Umesiyakazi in Waiting, 2015
Image courtesy of the artist and WHATIFTHEWORLD
Photo by Hayden Phipps
Radical Love
Opening Tuesday, June 11 at The Ford Foundation Gallery, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through August 17.
The never-ending slew of Pride-related events of all types continues! This time, with an exhibition at the new gallery within The Ford Foundation, which opened this past February and focuses on the intersection of art and social justice. Radical Love, curated by Natasha Becker and artist Jaishri Abichandani, showcases the work of over 20 artists (many of whom are queer) making work about the impact of love in the midst of a chaotic world. Queer people aren’t the only marginalized community centered in the show; disabled people and people of color are also uplifted. And the theme of “love” may seem corny to those jaded folks out there, but the exhibition expands the conventional notion of love beyond the romantic, dealing in self-love, religion, devotion to the natural world, and more.
The Unusual Suspects: A View of Abstraction
Opening Thursday, June 13 at DC Moore Gallery, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through August 9.
Abstract art is hard to describe. Sure, you can say it’s “abstract,” but what does that actually mean? Some people envision a shock of paint thrown onto a canvas, or some squiggly shapes parading about for reasons no one but scholars can figure out. But abstract art can actually contain multitudes, and one way to get a good, comprehensive dose of it is this Thursday, when an array of abstract work will be on view at Chelsea’s DC Moore Gallery. Curated by painter and critic Richard Kalina, the show features 21 painters of all ages (some are in their nineties!), using their brushes to form shapes, colors, and designs that are vibrant, textured, and detailed, offering vibes ranging from psychedelic chaos to calm minimalism.
Head
Opening Saturday, June 15 at haul gallery, 6 pm to 9 pm. On view through July 14.
I routinely forget this, so you probably have, too—oral (and anal) sex used to be a crime in America, thanks to a little something called sodomy laws. Mostly this was aimed at gay couples, but sometimes even applied to married heterosexual couples. Gowanus-based haul gallery’s latest offering, a solo show by Peter Clough, is unapologetic about sex acts of all sorts and their complicated, stigmatized history. The noble blow job takes front and center, in the form of a large textile piece made from close-up images of certain body parts, accompanied by a series of small sculptures. Note that the opening reception is from 6-9 pm, which I can only hope was intentional.
Update, June 13: The original version of this post was updated to clarify the nature of the artists involved with ‘Radical Love.’