(image via Kiera Ní Briain Bono / Facebook)

Trash Capsules: Archives of Illness, Food, and Diaspora
Opening Monday, August 28 at New Women Space, 7:30 pm to 10 pm. One night only.

Our bodies tell us a lot about ourselves. Other material objects do too, such as what we throw away, what we eat, and what we hold on to. Performance and visual art showcase Trash Capsules asks artists and creators working across disciplines to create something that deals in stories of chronic illness, assimilation, food-based rituals, and cultural memory. These topics vary, but they all relate to what makes us human. Artists posting on the show’s Facebook event are attempting to crowdsource items like a baby pool, baby toilet, and a blender, so it seems like it will be an interesting and probably messy night.

(image via Spoke Art NYC)

Tidepools
Opening Thursday, August 31 at Spoke Art NYC, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through September 23.

If you’re interested in very realistic renderings of pale, waifish figures that appear to have crawled right from the pages of a dark fantasy novel, then you may want to consider stopping by Dan Quintana’s debut solo show at the pop culture-loving Spoke Art Gallery in the Lower East Side. Quintana’s paintings are both mesmerizing and technically impressive, so even if his style isn’t your thing, per se, you probably won’t be able to help but marvel at his painstakingly-detailed, spooky work. Or, if you grew up attempting to draw, you might feel a twinge of jealously at just how well he is able to paint hands. It’s as if you could touch them and feel flesh. But please don’t actually touch them.

(image via Center for Holographic Arts)

Iridescence
Opening Friday, September 1 at Center for Holographic Arts, 6 pm to 9 pm. On view through October 29.

Holograms are one of those things, like 3D printing, that I still sort of consider the work of magic. Whether you agree with me or just want to witness sweet, sweet light-based artistic technology in action, get thee to Governors Island for the opening of Iridescence. Presented by the Center for Holographic Arts in partnership with the Paris-based Hologram Foundation, the show’s six participants were selected through an international competition, so these aren’t just holograms, they’re prestigious hologram winners. Whether they’re abstract scenes of color, psychedelic visions of human beings, or something else entirely, you’ll have plenty to look at on the Island aside from green grass and quaint houses.

(image via Cooler Gallery)

Busted
Opening Saturday, September 2 at Cooler Gallery, 6 pm to 9 pm. On view through September 22.

A ceramics show entitled “Busted” calls to mind mishaps and broken pieces. This exhibition, however, is filled with ceramic creations that are indeed quite whole, but displayed with a purpose: Each piece is approximately the size of a human head, and is displayed at what would approximately be eye-level of the viewer. So, if you haven’t caught on already, this Busted show calls to mind the sculpted bust, a classic fixture of the ancient art sections of museums. Can a bust be a bust if it is not actually depicting a human bust? The gallery seems to say yes. Either way, there will be a whole lot of ceramics staring at you. Feel free to say hello.