Bergamin & Gomide recently opened an exhibition of the late Brazilian artist Glauco Rodrigues (1929–2004). Acontece que somos canibais [We happen to be cannibals] is on view until 13 March 2021.
These still-life works painted with acrylic on canvas are from the late 1960s after Rodrigues had returned from a few years living in Europe, where he took influence from the Pop Art movement.
The vivid yellow and blue colours used to depict the fruit playfully remove them from the real world, whilst imbuing them with sociopolitical connotations due to their obvious ties to the national flag and Brazilian culture at large.
His use of white as a background and framing device envelops the images with another layer of symbolism referencing Brazil's relationship with colonialism.
Rodrigues excavates objects and symbols associated with Brazilian identity, transforming them into satirical critiques of the foundations these ideals are based on.
Anke Weyer's exhibition Heart, Heart is currently showing at Canada in New York alongside an OVR until 27 February.
Weyer's large-scale abstract paintings explode with energy and luscious colour. Her thickly applied, loose brushstrokes trace the gestural movements of her body, immediately connecting the viewer to the performance of painting.
Heart, Heart is in reference to the organs' kinetic motion which is channelled through Weyer's rhythmic process. This is the sixth solo exhibition at the gallery for the Brooklyn-based German artist, having been represented by Canada since 2000.
Art dealer turned artist Joel Mesler is exhibiting his new paintings and works on paper in a solo show titled Surrender at David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, until 6 March.
Mesler's playful vocabulary brilliantly merges language and consumer culture imagery to explore themes of childhood, specifically the loss of innocence, while hinting to the continuous journey of self discovery in adulthood.
Untitled (In n Out) is a continuation of this autobiographical approach. Inside a Beverly Hills Hotel plastered in banana leaf wallpaper, Mesler recalls the memory of an event that marked the deterioration of his parents' marriage.
His transition to becoming a painter and his amusing relationship with David Kordansky when the two began their careers in the L.A gallery scene is documented in Boris Kachka's brilliantly written 2018 New York Times article 'How an Art Dealer Became an Up-and-Coming Painter'.
Strange Fruit is the brilliant work of Kenyan born artist Michael Armitage, spotlighted in our most recent Curated Selection by Filipe da Costa Leite.
The tensions between figuration and abstraction, tradition and modernity, play flawlessly in Armitage's works, which tackle socio-political issues in Kenya today. Velázquez's undulating figures and the haunting expressions of Goya's protagonists are brought together in his unique lyrical vision.
Strange Fruit, pictured here, presents a sublime example of this mastery. His whimsical brushstrokes and rich colour palette are both heavily influenced by the East African landscape Armitage has encountered throughout his life, having grown up and now living part time in Nairobi.
Represented by White Cube, Armitage's solo exhibition Paradise Edict is currently showing at Haus der Kunst, Munich until 14 February when it will move to London's Royal Academy of Arts from 13 March to 6 June.
Various Small Fires is hosting a retrospective of the late Clarence Holbrook Carter, an American artist who began his career capturing scenes of the American Midwest during the years of the Great Depression.
As his career progressed, his representational forms transformed into more unearthly landscapes, closely aligning him with that of Max Ernst and Kay Sage and the metaphysical world of Giorgio de Chirico.
Transection No. 2 is part of his series 'Transection', the second of three series being shown in this exhibition. The ovoid, a recurring motif throughout his work, hovers above the open tomb in a state that appears to transcend life and death, and reflecting a metaphysical realm that his psychological landscapes beautifully explore.
American Surrealist is running at Various Small Fires' Los Angeles space until 27 February.
Following the announcement towards the end of last year by Blum & Poe and Karma of their co-representation of the painter Paul Mogensen, Blum & Poe are presenting a retrospective of the artists' works in their Los Angeles space until 6 March.
While his works appear to reflect the minimalist tendencies of the post-war period, Mogensen rejects such categorisation in favour of the basic principles of geometry and colour, theorised by Russian artists and poets, Rodchenko and Tatlin.
