The Art Scene: 11.15.12
Absence of the Body
The Halsey Mckay Gallery in East Hampton will present “Habeas Corpus” beginning Saturday with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibition will take the legal writ, which prevents unlawful detention, in its most literal sense — to produce the body. For the purposes of this show, however, it will subvert this right by removing the figure from these works.
Ted Gahl, An Hoang, Shara Hughes, Alisha Kerlin, Keegan McHargue, Jeanette Mundt, Sara Murphy, Ryan Mrozowski, Christoph Robner, Lisa Sanditz, Ryan Schneider, Billy Sullivan, Paul Wackers, and Chuck Webster will show work in which human presence is suggested even when no physical form is present. In their representations of vacant interiors and littered landscapes, and other works such as collections of objects, the artists imbue their pieces with a human spirit instead. The show will remain on view through Dec. 31.
Johnston at Firestone
Gregory Johnston will show new work at the Eric Firestone Gallery on Newtown Lane in East Hampton beginning Saturday with a reception from 4 to 7 p.m. The art is a merging of cars and abstract painting, two of the artist’s passions.
Automotive enamel meets cut aluminum to form a mirrored finish on wall-mounted panels of geometric abstraction that owe a debt to Frank Stella, another car-racing and abstract-painting enthusiast, as well as Donald Judd and Ad Reinhardt. According to the gallery, the reflective finishes add another dimension of contemporary social critique. As they reflect every passer-by and onlooker, the works add a layer of narcissism and seductiveness that brings them fully into the present tense.
Mr. Johnston’s work will also be shown in Miami during Art Basel Miami week, Dec. 4 to Dec. 9, at Miami Project, a new fair in the Wynwood Art District.
McDowell at Olko
The Monica Olko Gallery in Sag Harbor is showing the work of Michael McDowell through Dec. 1. The artist was born in Santa Barbara, Calif., and started painting in high school. It became his preferred medium. In visiting museums, he was drawn to the way Venetian artists used oil paint. At the same time, he strove to make metaphors in his art while reveling in the physical nature of the act of painting.
He attended art school in the 1960s at San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and at CalArts in Valencia, Calif. He moved to New York in the 1970s. The subjects of his paintings are unmistakably contemporary, but his backgrounds and settings have hints of Paul Gauguin in their richly saturated colors and dreamlike compositions.
Slater at Marcelle
David Slater’s work from the 1960s and 1970s will be shown at the Peter Marcelle Gallery in Bridgehampton beginning on Saturday with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Mr. Slater, who lives in Sag Harbor, is known for mixed-media work on canvas that depicts dreams, symbols, and icons to communicate a narrative.
Prior to the 1960s, the artist painted in the Abstract Expressionist mode of the time, but learned from Willem de Kooning how to use figuration in an abstract way. The resulting style became the genesis for this group of works. Mr. Slater was also influenced by British Pop Art. The show will be on view through Nov. 26.
Seeking Artists, Artisans
Neoteric Fine Art in Amagansett will hold a holiday market show on Nov. 24. The gallery is looking for artists, artisans, and craftspeople to submit special handmade items and small works of art suitable for holiday giving. Pictures, descriptions, and prices of items should be sent by Wednesday to [email protected] for consideration.
On Pond Lane
The Southampton Artists Association has a show at the Southampton Cultural Center through Nov. 26. A reception will be held on Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m.