Already the site of New York’s emerging and experimental art scene, Manhattan’s Lower East Side and its surrounding neighborhoods the fun and discovery is multiplied in the summer when the galleries present oddball and left-field works including live plants, obsolete refrigerators, and copper heating circuits.
Here artnet News compiled some of the most interesting and unusual shows that you can’t miss.
Sally Saul Spider Vase (2016). Photo: courtesy Cuevas Tilleard.
1. “Minerva” at Cuevas Tilleard Projects (June 8—July 10, 2016)
Organized by Fabiola Alondra, Erin Goldberger, Anna Furney, and Jane Harmon, and featuring works by Andrea Belag, Sally Saul, Kurt Kauper, and Lucy Mink-Covello, the exhibition’s participants were selected based on recommendations made on the underground radio station Know Wave’s “Minerva” program.
Andrea Belag was nominated by Marilyn Minter, Sally Saul was nominated by Peter Saul, Kurt Kauper was recommended by Jeffrey Deitch, and Betty Tompkins vouched for Lucy Mink-Covello. According to the gallery, a portion of the proceeds from sales will be donated to Planned Parenthood.
Photo: courtesy of Maccarone, New York.
2. “Mal Maison” at Maccarone (June 7—August 12, 2016)
Featuring nine artists (Keltie Ferris, Harmony Hammond, Rosy Keyser, Becky Kolsrud, Simone Leigh, Alice Mackler, Brie Ruais, Tschabalala Self, Shinique Smith) spanning multiple generations (participants are born between 1931 and 1990). The show examines the portrayal of the female form across a range of different mediums.
Gerard Mullin, Untitled (2013). Photo: Kristen Lorello, New York.
3. “Gerard Mullin” at Kristen Lorello (June 15—July 15, 2016)
The highly-rated Irish emerging painter Gerard Mullin gets his first solo exhibition in New York at this dynamic gallery. The show will include five geometric paintings on carved wood. Combining a range of painting mediums including watercolor, wood dye, and acrylic, the artist chisels shapes into the surface to create a unique painted surface.
Sam Lewitt at Kunsthalle Basel (2016). Photo: courtesy Kunsthalle Basel.
4. “Sam Lewitt: Less Light Warm Words” at Swiss Institute (June 8—July 24, 2016)
The arts non-profit has put together Sam Lewitt’s first institutional exhibition in New York. The 2012 Whitney Biennial participant has prepared an intriguing site-specific work by removing all fluorescent lights from the ceiling of the main gallery and redirected all electricity into custom-designed flexible copper heating circuits thereby reorganizing the transfer of energy within the building’s existing electrical infrastructure.
Brent Birnbaum Voyeur Voyager Forager Forester (2016). Photo: courtesy Denny Gallery.
5. “Brent Birnbaum: Voyer Voyager Forager Forester” at Denny Gallery (July 13—August 26, 2016)
In line with the artist’s practice of repurposing obsolete objects into works of art, the gallery will show over 40 used, wood-paneled mini refrigerators stacked in different heights.
The artist installed micro-worlds inside each fridge, and visitors are invited to open and explore the interiors, making them assume the role of the voyeur. It’s our ’70s basement dream come true.
Amir Nikravan Desktop III (2015). Photo: courtesy Nathalie Karg.
6. “Group Show: Boys and Girls Can Still Draw” at Nathalie Karg (July 6—August 26, 2016)
Displaying drawings by artists Marina Adams, Joe Andoe, Peter Barrickman, Steve DiBenedetto, Gaby Collins-Fernandez, Andrej Dubravsky, Andreas Fischer, Joe Fyfe, Margrit Lewczuk, Erica Mahinay, Amir Nikravan, Joanna Pousette-Dart, and Kristen Schiele. The show highlights the age-old practice of drawing—an art form that is somewhat overlooked in the contemporary art world.
Badass Botanicals. Photo: courtesy: Con Artist Collective.
7. “Group Show: Badass Botanicals” at Con Artist Collective (June 7—June 18, 2016)
The exhibition includes works inspired by, featuring, and in some cases using, plants. The artists demonstrate their appreciation of nature through their works, which span a variety of mediums including drawing, sculpture, photography, and more.
Ricardo Alcaide Falling (2016). Photo: courtesy Johannes Vogt.
8. “Ricardo Alcaide: Down The Line” at Johannes Vogt Gallery (June 8—July 8, 2016)
Known of his expansive site-specific installations, the Venezuelan-born, Brazil-based artist’s exhibition is inspired by the sprawling urban environments in Latin America and the misconception that modernism equals progress. For the exhibition, Ricardo Alcaide has prepared several sculptural painting panels in various sizes, designed to be presented on the floor.
Zachary Armstrong. Photo: film still via Vimeo
9. “Zachary Armstrong” at Feuer/Mesler (June 23—July 29, 2016)
The American painter Zachary Armstrong presents new works at the gallery inspired by whimsical childhood musings and imagery mired in the artist’s Midwestern roots. The self-taught artist’s work deals extensively with his preoccupation with youth, and children’s uninhibited urge to create.
10. “Rose Kallal” at Lyles and King (June 9—July 3, 2016)
The gallery will show an exhibition of new works by the performance and media artist Rose Kallal. The show will feature an installation of sound and film, including four 16mm projectors projecting across a 25-foot wall, with sound composed on a modular synthesizer. It promises to be an exciting and immersive video and audio experience.