There’s so much to stimulate the eye and mind in museums and galleries this week that it’s a joy to behold. I spent way too much time marveling at 1970s notebook sketches by graffiti artists at White Columns, while our writers sought out awe-inspiring artists, past and present, such as Nancy Elizabeth Prophet and Claudia Alarcón. Of course there’s plenty to see right here in the city, but it’s well worth following the lead of Hyperallergic’s Editor-in-Chief, Hrag Vartanian, to Montclair, New Jersey, to take in the brilliance of Nanette Carter. And if you’re headed downtown to see art, stop into Andrew Kreps Gallery to check out Michael E. Smith’s solo exhibition. It ends this weekend. —Natalie Haddad, Reviews Editor
Claudia Alarcón & Silät
James Cohan Gallery, 52 Walker Street, Tribeca, Manhattan
Through May 10
“A profound connection with the environment that the Wichís have inhabited for millennia is palpable in these ambitious, deeply moving textiles.” —Gregory Volk
Read the full review here.
The Unruly Dance of Form
Fragment Gallery, 39 West 14th Street #308, West Village, Manhattan
Through May 10
“Amid pervasive uncertainty, queerness emerges as a deliberate unraveling of solidity across the diverse works of eight artists.” —Ho Won Kim
Read the full review here.
Gordon Matta-Clark: NYC Graffiti Archive 1972/3
White Columns, 91 Horatio Street, West Village, Manhattan
Through May 17
“[W]hat comes across most in the exhibition is the dynamic energy and creativity of the graffiti art.” —NH
Read the full review here.
Nanette Carter: A Question of Balance
Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey
Through July 6
“From the outset, Carter saw how art could bring together parts that may otherwise seem disparate to make things whole, and it’s obvious from this exhibition […].” —Hrag Vartanian
Read the full review here.
Nancy Elizabeth Prophet: I Will Not Bend an Inch
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Through July 13
“One accolade she coveted but didn’t receive in her lifetime was a solo exhibition. Nearly a century after she graduated from RISD, her dream has been fulfilled.” —Alexandra M. Thomas
Read the full review here.
