Michele Abeles: Malechutes, 2013, pigment print, 31 by 41 1/2 inches. Courtesy 47 Canal.
Michele Abeles doesn’t depict spaces so much as she constructs surfaces. Known for her studio-based photographs of everyday objects and inert bodies, Abeles’s exhibition “English for Secretaries” includes many images that seem to move beyond the studio, interweaving digital textures and outdoor scenes. These pictures invite a mode of viewing, at once heightened and distracted, that feels familiar from staring at computer screens.