An indirect portrait of Hugh Hefner, in three seductive faces. Vikky Alexander (from 1984) in the Legally Blonde group show at Downs & Ross.
Merging image and object in the provocative form of an axe. Darja Bajagić in the Legally Blonde group show at Downs & Ross.
Pulling isolated watches out of the flow of the street. Michele Abeles in the blue monday group show at 47 Canal.
The last protector in a dystopian future, wearing an elaborate sculptural headdress fashioned from scavenged materials. Tuan Andrew Nguyen in the A Través group show at James Cohan Gallery.
Re-imagining the ghostly gambling from the famous Pushkin story. Derrick Adams in The Queen of Spades … and Other Stories at Bienvenu Steinberg & Partner.
Using geometric patterning to veil an early 1900s-era colonial portrait from the Philippines. Sara Jimenez in The Queen of Spades … and Other Stories at Bienvenu Steinberg & Partner.
Smartly upending the motifs of Indian matrimonial photographs. Cheryl Mukherji at Baxter St at CCNY.
The shadowy formal interplay of body parts, redirected a pair of dildos. Elle Pérez in the Body Language group show at Andrew Kreps Gallery.
Four cardinal points of kaleidoscopic portraiture, like the patterns of a quilt or blanket. Wendy Red Star in the Hues group show at Hannah Traore Gallery.
Creating a crouching monster out of neon orange pants. Arielle Bobb-Willis in the Hues group show at Hannah Traore Gallery.
Catching the complex subtleties in the face of trans activist and actress Gersande Spelsberg, with a nod to the portraiture of Helmar Lerski. Adam Broomberg at Signs and Symbols.
The weathered elegance of a gnarled bonsai trunk. Masao Yamamoto at Mizuma & Kips.
Rephotographed images of billowing still-wet prints, iteratively distorted by additional passes through the printer. Wade Guyton at Reena Spaulings Fine Art.
Floating skyward (like Icarus) toward the bright light of the sun. Adger Cowans (from the 1970s) in the 20th anniversary exhibition at Bruce Silverstein Gallery.
Playing with the incongruity of painted and real space. René Magritte (from 1937) in the 20th anniversary exhibition at Bruce Silverstein Gallery.
The elegant doubled effect of a flower and its shadow. André Kertész (from 1979) in the 20th anniversary exhibition at Bruce Silverstein Gallery.
An earnest Johns posing with an improvised studio bar. Robert Rauschenberg (from 1955) in Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
A top down still life with Johns’ lightbulb sculpture. Ugo Mulas in Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Finding a four-quadrant light/dark structure in a gentle waterscape. Sally Gall at Winston Wächter Fine Art.
Applying the female gaze to a series of pared down male nudes. Laura Stevens at ClampArt.
