On View

When the artist Pedro Reyes says “I believe anything can become material for art,” he truly means anything. To date, he’s turned guns into musical instruments, proposed crickets as an environmentally friendly source of protein, and staged puppet shows featuring Karl Marx and Adam Smith to explain the different ideas behind socialism and capitalism. For Reyes, being an artist isn’t about creating things, but rather creating experiences and ideas.
A trained architect, the Mexico City native defines himself today as a sculptor. “I’m very concerned with form and materials,” he told Art21 in an exclusive interview. But as an an artist, “you’re requested to reinvent the rules,” he said. “Artists change the perception of things.”
In practice, this gives Reyes a playful approach to making art. He encourages viewers to participate with his work, and sometimes even in its creation.
Speaking to Art21 as part of the “Art in the Twenty-First Century” series, Reyes describes a project where he hosted a People’s United Nations, which featured role-playing participants who discussed social and political issues, adding an element of play to an otherwise serious exercise.
“I love my life, it’s super fun,” he tells Art21. “You’re like a kid, and everybody gets to do what you wish and it happens. It’s amazing.”
Watch the video, which originally appeared as part of Art21’s series Art in the Twenty-First Century, below.
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This is an installment of “Art on Video,” a collaboration between Artnet News and Art21 that brings you clips of newsmaking artists. A new series of the nonprofit Art21’s flagship series Art in the Twenty-First Century is available now on PBS. Catch all episodes of other series like New York Close Up and Extended Play and learn about the organization’s educational programs at Art21.org.

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As galleries and art institutions around the world begin to reopen, we are spotlighting individual shows—online and IRL—that are worth your attention.

“(Nothing but) Flowers” at KarmaThrough September 13, 2020
What the gallery says: “The flower persists throughout art history. It figures prominently across memento mori still lifes; huaniao hua bird-and-flower motifs; the intricate patterning of Mbuti bark cloths; the tendrils and palmettes of Islamic miniatures. Botanical symbolism spans libertine excess, Dionesian glut, and delicate innocence; it evokes vanity, fertility, and the mortal coil.
“Yet most essentially for the present day, the tending and gifting of flowers is steeped in cultural practice. As balms of solace and support during times of remembrance and growth, blooms connote the sharing of emotion, and are given in sympathy, love, joy, or appreciation.”
Why it’s worth a look: Walking around New York after dusk these days, it can almost feel like any other summer day, with lights draped across al fresco sidewalk dining rooms, dogs roving once again in grassy parks, and—yes—flowers blooming everywhere.
This show at Karma is the artful equivalent of that bittersweet haze: some of the flora are drooping, or shedding petals as they near the end of their season, while others are pulsing with color and life.
This group show—which includes works by Nicole Eisenman, Hilary Pecis, Peter Doig, Susan Jane Walp, and Henni Alftan, among others—features artists with as diverse backgrounds as the flowers they’ve committed to canvas, and is the perfect respite for a summer afternoon.
What it looks like:

Installation view, “(Nothing but) Flowers” at Karma.

Susan Jane Walp, Blueberries with Hollyhock Blossom, (2000). Courtesy of the artist and Karma.

Henni Alftan, Summer Shirt (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Karma.

Installation view, “(Nothing but) Flowers” at Karma.

Nicole Eisenman, Still Life with Takis (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Karma.

Calvin Marcus, Begonia, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Karma.

Installation view, “(Nothing but) Flowers” at Karma.

Peter Doig, Lemons (1989). Courtesy of the artist and Karma.

Woody De Othello, Space for Growth, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Karma.

Gertrude Abercrombie, White Cat and Red Carnations, (1941). Courtesy of the artist and Karma.

Installation view, “(Nothing but) Flowers” at Karma.

Lubaina Himid, 2 Swallow II (2006). Courtesy of the artist and Karma.

Zenzaburo Kojima, Roses (1951). Courtesy of the artist and Karma.

Honor Titus, Jazmine Perfume, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Karma.

Jeanette Mundt, More Heroin – A Remarkable Time (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Karma.

Installation view, “(Nothing but) Flowers” at Karma.

Installation view, “(Nothing but) Flowers” at Karma.

Installation view, “(Nothing but) Flowers” at Karma.

