Image: Logan T. Sibrel, ‘Best-Case’, 2018, Pencil on paper, 6.75 x 5.25 in. Courtesy the artist. (image via Leslie-Lohman Museum / Facebook)

Better Loser
Opening Friday, January 4 at Leslie-Lohman Project Space, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through January 6.

It’s the new year, and most of us are probably reflecting on what we did over the last 365 days and what we can do to at least be marginally better. Rather than dream up a more perfect being, artist Logan T. Sibrel prefers to focus more on the flaws and complications of being alive, making drawings depicting people who are acting difficult, awkward, aroused, and sometimes all three at once. Deemed “a serious joke,” his mixture of words and images are reminiscent of a sort of existential comic book. Perhaps they’ll inspire you to finally think of a resolution, or maybe just to ditch the concept entirely.

Emily Reilly / Dramaturg / December 2016 (image via The Invisible Dog / Facebook)

Faces of Downtown Scene
Opening Friday, January 4 at The Invisible Dog, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. On view through February 16.

There are a lot of artists and performers working (sometimes even for pay!) in New York nowadays, just as there have been for many years, even if now there’s more Targets and Chase banks peppering the scenery. Photographer Maria Baranova has photographed many of these people over the years, particularly those involved with the experimental performance, theater, and dance worlds. She took studio portraits of over 200 artists—not just performers but directors, designers, dramaturgs, and more—that will be on view at The Invisible Dog starting Friday. Accompanying the exhibition opening will be a performance duet by Dan Safer and Ae Andreas, starting at 6:30 pm.

(image via Studio 10 / Facebook)

Rough Edges
Opening Friday, January 4 at Studio 10, 7 pm to 9 pm. On view through February 3.

Some sculptures have clean, pristine lines, looking so perfectly-formed that it’s confusing to contemplate that an actual human being shaped it into existence. Others have rough edges, which yes, is what this solo show by Elise Siegel is called. Her assortment of busts (none are of any specific people, but rather “familiar emotional states” manifested in a somewhat-human form) prefer to take shapes that could be described as jagged, coarse, and textured rather than smooth as can be. You’ll still probably wondering how such an intricate and intriguing creation sprang into existence, though.

Our Elements
Opening Saturday, January 5 at 136 Avenue C, 6 pm to 9 pm. On view through January 12.

A slew of artists, genres, and topics converge in the second-ever Our Elements, an exhibition of queer and feminists artists who use their work to delve into the topic of existing, whether as a group or as an individual, in a society that is “wreaking havoc on intersectional bodies.” Many pieces of art have already been made on this general topic, but it’s unfortunately one that has yet to stop being relevant, so there will always be fresh horrors to derive inspiration from. Participating artists include DJ Tikka Masala, choreographer and visual artist Naomi Elena Ramirez, and Courtney Alexander, an artist who designed a tarot deck featuring imagery from the Black Diaspora.