Spring has finally sprung in New York, and to celebrate our revitalized spirits, this week we’re viewing exhibitions by artists who create colorful, energetic works of art. Donna Leatherman LLC presents a series of layered paintings by artist Biff Elrod, and at bitforms gallery, multimedia artist Yael Kanarek unveils six major works ranging from silicone Textworks to computational video pieces.

At Donna Leatherman LLC, artist Biff Elrod (American) presents a series of paintings inspired by transitional cinematic scenes. Painting several images layered together in rich color, the artist creates a cohesive work that serves as a Figurative scene, but also a uniquely developed narrative. Using the influence of painters like Francis Picabia (French, 1879–1953), who played with the idea of layered imagery, Elrod took his study to the next level, using photographic images as part of his practice. While the images may be unrelated, each has a personal significance that brings an intimate familiarity to the scene. The viewer’s eye will travel over a recognized shape, like a deck of playing cards, and move to the next familiar form, such as a young girl looking into the distance. The resulting works are both recognizable and abstract, and in their essential form serve as a sort of puzzle that engages the canvas.

Biff Elrod: Superimposition will be on view from April 18 to July 31, 2013, at 780 Madison Avenue 4B, New York, NY 10065.

Biff Elrod, Second Sister, 2011–2012, Donna Leatherman LLC, New York, NY

bitforms gallery in Chelsea presents a solo exhibition from their roster of innovative, installation-based artists : a group of six major works by Yael Kanarek (American, b. 1967). Heavily influenced by her surroundings, the artist uses popular culture, studied iconography, and personal identity as part of her exploration of the Self within a networked environment. Works like Deeply Concentric (2013), which uses a new type of silicone text cut out, is directly influenced by a poster of Wassily Kandinsky’s Color study–Squares with Concentric Rings (1913), enlarged on an advertisement for the Museum of Modern Art exhibition Inventing Abstraction. The work uses a group of cut out silicone words in nine languages placed in brightly colored circles. By playing off the grandiose idea of simplified art presented as spectacle, the artist sees the Self discovered in art, and the artwork’s role in engaging the masses. In her larger practice, Kanarek seeks to understand personal identity within the subjective reality of language. Though primarily based on a symbolic study, the works presented in this series, which range from sculptures to video installations, each have their own aesthetic identity presented in colorful detail.

Yael Kanarek, Deeply Concentric, 2013, bitforms gallery, New York, NY

YAEL KANAREK: High Performance Gear will be on view from April 18 to May 25, 2013, at 529 W. 20th Street, New York, NY 10011.

Browse openings by city to see where art can be found in your town!

Bonn, Germany
PLASTIK at kunstgaleriebonn
April 18–21, 2013
Villa Faupel, Lotharstraße 106, 53115 Bonn, Germany

Brussels, Belgium
Peter Peri ‘Last Family’ and Katja Strunz at Galerie Almine Rech
April 18–May 25, 2013
14, rue de Praetere, 14 Praeterestraat, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

London, UK
Kenji Yoshida, SUPREME BEAUTY at October Gallery
April 18–May 18, 2013
24 Old Gloucester Street, WC1N 3AL London, United Kingdom
Roy Lichtenstein at Olyvia Fine Art Ltd
April 18–May 31, 2013
17 Ryder Street, St James’s, London, SW1Y 6PY, United Kingdom

Madrid, Spain
SAURA | Visiones y Obsesiones, Obras de 1956 a 1993 at Fernández-Braso
April 18–June 1, 2013
Villanueva, 30, 28001 Madrid, Spain

New York, NY
Karine Laval- Altered States at Bonni Benrubi Gallery
April 18–May 24, 2013
41 E. 57th Street, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10022
Andrew Erdos: Guaranteed Impermanence at Claire Oliver Gallery
April 18–May 18, 2013
513 W. 26th Street, New York, NY 10001
Out of Memory at Marianne Boesky Gallery
April 18–May 18, 2013
509 W. 24th Street, New York, NY 10011
Hans Benda: Something on Water at MIYAKO YOSHINAGA
April 18–May 25, 2013
547 W. 27th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10001
Debby Hymowitz: Sexual Evolution at Sebastian + Barquet
April 18–May 2, 2013
601 W. 26th Street, New York, NY 10011
MARTIN BOYCE | HANNAH STARKEY at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
April 18–May 25, 2013
521 W. 21st Street, New York, NY 10011

San Francisco, CA
‘O the sleeping bag contains the body but not the dreaming head’ at Altman Siegel Gallery
April 18–June 1, 2013
49 Geary Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94108

Scottsdale, AZ
Quim Bove: Timeless at Bonner David Galleries
April 18–May 7, 2013
7040 E. Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
New York Color Field at LewAllen Galleries
April 18–May 25, 2013
7036 E. Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251