Even a brief look at upcoming exhibitions across the country demonstrates the obvious—we’re in a golden age for art. The sheer volume of shows that are certain to delight viewers and collectors slated to open this spring indicates as much. From “The Bride of God,” Hauser & Wirth’s star studded exhibition inaugurating their new space on 22nd street, to Kara Walker’s courageous new exhibition of drawings at Sikkema Jenkins, to a new suite of masked self portraits by photographer Lyle Ashton Harris at Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art in Houston, there’s plenty to look at no matter where you go. Mark your calendars. This spring season promises to be a doozy.
“Elijah Burgher, Polyphemus Weeps” at PPOW, New York City (March 28)
Sometimes cyclops cry. As evidenced by Elijah Burgher’s latest work, it’s eerie when they do. Based on the Greek myth of Polyphemus, a one-eyed monster whose lover left him for a younger man, Elijah Burgher’s painting and show centerpiece alludes to the heartbreak that aging and lost love can bring.
The work fits into a larger practice in which Burgher casts friends and lovers as characters in a myriad of mythologies as a way of testing meaning. Can any art work truly embody knowledge and experience? The answer to this question may be unknowable, but PPOW gives us a solid month to assess Burgher’s success.