So after a brief hiatus (sorry I have been lacking on posts recently), I managed to get out gallery hopping on Saturday and wanted to share some highlights.

Alan Turner, Box House, 2006, Graphite and tape on paper, 23 1/2 x 18 inches

Danese currently has a wonderful show up until February 6th of works on paper by some artists in their stable as well as big names like Richard Serra and John Chamberlain. I have included an image of a small work by Alan Turner that I loved. Other works of notice were a charcoal by April Gornik, a delicate ink on paper abstraction by Theresa Chong, and a work on velum by Emily Eveleth. Some real treasures in this lovely show.

Steven Parrino, Glamracket

Another group show worth checking out is “Stripped, Tied and Raw” curated by Serra Pradhan at Marianne Boesky Gallery. On view through February 13th are works by Donald Moffett, Steven Parrino, Salvatore Scarpitta, David Noonan, and Jorge Eielson. As the press release explains, these are artists who have been “pushing the definition of painting” since the 1950s and the work on view is varied and impressive.

Doug Wheeler, Untitled, 1969, Acrylic, neon tubing, and wood

“Primary Atmospheres: Works from California 1960-1970″ can be seen at David Zwirner until Feb 6th. The focus of this show is on minimal work with an emphasis on color and light by a group of Southern California artists including: Larry Bell, Robert Irwin, John McCracken, James Turrell, and others. Doug Wheeler’s “Untitled” work from 1969 is spectacular. Made of acrylic, neon tubing and wood, at 91 x 91 inches, the work draws you in to investigate the halo-like, pristine, white light emanating from the square affixed to the wall.

James Turrell, Juke Green, 1968, Light projection

The two James Turell works appear at first to be sculptural forms made of light but are in fact, a convincing optical illusion of colored light cast into the corner of a room. Peter Alexander’s “Blue Wedge” from 1970 made of cast polyester resin is a freestanding triangular piece whose blue hue gets more intense the thicker the resin gets. There is a beautiful subtleness and delicateness to this work.

Installation view

Thomas Erben Gallery has a group show as well highlighting “New Art from Pakistan” that raises questions about the creation of art in areas of sociopolitical unrest.

Beatriz Milhazes tapestry

James Cohan Gallery’s “Demons, Yarns, and Tails” showcases beautifully crafted tapestries by 13 artists. Working in a medium unfamiliar to these artists provided a challenge but many of the works on view are quite stunning. Beatriz Milhazes, Kara Walker, Fred Tomaselli, and Paul Noble all have work that translates particularly to this medium.

Richard Misrach, Untitled, 60 x 80

Pace on 25th Street has photos by Richard Misrach on view. These large-scale nature scenes are at once disconcerting in that they are created using digital photography in “reverse color spectrum” —seas become pink and mountains appear as icebergs creating an “almost hallucinatory alternate reality.” The viewer recognizes that these are photos of the natural world, but can’t quite figure out what exactly they are looking at. The works are ethereal, gorgeous and haunting.

Jon Pylpchuk, Installation shot, Friedrich Petzel Gallery

On view through January 30th is a whimsical show at Friedrick Petzel with works by Los Angeles artist Jon Pylypchuk. The installation, entitled “The War,” pits sculptures on walls opposite one another. The sculptures, made of found objects including resin, foam, and steel, resemble tribal masks but with the illumination in each, there is a “fun” quality to the work. They made me smile and are worth checking out.

Rulai, 2008-9, ash, steel, and wood, 18' x 14' x 10', courtesy of Pace Wildenstein Gallery

“Neither Coming Nor Going,”  Zhang Huan’s second solo show at Pace Gallery is on view through January 30th. It features the monumental buddha sculpture, “Rulai,” made of ash as well as some beautiful large-scale works on paper.

Detail of Rulai

Walking closely around the Buddha, the viewer is able to make out small porcelain figures as well as bright red envelopes and papers which contrast with the stark gray hue of the ash. As the press release states, “Burning incense pours out from the Buddha’s head, activating a traditionally static art form with performative aspects, one of the artist’s hallmarks.”

Ink and feathers on handmade paper

In the works on paper series from 2006-8, Huan creates animals and landscapes in his reference to a 17th century Chinese painter as well as a seventh-century Tang Dynasty book called Tui Bei Tu which looked into China’s future through a series of sixty specific events. The works are roughly 12 x 8 feet therefore engrossing the viewer with their size but their beauty and simplicity are also paramount.