Orchard St

When you think of Manhattan’s Lower East Side, do you think about art galleries? If not, your perception is about to be altered (in more ways than one.)

Grab a cup of Stumpton coffee from Babycakes (good luck resisting their array of tasty treats), and head down Orchard Street to Rachel Uffner Gallery. At first glance Gianna Commito’s paintings are just the kind of architectural lines and patterns a control freak like me finds smoothing. Look closer, though, and you’ll start noticing the way Commito’s layers and textures trip your eye, adding a sort of clumsy gracefulness to her work. It’s as if she’s balancing on the curb between control and chaos, and it’s totally exhilarating.

Next, stop in to see Frank Haines' show at Lisa Cooley Fine Art. From the vaguely specific title of the show, Under the Shadow of the Wing of the Thing, to the somehow darkly light pieces in it, Haine’s is testing your acuity, too. Take a look from afar and then step closer. What did you think before and what do you feel now? I swear you can almost sense the tension and energy in the layers.

Just before you hit Canal Street, stop in INVISIBLE-EXPORTS. Paul Gabrielli’s sculptures speak directly to how we perceive the most familiar objects in our lives. You might even look past Untitled (Pole), a steel intercom behind what looks like a heating pipe belonging to the gallery space, or Untitled (Camera), a surveillance camera mounted with a flashlight on top. Gabrielli’s work is the kind you’ll be thinking about and referencing, consciously or subconsciously, for a while after experiencing it, so look again and look anew. Then, look around. You’re in the epicenter of New York’s emerging art scene. And you’re practically in Chinatown. 

Ingredients:
Venues: Invisible Exports, Lisa Cooley, Rachel Uffner
Artists: Gianna Commito; Frank Haines; Paul Gabrielli
Streets: Orchard St
Eats: Babycakes
Map: