MUST-SEE ART EXHIBITIONS | APR 2017
By Nicole Bray, Contemporary Art Consultant | info@mercercontemporary.com
Etel Adnan | Gerhard Richter
Etel Adnan | Gerhard Richter
January 19, 2017 – May 13, 2017
The FLAG Art Foundation
545 West 25th Street, 9th Floor, New York
Arguably two of the greats presented in one room. Adnan (b. 1925 in Beirut, Lebanon, and lives between California and France) is an award-winning author, playwright, poet, and visual artist, who, in the tradition of the Dadaists and Surrealists, moves fluidly between writing and art making. Richter (b. 1932, Dresden, Germany, and lives in Cologne, Germany) is often lauded as the greatest artist working today with a prolific career spanning six decades. Adnan and Richter are perfectly symbiotic, they both continue to challenge and master working in various styles and media while embracing the richness of color in both liberally and constrained. Color becomes both the form and subject matter as they create almost topographical movements across the canvas. This is a truly unique show that should not be missed.
Keltie Ferris
M\A\R\C\H
March 29, 2017 – May 6, 2017
Mitchell-Innes & Nash
1018 Madison Ave, New York
Typically known for her digital-looking abstractions, Keltie Ferris, has recently presented her third series of body prints. In a nod to artists such at David Hammons and Yves Klein, these stunning and vibrant works are the result of Ferris physically painting herself, and in a vinyasa-style motion, imprinting her body on the paper. In some cases, she has added her signature abstraction, and in others, the body speaks for itself. Gender ambiguity is a consistent trait through this series, in some, the viewer is not sure of the sexuality, in others the feminine features of the artist are clearly evident. Seeing this show in person is a must, the presentation is powerful, and it’s a playground of color. Rows of body prints line the wall of the gallery, shoulder-to-shoulder, in a tribute to the solidarity of marchers in recent months. A truly exquisite evolution in her work.
Ken Tisa
Objects/Time/Offerings
February 10, 2017 – April 15, 2017
Gordon Robichaux
41 Union Square West, (Enter on 17th Street), New York
Gordon Robichaux Gallery focuses on supporting under-represented and emerging talent, which includes the wonderfully unusual work of American artist Ken Tisa. A painter, sculptor, hunter-gather and shopper, he collects culturally varied objects from the Virgin Mary from Lourdes to a pair of marionettes from India embracing, displayed floor to ceiling in a curious and exhilarating presentation. One could spend hours in here discovering the nuances of every object or surveying the wall of newspaper clipping or small paintings. Tisa produced the wall of small paintings; one each day during the 1980s and early ‘90’s as a way of coping psychologically with the AIDS crisis. This show is immensely rewarding and must not be missed.
Image courtesy Gordon Robichaux.
artREAL contributor Nicole Bray is the founder of Mercer Contemporary and guides private and corporate clients through each step of acquiring, selling, managing, and displaying artwork. She received her Masters in Contemporary Art (Hons.) from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York. She was the recipient of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Emerging Curator Fellowship 2015, and has worked at both an Auction House and for a distinguished private family. If you would like to contact Nicole, or if you are interested in starting your own collection, please email her at info@mercercontemporary.com or visit www.mercercontemporary.com.