Five interesting gallery exhibitions are currently on display in New York City, each exploring personal stories and shared histories through various mediums and styles. The shows feature works by artists such as Theaster Gates, Nathaniel Oliver, Tuli Mekondjo, Richmond Barthé, Christopher Udemezue, and Gerald Lovell. The exhibitions offer a diverse range of artworks, from sculptures and conceptual installations to figurative paintings and mixed-media textiles. While Theaster Gates and Nathaniel Oliver shows are closing today, the others will remain open for another week:
NATHANIEL OLIVER, “So You’re The Captain,” 2023 (oil on canvas, 60 × 72 inches / 152.4 × 182.88 cm). © Nathaniel Oliver, Courtesy the artist and Karma Gallery
Nathaniel Oliver: My Journey Was Long So Yours Could Be Shorter @ Karma Gallery, 188 East 2nd Street (East Village), New York, N.Y. | Jan. 5–March 2, 2024
At Karma Gallery, Nathaniel Oliver’s first exhibition showcases his narrative paintings that blend fantasy, art history, and personal experiences. His figurative images draw inspiration from various cultural references, including Malian textiles, Nigerian masks, and Caribbean flora, reflecting the artist’s diverse influences. Originally from Washington, D.C., Oliver currently resides and works in New York. He recently engaged in a discussion about his art with Helga Davis.
Installation view of “Theaster Gates: Hold Me, Hold Me, Hold Me,” White Cube New York, 2024. Shown, at center, “Sweet Sanctuary, Your Embrace” (piano), 2023. | Courtesy the artist and White Cube
Theaster Gates: Hold Me, Hold Me, Hold Me @ White Cube, 1002 Madison Avenue (Upper East Side), New York, N.Y. | Jan. 26-March 2, 2024
Theaster Gates, a Chicago artist, presents a unique exhibition at White Cube that delves into the realms of built environments, music, and archival collections. His diverse showcase includes sculptures, paintings, and installations like “Sweet Sanctuary, Your Embrace” (2023), a piano coated in tar as a tribute to his father, a roofer. The exhibition title is inspired by the song “Be Real Black For Me” (1972) by Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack. Gates’ exploration of sound and its relation to emotions, memories, and time is a central theme in his work.
By shifting the focus of art from the visual to the rhythmic, Gates examines how sound can encapsulate various emotions and experiences. — White Cube Gallery
GERALD LOVELL, “Untitled (Christian’s Birthday),” 2023 (oil on panel, 72 x 60 inches / 182.9 x 152.4 cm). | © Gerald Lovell, Courtesy the artist and PPOW
Gerald Lovell: verde @ PPOW Gallery, 390 Broadway, 2nd Floor (Tribeca), New York, N.Y. | Feb. 2-March 9, 2024
Gerald Lovell’s artwork reflects his personal experiences and connections. His recent collection captures moments from his life in New York, showcasing his community and friends who have also made the city their home. Lovell’s portraits focus on themes of freedom, adventure, and individuality, portraying the everyday moments shared with his subjects. The exhibition includes a video introduction by Lovell.
Installation view of Richmond Barthé and Christopher Udemezue: in this moisture between us where the guinep peels lay,” Ryan Lee Gallery, New York, N.Y., 2024. | Courtesy the artist and Ryan Lee Gallery
Richmond Barthé and Christopher Udemezue: in this moisture between us where the guinep peels lay @ Ryan Lee Gallery, 515 West 26th Street (Chelsea), New York, N.Y. | Jan. 25-March 9, 2024
This exhibit brings together the sculptures of Richmond Barthé and the mixed-media works of Christopher Udemezue to explore queer Black perspectives through different art forms. Both artists delve into figural representation inspired by myth and movement, with connections to Jamaica influencing their creative expression.
TULI MEKONDJO, “Omumborombonga,” 2024 (archival image transfer, plant transfer, silk, and lace on cotton, 104.1 x 132.7 cm / 41 x 52 1/4 inches). | © Tuli Mekondjo, Courtesy the artist and Hales Gallery
Tuli Mekondjo: SIDA | ÔANA MÂPA HÂ? Where are Our Children? An Ode to the Spirits of the South @ Hales Gallery, 547 West 20th Street (Chelsea), New York, N.Y. | Feb. 6-March 9, 2024
The artwork by Tuli Mekondjo showcases mixed-media textile pieces paying tribute to Southern Namibia, delving into themes of ancestry, identity, and displacement. In her second solo exhibition at Hales Gallery, Mekondjo presents a new collection that delves into the region’s colonial past, the aftermath of liberation, the narratives of women and youth, and both individual and collective trauma. Her art pieces are poetically crafted, incorporating photo transfers of historical images and titles that reference settlements renamed during colonization. Mekondjo is based in Windhoek, Namibia. CT
BOOKSHELF
“Barthe: A Life in Sculpture” provides a comprehensive overview of Richmond Barthé’s life and artistic contributions. Recent publications include exhibition catalogs on Theaster Gates’ works, such as “Young Lords and Their Traces” and “Black Chapel: Theaster Gates: Serpentine Pavilion 2022.” Other recommended reads feature titles like “Theaster Gates” from Phaidon’s Contemporary Artists Series, “Theaster Gates: Every Square Needs a Circle,” “Theaster Gates: Black Madonna,” “Theaster Gates: How to Build a House Museum,” and “Theaster Gates: Black Archive.” Also of interest is “Theaster Gates: Facsimile Cabinet of Women Origin Stories: Reflections,” a compilation of commissioned writings inspired by the Facsimile Cabinet of Women Origin Stories containing around 3,000 framed images of women from the Johnson Publishing Company archive. Forthcoming in May is “Theaster Gates: A Clay Sermon,” documenting his clay works exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in London.
