nyart_tours_logo_june12

1. Tomas Saraceno, ‘Cloud City’ on the Metropolitan Museum of Art roof, through Nov 4

Argentine artist Tomas Saraceno’s rooftop installation is in turns exhilarating and disorienting as his mirrored stainless steel modular forms reflect the strong summer sun along with views of Central Park and the city.

2. Ellsworth Kelly, ‘Plant Drawings’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, through Sept 3

Outline drawings of plants from poppy flowers to gingko leaves, 1948 to the present, shed light on this 20th century master’s abstract iconography.

3. ‘Painting in Space’ at Luhring Augustine Gallery, through August 17

A giant aluminum hanger dangling from a beam at the center of the gallery by Mark Handforth and a day-glo orange carpet leading to a sculpture involving a trash can by Rachel Harrison make Luhring Augustine’s summer group show (which doubles as a fundraiser for Bard College’s Center for Curatorial Studies) one of Chelsea’s most eye-popping.

4. ‘It’s Always Summer on the Inside’ at Anton Kern Gallery, through August 24

Matthew Monahan’s tantric-looking character, Coke signage emblazoned with the word ‘blood’ by Mark Flood, and a dark Batman painting by Joyce Pensato contribute to this show’s less-than-cheery atmosphere but offer appealing psychological intensity.

5. ‘Lizzi Bougatsos, Michael, DeLucia, Lizzi Fitch, David Gilbert, Robert Overby, Andra Ursuta’ at Andrea Rosen Gallery, through August 21

Themes seem to have gone out the window for this summer’s round of group shows, but these six artists share a grungy experimental vibe, from Robert Overby’s 1971 latex cast of a wall of an abandoned building to Michael Delucia’s router carved, Minimal wooden sculptures from this year.

Merrily Kerr, who runs New York Art Tours, presents this list as a monthly feature for the benefit of our New York-area readers interested in the intersection between faith and contemporary art.

nyart_tours_logo_june12

1. Rineke Dijkstra at the Guggenheim Museum, through October 8

The Dutch photographer’s portraits of adolescents and young people uncover the awkwardness of still-growing bodies in her signature beach photos from the ‘90s and by the later ‘00s capture a new generation at home in front of the camera.

2. Everyday Abstract – Abstract Everyday at James Cohan Gallery, through July 27

With dozens of artworks in various media crowding the gallery, this show is a mini-primer in recent abstract art.  Given that many of the artists included have recently had solo shows in the city, this exhibition is a good chance to play catch up or enjoy some favorites.

3. Yayoi Kusama at the Whitney Museum of American Art, opens July 12, runs through September 30

Yayoi Kusama’s magical ‘Fireflies on the Water,’ a mirrored room hung with tiny lights and fitted with a narrow platform surrounded by a shallow pool of water (which opened mid-June) is a tantalizing teaser for what comes next – a full retrospective of work by one Pop Art’s most influential female practitioners.

4. ‘The Big Picture,’ Sikkema Jenkins & Co., through July 27

In deciding to eschew large-scale, overtly ambitious painting in its summer group show, Sikkema Jenkins offers a more meditative experience, perfect for enjoying the fine detail of romantic oil on aluminum paintings by Jeronimo Elespe or high energy of Ann Pibal’s hard-edged abstractions.

5. ‘Stand Still Like the Hummingbird’ at David Zwirner Gallery, through August 3

Driven by apparent contradictions, this show features Mason William’s 1967 life-sized print of a Greyhound bus, designed to be folded into a small box, and a bronze sculpture looking exactly like a block of Styrofoam by Robert Gober amongst other surprises.

Merrily Kerr, who runs New York Art Tours, will be presenting this list as a monthly feature for the benefit of our New York-area readers interested in the intersection between faith and contemporary art.