exhibits “SASCHA MALLON: INNEN WELTEN-INNER WORLDS” AT WAAM
The Woodstock Artists Association & Museum reopens its on-site galleries on November 13 with two solo exhibitions, Mallon’s and “C. J. Matherne: Stacked Against You,” both chosen by Kristen Dodge, owner and director of September Gallery in Hudson. Mallon makes small ceramic sculptures representing female figures, plants, and animals, which she groups in sitespecific installations.Her work is predominantly about the cycle of life, and within that context her sculptures serve as pictograms, carriers of hidden messages, and memento mori, creating dreamlike worlds whose narratives illustrate relationships, transitions, and dichotomies such as life/death. There is a surreal quality to Mallon’s work, with figures covered by flowers and insects, an unusual sense of scale, and bodies opening up to reveal scenes inside. “Innen Welten-Inner Worlds” will be on display through February 1. Woodstockart.org Poppy Mountain, Sascha Mallon
“KIKI SMITH: RIVER LIGHT” AT STORM KING ART CENTER
This solo exhibition of outdoor works marks Kiki Smith’s first presentation of flags—a new element within her expansive production—in the United States. For this exhibition (which closes November 9) Smith has created a new collection of flags whose unpredictable, ever-changing movements mimic the ebb and flow of water in a river. Installed on Storm King’s Museum Hill with long views of Storm King Mountain and the Hudson Highlands, the flags present an ephemeral installation that is activated by the natural world around it. Arranged in a circular procession, the images in the nine blue flags are pulled from a film Smith created in 2005 of glints of sunlight on the East River. Do make sure to reserve a spot ASAP as Storm King tends to sell out, especially on weekends. Stormking.org An installation view of "Kiki Smith: River Light" Photo by Jeffery Jenkins
“RANSOME: THE VIEW FROM HERE” AT BARRETT ART CENTER
Part of Barrett’s series of solo shows selected by leading curators from across the country, “Ransome: The View from Here” was chosen by Ashley James, associate curator of contemporary art at the Guggenheim Museum. Ransome’s work focuses on images that centered around his African-American lineage, a through line that connects back to his sharecropper ancestors. Combining acrylic paint with an array of found, created, and purchased papers, Ransome’s work is imbued with the spontaneity of hip hop artists and the resourcefulness of rural quilters, creating a fusion that unites historical folkways with a modern, urban sensibility. The pictorial narratives are personal, yet the symbols interplay with larger social, racial, ancestral, economic, and political histories that speak to current issues. The show in Poughkeepsie runs through November 14. Barrettartcenter.org Who Should Own Black Art?, Ransome
64 THE GUIDE CHRONOGRAM 11/20
