Layered geometries in dark and light, sewn together by electrical wires. Thomas Struth (from 1986) in room 203 of MoMA’s permanent collection galleries.

A mother/daughter double portrait, linked by strings of African beads. María Magdalena Campos-Pons (from 2001) at the Brooklyn Museum.

Using crumpled paper to create a starburst of flares and shadows. Sheila Pinkel (from 1974-1982) in the third floor lobby at MoMA.

Hanging leashes in an Amsterdam window display. Ed Ruscha (from 1961) at MoMA.

Tucking an imprisoned portrait in a wide swath of black suede. Sable Elyse Smith (from 2020) in the Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility group show at the Guggenheim.

A retroreflective pledge of allegiance. Hank Willis Thomas (from 2018) in the Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility group show at the Guggenheim.

Twisted, obscured, and revealed in layers of camouflage. Joiri Minaya (from 2020) in the Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility group show at the Guggenheim.

Eyes, fingers, and the mystery of leopard print. Farah Al Qasimi (from 2019) in the Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility group show at the Guggenheim.

Tactile surfaces and signifiers seen from the back. Lyle Ashton Harris (from 2000) in the Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility group show at the Guggenheim.

Turning away from the layered doubling of race and gender. Lorna Simpson (from 1990-1992) in the Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility group show at the Guggenheim.

Erased by Photoshop’s checkered transparency filter. Stephanie Syjuco (from 2017) in the Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility group show at the Guggenheim.

The obscuring anonymity of a red hoodie. John Edmonds (from 2016) in the Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility group show at the Guggenheim.

Split second multiple exposures capturing the swirling movement of a fencer’s blade. Georges Demeny (from 1906) in the second floor hallway at the Met.

A twisting geometric montage, featuring a slice of voyeuristic watching. Maurice Tabard (from 1929) in the second floor hallway at the Met.

Echoes of circles and rectangles, drifting into shadow. František Drtikol (from 1927) in the second floor hallway at the Met.

Hanging backyard laundry flattened into angled lines and light/dark contrasts. Paul Strand (from 1917) in the second floor hallway at the Met.

A three-part panorama of Esna (from 1850), layering the river, the banks, the palms, and a single minaret into a calmly sweeping view. Maxime Du Camp at the Met.

Cascading tendrils against a backdrop of burnished gold. Albarran Cabrera at Sous Les Eotiles Gallery.

Adding a dose of tiny figure romanticism to a Hudson River view. Andrew Moore at Yancey Richardson Gallery.

A burnished photographic still life of fig branches, walnuts, snails, and a single dragonfly. Paulette Tavormina at Winston Wächter Fine Art.