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On August 26, 2020 the United States celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which ended the decades-long fight by suffragists for women to be allowed to vote. In her latest exhibition, opening at Brooklyn-based Theodore: Art to coincide with the occasion, the artist Michelle Vaughan is looking at feminist history. But instead of celebrating those who led the fight for equality, she’s taking a hard look at some of the women who have held it back.
“A Movement of Women” features pastel portraits of some 40 women culled from the pantheon of conservative activism. Some are luminaries of a previous generation of anti-feminist women, like singer and anti-gay activist Anita Bryant, author and “objectivist” philosopher Ayn Rand, and anti-Equal Rights Amendment campaigner Phyllis Schlafly (recently also examined in the Hulu series Mrs. America). Others, like Betsey DeVos, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, or Kellyanne Conway, are familiar from recent headlines.
Why train the spotlight on such figures? Vaughn tells Artnet News that the project actually began back in 2016, when history-making candidate Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but lost the election. When post-election analysis revealed that educated white women had voted for Trump—even after the infamous Access Hollywood tape—she decided to look into conservative women, to “unravel what looked to me like a giant paradox.”
A selection of portraits from Michelle Vaughan’s “A Movement of Women”  (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Theodore: Art.

The show is presented as a genuine investigation, amassing a huge reserve of information about conservative women including a research library and archival materials in addition to the 40 pastels.
Perhaps the most striking components of the show are the quotes Vaughan selected, presented as letterpress prints painstakingly hand-set on decidedly feminine-pink office paper, and juxtaposed with the beaming portraits. Each picks out one of the more despicable quips associated with the women in question.
The more outrageous might sound like raw material for SNL skits or Twitter memes—e.g. Ann Coulter declaring, “[i]t would be a much better country if women did not vote.” Vaughn wants viewers to really scrutinize the words and the faces behind them and “ponder the complexities of American political history.”
“Michelle Vaughan: A Movement of Women” is on view at Theodore:Art in Brooklyn from August 26–October 22, 2020. Before the show opens, prints are available at a discounted price of $80 (originally $100). 

Michelle Vaughan, Ann Coulter (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Theodore Art.

Michelle Vaughan, It Would Be (quote by Ann Coulter) (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Theodore Art.

Michelle Vaughan, Phyllis Schlafly (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Theodore Art.

Michelle Vaughan, What I am defending (quote by Phyllis Schlafly) (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Theodore Art.

Michelle Vaughan, Suzanne Silvercruys (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Theodore Art.

Michelle Vaughan, There are Practically (quote by Suzanne Silvercruys) (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Theodore Art.

Michelle Vaughan, Anita Bryant (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Theodore Art.

Michelle Vaughan, If Gays are Granted (quote by Anita Bryant) (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Theodore Art.

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As galleries and art institutions around the world begin to reopen, we are spotlighting individual shows—online and IRL—that are worth your attention.
“Kenny Scharf: MOODZ”through October 31Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles

What the gallery says: “Who are the characters depicted on Scharf’s multiple canvases? He explains that they all reflect aspects of his own personality. Some days he needs to release his aggressive energy and they may reflect his anger. Other faces reflect his exuberance and love of painting.
Scharf embraces the immediacy of spray paint. His gestures use his entire body. The process is totally physical, like a dance. He paints while listening to music on his headphones, entering into a zone where his mind and body merge. His strokes follow the beat.”
Why it’s worth a look: Before there were emojis, there was Kenny Scharf. Back in 1981, the artist began trawling the streets of New York City armed with cans of spray-paint, applying his range of emotive, psychedelic cartoon faces to surfaces across the metropolis. A contemporary of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Andy Warhol, Scharf grew up in California before moving east, and never lost his connection to the aesthetic of laid-back consumerism.
Scharf draws a line between the seriality of his work to his early experience watching pixelated images beam through his parents’ television set. This interest in repetition inspired him to create the massive 250-face exhibition at Jeffrey Deitch. He worked for months to render each individual face, often creating multiple images a day. The result is an engulfing show with a visage for every mood.
What it looks like:

Installation view, “Kenny Scharf: MOODZ” at Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles. Photo: Joshua White.

Installation view, “Kenny Scharf: MOODZ” at Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles. Photo: Joshua White.

Installation view, “Kenny Scharf: MOODZ” at Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles. Photo: Joshua White.

Installation view, “Kenny Scharf: MOODZ” at Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles. Photo: Joshua White.

Installation view, “Kenny Scharf: MOODZ” at Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles. Photo: Joshua White.

