Manish Vora
If gyms and yoga studios overflow after the new year, why shouldn’t museums and galleries? Check out this months’ must-see shows in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston and Chicago. Alternately, those of you with the time and money can just enroll in Gagosian’s Damien Hirst Spot Challenge and book your around-the-world ticket to all eleven Gagosian galleries.
San Francisco
After revisiting early photographic experiments with Hiroshi Sugimoto and diving into Warhol’s personal archive of polaroids, San Francisco gets topical with Egyptian artist Taha Belal’s work made during the demonstrations at Tahrir Square.
Left: Hiroshi Sugimoto, The China Bridge over the River Avon At Lacock Abbey, 2009. Courtesy Fraenkel Gallery. Middle: Andy Warhol, Frau Buch, 1980. Courtesy the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Right: Hugh Scott-Douglas, Untitled 46 (Stamp), 2011. Courtesy Silverman Gallery.
Hiroshi Sugimoto: Photogenic Drawings
Fraenkel Gallery, through Feb 25
Danny Keith: Flannel and Fur
Ratio 3, through Feb 18
Andy Warhol: Polaroids / MATRIX 240
Berkeley Art Museum, Jan 27 through May 20
Controlled Environments
Wolfe Contemporary Art, Jan 12 – Feb 24
Hugh Scott-Douglas
Silverman Gallery, through Jan 28
Taha Belal: The Atmosphere from before the Step Down Returns to the Square
Haines Gallery, through Feb 18
John Bankston: Smoke and Mirrors
Rena Bransten Gallery, through Jan 28
Jessica Dickinson, Liam Everett, Alex Olson, Josh Smith & Garth Weiser
Altman Siegel Gallery, through Feb 25
Los Angeles
Tired of hearing about artists abandoning their high-priced Brooklyn studios for the lush life in LA? We sure are, but the gallery scene continues to make LA more enticing. This month we’re digging the solos shows for Tim Bavington, Glenn Kaino, Alan Michael, Daniel Richter, and Banks Violette.
Left: Alan Michael, Kenzo Jumping / Assouline,, 2011. Courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery. Right: Banks Violette, Untitled. Courtesy of Blum & Poe.
Tim Bavington: Heart Above Head
Mark Moore Gallery, through Feb 18
Go Tell it on the Mountain – Curated by Nery G. Lemus
Charlie James Gallery, Jan 14 through Feb 18
Glenn Kaino’s Bring Me The Hands of Piri Reis
Honor Fraser Gallery, through Feb 8
Gusmano Cesaretti Curated by Aaron Rose
Roberts and Tilton, through Feb 18
Alan Michael: German Vouge
David Kordansky Gallery, through Feb 4
Material Underground
Francois Ghebaly Gallery, Jan 21 – Feb 18
Mark Schoening: Head Rush
Blythe Projects, through Feb 18
Daniel Richter: A concert of purpose and action
Regen Projects, through Feb 18
Jerry Uelsmann
Peter Fetterman Gallery, through March 1
Banks Violette and Shio Kusaka
Blum and Poe, through Feb 11
Damien Hirst: The Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011
Gagosian (Beverly Hills), Jan 12 – Feb 10
Boston
My hometown of Boston is looking to have a break-out year, and they are starting off with one hundred years of performance curated by Performa and Klaus Biesenbach, the 2012 deCordova Biennial organized by Dina Deitsch and Abigail Ross Goodman, and strong shows from Brice Marden and Isaac Julien.
Left: Kim Faler, Anniversary, 2009. Courtesy LaMontagne Gallery & deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Middle: Antoniadis & Stone, Social Climber, 2011. Courtesy samson. Right: Isaac Julien, Mazu, Silence (Ten Thousand Waves), 2010. Courtesy the artist, Metro Pictures, New York, and Victoria Miro Gallery, London.
100 Years of Performance Curated by Klaus Biesenbach
Boston University Art Gallery, Jan 19 through March 25
Antoniadis & Stone: Rough Shape
Samson, through Jan 28
Isaac Julien: Ten Thousand Waves
The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, through March 4
Sending & Sanding and Brice Marden
Barbara Krakow Gallery, through Jan 24
Brian Zink: Assembled
Howard Yezerski Gallery, through Feb 7
The 2012 deCordova Biennial
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Garden, Jan 23 – April 22
Miami
There is life after Art Basel in Miami. Imagine the Florida Room with no line outside, spending your day at the beach and beautiful galleries instead of tents and convention centers. Get to know the real Miami, and while you’re there, take note of Mauricio Gonzalez, Xawery Wolski and Jason Shawn Alexander.
Left: Xawery Wolski, Cadenas, 2011. Courtesy of Diana Lowenstein. Right: Mauricio Honzalez, Mirror and Yellow, 2011. Courtesy of Fredric Snitzer
Speed of Life: Mauricio Gonzalez
Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Jan 10 – Feb 4
Modern Trance
Dorsch Gallery, through Jan 28
Xawery Wolski: Thoughts, Meditations, Acts
Diana Lowenstein Fine Arts, through Jan 31
Erwin Wurm: Beauty Business
Bass Museum of Art, through March 4
Jason Shawn Alexander: Undertow
101/exhibit, through Feb 8
you are here forever
Carol Jazzar Contemporary Art, through Jan 27
Fernando Mastrangelo BLACK SCULPTURE
Charest-Weinberg Gallery, through Feb 29
Chicago
Who wants to visit Chicago in January? The most under-appreciated city in America makes its case for a winter visit with shows from the MCA Chicago and the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as solo shows from Jaume Plensa, Jim Lutes, and Michael Gregory.
Left: Michael Gregory, Saddle Butte, 2010. Courtesy Nancy Hoffman Gallery. Middle: Jaume Plensa, The Hermit I, 2011. Courtesy Richard Gray. Right: Gordon Matta-Clark, Cut and taped positives for ‘Circus’ or ‘The Caribbean Orange’, 1978. Courtesy estate of Gordon Matta-Clark. Photo © MCA ChicagoDumb Country Four paintings and One Object by Jim Lutes
Valerie Carberry Gallery, through Jan 28
The Language of Less
Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), through April 8
Joint Disassembly
Robert Bills Contemporary, through Jan 21
Alfredo Jaar: Muxima
The Art Institute of Chicago, through April 15
Jaume Plensa: The Hermit
Richard Gray Gallery, through Jan 20
Robert Overby
Rhona Hoffman Gallery, through Jan 21