His geometric forms are a product of mathematical ratios and numerical sequences, creating spiralling visual patterns and pathways, however his reductionist approach encourages your eyes to migrate around the canvas to form your own unique path to interpretation.
Two brilliant works by Seth Price and Stefanie Heinze were included in Capitain Petzel's group exhibition Infinite Games in Berlin.
Through experimenting with materiality and reconfiguring the digital image, Seth Price creates unique and intriguing works investigating our shifting relationship to images and the role of art in an increasingly digitised world.
Stefanie Heinze's similarly playful, anthropomorphic forms and bright hues are a product of what she describes as 'newsense', a concept of working towards the unknown, where uncertainty and failure is not just inevitable, but welcomed.
We are particularly looking forward to Heinze's solo show at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery opening on 23 April 2021.
Joseph Beuys' approach to structural composition and Malevich's exploration of colour and form to attain 'pure perception' are visible influences in Imi Knoebel's works.
Achieved through an exploration of unique colour combinations and materials' physical possibilities, Knoebel's simplified forms made him a pioneer in minimalist abstract art alongside Blinky Palermo, Ellsworth Kelly, Carmen Herrera et al.
As the artist once said, 'Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammer, the soul is the piano with its many chords. The artist is the hand that, by touching this or that key, causes vibrations in the soul'.
Knoebel's solo exhibition of recent works is showing in White Cube's OVR until 27 February.
Michaël Borremans is one of the most exciting contemporary artists working today.
Represented by Zeno X Gallery in Belgium, his solo show Coloured Cones is currently exhibiting at their space in Antwerp until 20 February.
Coloured Cones was a product of his time in lockdown in his studio outside Ghent. Not able to work from models, these still-life works were conjured from various coloured and shaped satin fabric samples found in his studio—the choice of fabric a nod to sitters' clothing in Western portrait paintings.
In conversation with Ocula Magazine contributor Diana d'Arenberg prior to his 2018 solo show at David Zwirner Hong Kong, Borremans spoke of the figures in his portraits resembling a still life; posed, passive, and frozen, creating an atmosphere of suspense.
What makes the works in this exhibition so interesting is how each individual satin cone takes on a character of its own, becoming portraits in their own right.
The Pope, pictured here, is an ode to Velaquez's renowned portrait of Pope Innocent X produced circa 1650.
Andrej Dubravsky is a brilliant young painter living and working in Rastislavice, Slovakia.
The artist is represented by Berlin-based gallery Dittrich & Schlechtriem and LAUNCH F18, where his New York debut show Friendly Slav is currently showing until 6 February.
Reinventing the subjects of Old Masters, Dubravsky paints scenes of adolescent boys, idyllic landscapes, and animal portraits that express his reflective journey through adolescence in understanding the discourse of male identity and sexuality.
Dubravsky's recent works focus on the natural world, specifically the paradox of the caterpillar's anatomy through the magnified lens. When seeing these creatures, any initial feeling of fright or repulsion is quickly replaced with an appreciation for their beautiful yet vulnerable forms.
This young artist's use of effervescent layers of colour is what really catches the eye, recalling the alchemical paintings of Sigmar Polke.
Running from 15 January to 21 February 2021, Soft Dilemma is He Xiangyu's first solo show both at Andrew Kreps Gallery and in the U.S.
Living and working between Beijing and Berlin, He Xiangyu's conceptual works are spaces of exploration into his personal and political experiences.
Hard Palate 20-2 is part of his ongoing series named 'Palate Project'. Xiangyu began this series in response to the language barrier he encountered after relocating to the U.S. in 2012, and the subsequent difficulty he experienced in navigating his new surroundings.
Swathes of black Japanese ink form the backdrop of this work, while coloured pencil and crayon is both scrubbed or, in parts, worked in softly to create Xiangyu's undulating forms.
This repetitive and meditative process reflects the movements of his tongue on his palate and the various possibilities as a result of this.