Kenny Scharf, Monstrono (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles.

Installation view, “Kenny Scharf: MOODZ” at Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles. Photo: Joshua White.

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The artist Brian Jungen is a master of shifting perspectives, and all of his work is rooted in exploring duality, in subtle and sometimes obvious ways.
The artist, who lives and works in North Okanagan, British Columbia, is of Swiss and Dane-zaa ancestry, and he repurposes the detritus of capitalism and mass production to make stirring works that reflect his own Native identity.
Using everything from Nike sneakers to plastic gas canisters and golf bags, Jungen creates sculptures resembling traditional Native objects. He was also inspired to turn to printmaking after seeing the work of Inuit artists in Alaska, and in an exclusive interview with Art21 filmed in 2016, he described how he has used the medium.

Production still from the Art21 “Extended Play” film, “Brian Jungen: Printing Two Perspectives.” © Art21, Inc. 2016.

After gathering newspaper clippings from an archive at a museum in Calgary, Jungen decided to make works that juxtaposed news stories about Native people and their white counterparts.
“One thing I always liked about the imagery that you see in the cultures on the coast is this bilateral symmetry—trying to portray both sides of something on a flat surface,” he told Art21.
Flipping through the old broadsides, Jungen saw stories of Natives that were seemingly always negative, portraying them as poor, living in slums, and causing trouble. Right next to that, advertisements presented smiling white families showing off new purchases, or playing games.
“It was always about inequality, but it wasn’t really from the Native person’s perspective,” Jungen says, noting that if he had seen similar images, “they would’ve made me feel really bad about being Native.” In his reproductions of the newsprints, the stark reality of media’s biased portrayal of Natives is clear.
Watch the video, which originally appeared as part of Art21’s series Extended Play, below.
[embedded content]
This is an installment of “Art on Video,” a collaboration between Artnet News and Art21 that brings you clips of newsmaking artists. A new series of the nonprofit Art21’s flagship series Art in the Twenty-First Century is available now on PBS. Catch all episodes of other series like New York Close Up and Extended Play and learn about the organization’s educational programs at Art21.org.
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For a few weeks this summer, one of New York’s most iconic landmarks, Rockefeller Center, will become an outdoor art gallery featuring the work of both amateur New York artists and blue-chip stars like KAWS and Marina Abramović alike.
Hundreds of New Yorkers submitted proposals earlier this year to design eight-by-five-foot flags. This past Saturday, the 192 winning designs were unfurled on the flags surrounding the plaza’s ice rink. In addition to the open call, 13 well-known artists—including Carmen Herrera, Faith Ringgold, Hank Willis Thomas, Jeff Koons, Jenny Holzer, Laurie Anderson, Sanford Biggers, Sarah Sze, Shantell Martin, and Steve Powers—were also commissioned to create flags.
Koons’s flag features a colorful argyle background with the letters “NYC” spelled out in shiny gold balloons. KAWS’s design incorporates his “Companion” toys, while Jenny Holzer, whose practice is often rooted in text, created a flag with the word “PROTECT” surrounded by radiating graphic lines. Abramović’s design is based on the spiking line of a heartbeat monitor. The artist explained her inspiration in a statement: “The EKG line of my flag represents the resilience of the human spirit in the color red which symbolizes our blood and is a color I often surround myself with when I need to feel strong. This red line beats across the white flag which symbolizes surrender.”
See images of the installation and selected designs below. The Flag Project is on view at Rockefeller Plaza through August 16, 2020.

The Flag Project at Rockefeller Center. Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer.

The Flag Project at Rockefeller Center. Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer.

Courtesy of KAWS and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center (2020).

Courtesy of Hank Willis Thomas and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center (2020).

The Flag Project at Rockefeller Center. Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer.

Courtesy of Jeff Koons and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center (2020).

Courtesy of Marina Abramović and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center (2020).

Courtesy of Sarah Sze and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center (2020).

The Flag Project at Rockefeller Center. Photo courtesy of Tishman Speyer.

Courtesy of Carmen Herrera and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center (2020).

Courtesy of Sanford Biggers and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center (2020).

Courtesy of Jenny Holzer and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center (2020).

Courtesy of Laurie Anderson and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center (2020).

Courtesy of Steve Powers and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center (2020).

Courtesy of Shantell Martin and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center, (2020).

Courtesy of Faith Ringgold and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center (2020).

Courtesy of Christian Siriano and the Flag Project at Rockefeller Center.

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As galleries and art institutions around the world begin to reopen, we are spotlighting individual shows—online and IRL—that are worth your attention.
“teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live”Mifuneyama Rakuen Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushuthrough November 8, 2020

What the group says: “teamLab’s project, Digitized Nature, explores how nature can become art. The concept of the project is that non-material digital technology can turn nature into art without harming it.
These artworks explore how the forms of the forest and garden can be used as they are to create artworks that make it possible to create a place where we can transcend the boundary in our understanding of the continuity of time and feel the long, long continuity of life. Even in the present day, we can experiment with expressing this ‘Continuous Life’ and continue to accumulate meaning in Mifuneyama Rakuen.”
Why it’s worth a look: At a time when so many of us are stuck inside for days, weeks, and even months on end, seeing the work of teamLab, even through a screen, offers a respite from the ordinary. The dreamlike, responsive light works, created using cutting-edge technology, offer a glimpse of the kind of “immersive art experience” that might survive the social-distancing era. (It’s outside! It might not be crowded!) Plus, with Japan’s breathtaking Mifuneyama Rakuen Park—which boasts 500,000 square meters of flowers—as the backdrop, this installation may also help satisfy just a little bit of wanderlust.
What it looks like:

Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

Installation view, “teamLab: A Forest Where Gods Live, 2019” Mifuneyama Rakuen, Takeo Hot Springs, Kyushu © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery.

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As galleries and art institutions around the world begin to reopen, we are spotlighting individual shows—online and IRL—that are worth your attention.
“Conversational Spirits I & II”Online at Jessica Silverman, San Francisco
What the gallery says: “Jessica Silverman presents a two-part summer series, ‘Conversational Spirits,’ exploring animism—the belief that animals, plants, places, and objects can be enlivened by spirits or imminent powers.
“Associated with the worship of nature and the rise of subordinate souls, animism is a theme broadly relevant to a time in which equal rights, ecology, and biochemistry are serious concerns. Animism has long been germane to art insofar as the most compelling objects are imbued with such intention, intensity, and energy that they feel alive.”
Why it’s worth a look: Are humans the only creatures gifted with what can be called a spirit? Belief in the spiritual realm has had a resurgence lately in art (and elsewhere), with interest in the thought gaining momentum beyond niche circles.
From Judy Chicago’s tree branches, which pulsate with life, to Luke Butler’s paintings of bald eagles clutching paint brushes, and on through Tammy Rae Carland’s depictions of books, which seem to speak almost audibly, the plants, animals, and objects in these artworks are practically thinking, breathing beings—and by seemingly questioning their surroundings, they inspire viewers to do the same.
What it looks like:

Installation view of “Conversational Spirits I.” Courtesy of Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Rose B. Simpson, Conjure (2020) [detail]. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Dashiell Manley, Those Seeing Flowers We Cannot See (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Judy Chicago, Trees Twisting with Joy (1996). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman Gallery.

Hayal Pozanti, Their Own Internal Time 102 (Rim Kona Kona) (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman San Francisco.

Installation view of Tammy Rae Carland’s work in “Conversational Spirits.” Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman San Francisco.

Tammy Rae Carland, Peeling Performativity, (2019). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman San Francisco.

Tammy Rae Carland, Lean on me, (2019). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman San Francisco.

Hernan Bas, Feeding time at the Little Shop of Horrors, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman San Francisco.

Installation view of “Conversational Spirits II” at Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Hernan Bas, Feeding time at the Little Shop of Horrors, [detail] (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Margo Wolowiec, Seed Surge (2020) [detail]. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Margo Wolowiec, Seed Surge (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Claudia Wieser, Untitled (2019) left and right. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Julian Hoeber, When the Meat Stops Thinking the Flies Arrive, For Better or Worse, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Installation view of “Conversational Spirits II.” Courtesy of Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Martha Friedman, Nerve Language 1, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Martha Friedman, Nerve Language 3, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

David Huffman, Ideology, (2020). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Installation view of “Conversational Spirits II.” Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Daisy Youngblood, Leaping I (2010). Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Installation view of “Conversational Spirits I.” Courtesy of Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

Andrea Bowers, If We Do Not Do the Impossible We Shall Be Faced With the Unthinkable (2020) [detail]. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman, San Francisco.

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