Elisabeth Bernstein's first solo exhibition challenges the observer's notion of traditional landscape photography by depicting panoramic vistas that initially manifest themselves as familiar locations. Upon closer inspection, the viewer discerns Bernstein's innovative treatment of light and camera perspective, which has produced the illusory scenes out of paint pigments on a tabletop. The photographic installation of five large-scale prints is viscerally surreal and genuinely thought-provoking.
Scapes is on view through March 6th at The Wild Project, 195 East 3rd St. www.thewildproject.com
Elisabeth Bernstein
Scape #3, 2008
C-Print
48 x 60 inches
Courtesy The Wild Project
The Outsider Art Fair
The Outsider Art Fair returns to New York for it's 18th year, once again engendering a unique forum for appreciation of self-taught artists who work outside of mainstream society. In additional to familiar names such as Grandma Moses, Henry Darger, and Elijah Pierce, visitors will find exceptional examples of new talent at affordable prices. A display at the fair's entrance will highlight works to be sold in support of ongoing relief efforts in Haiti.
The Outsider Art Fair is on view February 5th through 7th at 7 West 34th Street. www.sanfordsmith.com
Elijah Pierce Angel with Clover (Guardian Angel with Mother and Two Children), 1966
Painted bas relief woodcarving
22 x 12 inches
Courtesy KENY Galleries
Omer Fast, Nostalgia
Now in its penultimate weekend, Omer Fast’s Nostalgia perpetuates the artist’s longstanding captivation with manipulations of narrative and the often subtle differences between performance and reality. The three video installations present a sometimes paradoxical loop, both independently and combined, which forces the visitor to confront his or her own preconception of a storyline. The overall viewing experience is one of acute awareness, sometimes to the extent of uneasiness, which Fast employs to draw attention to the social and political issues which he addresses.
Nostalgia is on view through February 14th at The Whitney Museum, 945 Madison Avenue. www.whitney.org
Omer Fast
Production still from Nostalgia III, 2009
Super 16mm film transferred to high-definition video, color, sound
