W 23rd St – Polke, white-hot, Woods

All summer long Leo Koenig has been presenting a fantastic collection of photographs, Sigmar Polke: Photoworks 1964-2000. Have you seen it yet? It is a mystical, whimsical show of work exploring perception and the manipulation of focus. For example, a sort of “still life with balancing pickle” draws your attention first to its sleek, pagoda-like shadow before you notice this shadow is cast by a gherkin. In another piece, a snapshot of two men is overpainted in the space between their eyes and what they are looking at. See this show, and you’ll be seeing things differently for hours afterward.

Speaking of changing your focus, why not focus on the white space for a minute? There is a bafflingly vast spectrum of whites out there (as a trip to the paint aisle at Home Depot can verify), and w h i t e - h o t at Margaret Thatcher Projects aims to explore the gamut. This group show features artists working in every medium from whitewashed collage to cut paper drawing to marble sculpture. (Special shout out to Aric Obrosey’s awesome Work Glove.) Indeed, the “blank space” on these canvases is richly filled. It's a simple idea that generates a simply gorgeous show.

Go from "snow white" to "forrest green" with The Woods are Lovely, Dark, and Deep. Let's face it, nature is basically the single most inspiring thing in the world, and generations of artists have been moved to capture it. This show at Asya Geisberg is a celebration of that quest. Sometimes haunting, sometimes peaceful, you could totally lose yourself among the curving paths and inviting cabins in these woods, but carry on because, as the rest of Robert Frost's poem warns:

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Plus, there’s a private sale at Gemini G.E.L.’s temporary space down the block! If you have 90 grand to drop on a Roy Lichtenstein print, stop on by. (Other items start at just $850.) Then make your way across 23^rd, and stop in Little Cheese Pub for skillet mac & cheese with homemade noodles or a surprisingly delicious (for a cheese shop) dairy-free veggie burger!

Ingredients:

Venues: Leo Koenig, Thatcher Projects, Asya Geisberg Gallery, Gemini G.E.L.

Artists: Sigmar Polke; Jaq Belcher, William Betts, Omar Chacon, Freddy Chandra, Carlos Estrada-Vega, Kevin Finklea, Adam Fowler, Teo Gonzalez, Susan Graham, Rainer Gross, Jus Juchtmans, Aric Obrosey, Joie Rosen, Analia Saban, Fran Siegel, William Steiger, Lars Strandh, Barbara Takenaga, Bill Thompson, Heidi van Wieren, Venske & Spänle; Thomas Bangsted, Anat Betzer, Melanie Daniel, Allison Gildersleeve, Ezra Johnson

Streets: W 23^rd St

Eats: Little Cheese Pub

Map: