Hito Steyerl @ Artists Space
On view through May 24
This mini retrospective features a selection of the German artist and writer's videos and lectures from the past decade. In warped, deconstructed documentary pieces, such as Liquidity, Inc. (2014) and In Free Fall (2010), Steyerl employs (with a heavy hand) fragmented interviews, found material, and layers of crude visual graphics to an almost dizzying effect. Yet these pieces are extremely incisive, cutting, and humorous.
38 Greene Street & 55 Walker Street
www.artistsspace.org
Detail of Liquidity, Inc. (2014) by Hito Steyerl, Artists Space, NY. (Photo: Chris Murtha)
Nicole Eisenman @ The Jewish Museum
On view through Aug 9
Eisenman’s contribution to MoMA’s Forever Now left me a little disappointed, mainly because that setting couldn't convey the scope of her work, but this small presentation at the Jewish Museum is surprisingly satisfying. The exhibition features just one of her paintings – Seder (2010), an expressive rendering of the traditional Passover meal – but it is deftly paired with works from the Museum’s collection. Enhanced by the context, this one canvas contains an entire history of painterly gestures and styles.
1109 5th Avenue (at 92nd Street)
www.thejewishmuseum.org
Masterpieces & Curiosities: Nicole Eisenman’s Seder, The Jewish Museum, NY. (Photo: Chris Murtha)
Barbara Kasten @ ICA Philadelphia
On view through August 16
If artists can be said to have a mission, then Kasten’s has been to explore the function and properties of light within space. Covering each phase of her work, from the early cyanotypes and fabric sculptures to a recent foray into installation-based video, this career-spanning survey illuminates the artist’s profound influence on many contemporary photographers.
118 S 36th Street | Philadelphia
www.icaphila.org
Barbara Kasten, Stages, Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia. (Photo: Chris Murtha)
"Overview" posts provide recommendations for current exhibitions.