Mother Boat
Opening Thursday, March 12 at Pintô International, 6 pm to 9 pm. On view through April 30.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot to feel nervous about nowadays. One ever-present problem that only seems to be worsening is the issue of ocean pollution. As it’s basic knowledge that most of the world is covered in water, this is a global issue—at East Village space Pintô International, artists focus on how this issue has affected the Philippines, which is an archipelago. The four participating artists explore how plastic waste and other refuse has impacted the shores and waters, with several creating sculptures or installations from found discarded materials. Others shine a light on Filipino tradition and how the ocean plays a crucial part within that. Collectively, they work to demand a more sustainable, compassionate future all over the world.
Surveillance
Opening Thursday, March 12 at Galerie Lelong + Co, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through April 18.
Are you being watched? These days, the answer is usually yes. But rather than taking a high-tech artistic approach to surveillance culture, artist Kate Shepherd keeps it simple with her new series of paintings delving into the broad topic of perspectival space. Her works are minimalist and color-blocked, depicting geometric, often monochrome images that feel both calming and unsettling, like something is lurking in the corner. Some of them are created through a more complicated process: Shepherd paints on a canvas leaning at a particular angle, and then photographs that canvas in her studio. She then screenprints this image, resulting a meta creation that also serves as a snapshot of the artist’s workspace.
Hong Kong – Tales of the City
Opening Friday, March 13 at Denny Dimin Gallery, 6 pm to 8 pm. On view through April 18.
In the wake of coronavirus panic, many people are urging their community to patronize Chinese restaurants that are taking an economic hit due to racist reactions to the virus, which is now present in far more places than just China. And if you missed the coronavirus comedy show, another thing you can do is support Chinese art—in addition to Asia Week happening at many galleries this week, Denny Dimin Gallery is opening a show of video art from Hong Kong. The exhibit showcases artists from several generations, focusing on how this major metropolitan area in the east connects with this here city we live in in the west. Specifically, the works on view will be centered around “publicness, everydayness, and queerness.”