the same year, larger than the others and hanging on the opposite wall. It’s a kaleidoscopic psychological landscape where opposing factions of color and texture seem to meet at a wild chasm, running diagonally through the center like conflicting ideas violently clashing in the mind. —Lisa Yin Zhang
Yearning: Between hometown
Palo Gallery30 Bond Street, SoHo, Manhattan
As of February 8
The quiet beauty of the Dead Sea, the sad children on the beaches of Beirut and the bathers in the hot springs of Jordan. These are some of the photos in this group exhibition, taken by three Palestinian photographers living abroad: Lina Khalid, Nadia Bseiso and Ameen Abo Kaseem. They are born misfits, observing their surroundings through the wounds of exile. Although most of the photos were taken in 2024, they contain generations of memories of an ancestral place, visible on the distant horizon but inaccessible. In a heart-warming gesture, the gallery donated all sales proceeds to artists in need. —judge bishara
Michael Asher
artist space11 Cortlandt Alley, Tribeca, Manhattan
As of February 8
I’m usually bored to tears by Michael Asher’s institutional criticisms because they feel so stuffy and conservative now, but I still recognize the art historical significance of an artist who helped us understand what art is and can is art and what we should be thinking about part of the conversation.
If you want an introduction to this important figure in late 20th century art, this exhibition is worth seeing. If you normally avoid archival-rich exhibitions that only grad students would enjoy, then don’t bother – also, I find Arthur’s experiences in books more interesting than in galleries, but I’d like to curate One must make a living one.
On Thursday, January 23 at 7:30 pm, Artists Space will re-screen “A Film” first produced by Project Inc in 1973. Like other works on display, the project is conspicuously untitled. have fun! Oh wait, I’m Arthur, so don’t have fun, just think hard and make sure you express your thoughts by frowning so others know you’re thinking. Okay, I’ll stop. Like I said, it’s well worth watching. —high pressure
Beatrix Potter: Pictorial Letters and other online exhibitions
Morgan Library and Museum225 Madison Avenue, Murray Hill, Manhattan
in progress
Sometimes you want to see art but can’t bear to leave the house, especially in the cold middle of January. In times like these, Morgan offers us a rich, informative and engaging series of online exhibitions. These exhibitions – a continuation of the live exhibitions (including the current exhibition) Bella da Costa Green: The Legacy of a Librarianat the museum until May 4)—like a story, taking the virtual visitor from one moment to the next, often with video or audio to enhance the text and visuals. You can easily spend hours viewing the museum’s dozens of online exhibits.
My personal favorite so far is Beatrix Potter: Pictorial Letterscreated to accompany the 2012-13 museum exhibition. The play is a fascinating retrospective of Porter’s letters to the children of her friends and family between 1892 and 1900, which are filled with personal details and charming drawings of animals at work or play. From the program we learned that The story of Peter Rabbit It begins with a letter written to Noel Moore, the youngest son of Porter’s former governess, when he was ill. Porter’s graceful line drawings—including one of a charming Mr. Mole and Nurse Rat caring for a bedridden baby mouse—match perfectly with her warm message: “I hope the little mouse will soon be in Sit up in the chair. “Fire.” ” —NH
