LANCE BREWER/©GRAHAM MARKS/COURTESY ANDREA ROSEN GALLERY, NEW YORK
Opening: “Empirical Intuitive Absorption” at Andrea Rosen
Does abstraction have any meaning beyond formalism? If abstract patterns appear in nature, does that mean it isn’t a formal style? And does abstraction always come out of nature? These were the questions artist Matthew Ronay had in mind when began conceiving this four-person show, cryptically titled “Empirical Intuitive Absorption.” It features an oddball mix of artists—Serge Charchoune, Fernand Léger, Graham Marks, Terry Riley, and Ronay himself. All eschew figuration, and in a release, Ronay wonders, “Does everything loop back into nature?”
Andrea Rosen, 525 24th Street, 6–8 p.m.
Reading: Mark Z. Danielewski at the Strand
Having made a name for himself with a wildly successful debut, 2000’s House of Leaves, writer Mark Z. Danielewski has finished the third installment of his “The Familiar” series. The Familiar: Honeysuckle and Pain begins with fleeting relief. Though Xanther and her cat look forward to a long summer break, a sense of doom, largely born of financial uncertainty, continues to hang over the rest of the family. Across the world, two other characters embark on a journey to find their missing cat, while yet another pair must confront their worst fear.
The Strand, 828 Broadway, 7–8 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29
COURTESY THE ARTIST AND CALLICOON FINE ARTS, NEW YORK
This group show, co-curated by Miciah Hussey, will feature work by a diverse group of artists: Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili, Kathe Burkhart, Anne Chu, Andrej Dubravsky, Josh Faught, Rochelle Feinstein, Hervé Guibert, Christian Holstad, Jessica Jackson-Hutchins, Steffani Jemison, Justine Kurland, Sarah Lucas, Gloria Maximo, Rosemary Mayer, Tam Ochiai, Benedicte Gyldenstierne Sehested, Andro Wekua, Marenne Welten. The gallery hasn’t released many other specifics in advance of the show’s opening, but in light of recent events around the world, the title speaks volumes.
Bridget Donahue, 99 Bowery, 2nd Floor, 6–8 p.m.
Opening: Stefan Brüggemann at Hauser & Wirth
For his first show at the gallery, Stefan Brüggemann will be exhibiting new paintings—site-specific continuations of two of his ongoing series, “Headlines and Last Line in the Movies” and “Timeless.” For the former project, Brüggemann will present a new work, Headlines and Last Line in the Movies (Wall) (2016), which superimposes headlines from the week Citizen Kane was made over the last lines of dialogue from the movie, which are spray-painted onto mirrors. With this series, Brüggemann explores the way that the media and the entertainment industries are closely related, and the way that both influence society’s view of itself in ways that, whether intentional or not, are ultimately spurious. The second floor will be devoted to his new work, Timeless (69th Street, NYC), which is comprised of a mirrored grid covered in black and white vinyl text. The artist’s own text is written in Arial font, while appropriated segments are handwritten. Brüggermann’s linguistic manipulations reflect his anxiety over “a contemporary society in which time has accelerated to the point at which it is no longer perceived as linear, and dissolves into abstraction,” according to a press release.
Hauser & Wirth, 32 East 69th Street, 6–8 p.m.
THURSDAY, JUNE 30
MICHAEL TROPEA/COURTESY THE ARTIST AND RICHARD GRAY GALLERY
This show is exactly what it sounds like—three Chicagoans asking three other Chicagoans to show at Galerie Lelong. Noting that the city has been home to a rich, if not underrated, contemporary-art scene, a release praises Chicago for hosting such artist groups as Monster Roster and the Chicago Imagists. For the show, McArthur Binion has invited John Phillips, Samuel Levi Jones has invited Bethany Collins, and Tony Lewis has invited Nate Young.
Galerie Lelong, 528 West 26th Street, 6-8 p.m.
COURTESY BRUCE SILVERSTEIN GALLERY
During the ’30s, Paul Outerbridge was the highest-paid photographer in New York. His success came not because he was an excellent photographer (he was), but because he was able to sell himself as one—a person who could assure you that you’d want whatever came in front of his camera, whether it was a bottle of milk, flowers, or a nude woman. Moving between advertising and what normally fell under the realm of high art, Outerbridge examined what makes an image desirable, whether it was a striking fabric pattern or a suggestively posed human. In a time when photographers are mining the cross between fashion, advertising, and art, Outerbridge’s work seems especially prescient—a sly take on the economics of photography that precedes Christopher Williams, Michele Abeles, and Josephine Pryde. In the biggest Outerbridge show since the Getty Museum’s 2009 retrospective, Bruce Silverstein will survey Outerbridge’s entire career, providing a rare in-depth look at a photographer whose work has aged extraordinarily well. —Alex Greenberger
Bruce Silverstein, 535 West 24th Street, 6–8 p.m.
Opening: “Goulding the Lolly” at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise
No press release is available for this show, but here’s what we know: it’ll be curated by the artist Brian Bellott, and Gavin Brown’s Enterprise’s site has a picture of a man’s face on a lollipop. Well, then. It does, however, have a nice, big artist list, featuring a number of good names, Gina Beavers, Josh Kline, Jamian Juliano-Villani, and Torey Thornton among them. There will also be performances by Raúl De Nieves and SADAF.
Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, 291 Grand Street, 6–9 p.m.
COURTESY THE ARTIST AND DAVID ZWIRNER, NEW YORK AND LONDON
It’s always refreshing to see an exhibition with an earnestly explicit title, especially when that exhibition is dedicated to the artistic achievements of a group often overlooked in the art world: gallery staff. This show, the second of a series that began in 2012, highlights the work of over thirty David Zwirner employees, who work in mediums including drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, installation, and performance. Additionally, seven artists will participate in a series of corresponding performances held throughout the show’s run.
David Zwirner, 533 West 19th Street, 6–8 p.m.
Talk: Chitra Ganesh at the New Museum
To coincide with the current exhibition, “Simone Leigh: The Waiting Room,” Chitra Ganesh will lecture on the results of her recent investigations into the “aesthetics and performative gestures of protests” that have occurred outside the United States, according to a press release. In particular, Ganesh will focus on examples of disobedience in the Global South.
New Museum, 235 Bowery, 7 p.m. Tickets $15/10