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Art

Five New York City Art Shows to See Right Now

Sylvia Sleigh, Kenneth Tam, Christine Sun Kim, Paul Gardère, and Rudy Burckhardt are ideal for anyone who desires a glimpse into an artist’s personal life and worldview.

Natalie Haddad Hrag Vartanian Lisa Yin Zhang John Yau

Natalie Haddad, Hrag Vartanian, Lisa Yin Zhang, John Yau

— 3 min read
Five New York City Art Shows to See Right Now
Sylvia Sleigh, "October: Felicity Rainnie and Paul Rosano" (1974) (photo Natalie Haddad/Hyperallergic)

One of the greatest gifts an artist can give the viewer is a sense of the artist as a person — their lives, loves, losses, and the mundane details that amount to their worlds. This is a great moment for getting to know your artist, with shows featuring the always impressive Sylvia Sleigh, whose friends and lovers literally bared all, as well as the beautifully personal mixed media works of Paul Gardère, the celebrated visual and textual world of Christine Sun Kim, and more.  —Natalie Haddad, Reviews Editor

Kenneth Tam: The Medallion

Bridget Donahue, 99 Bowery, Lower East Side, Manhattan
Through March 8

Installation view of Kenneth Tam, "The Medallion" (2025), 2-channel HD video with sound (photo Lisa Yin Zhang/Hyperallergic)

"The message is clear — tides of technology wielded for personal enrichment rather than societal improvement will obliterate us with cold ease." —Lisa Yin Zhang

Read the full review here.

Rudy Burckhardt: A Painting Exhibition

Tibor de Nagy Gallery, 11 Rivington Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan
Through March 8

Rudy Burckhardt, "Sixth Avenue" (1977), oil on linen (courtesy Estate of Rudy Burckhardt and Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York)

"Through his directness, modesty, and scrupulous attention to detail, Burckhardt’s representation of the oddness of the ordinary is unrivaled." —John Yau

Read the full review here.

Sylvia Sleigh: Every leaf is precious

Ortuzar gallery, 5 White Street, Tribeca, Manhattan
Through April 5

Installation view of Sylvia Sleigh: Every leaf is precious at Ortuzar. Left: "Annunciation: Paul Rosano" (1975); right: "Triple Portrait of Philip" (1971) (photo Hrag Vartanian/Hyperallergic)

"There’s something wonderful about Sleigh's paintings that feels like showing up to a nudist colony where people are fine letting it all hang out." —Hrag Vartanian

Read the full review here.

Paul Gardère: Vantage Points

Stuyvesant-Fish House, 21 Stuyvesant Street, East Village, Manhattan
Through June 6

Paul Gardère, “Rowing to Giverny” (1999) (photo Natalie Haddad/Hyperallergic)

"Gardère's techniques and materials merge with his subject matter to sketch out a portrait of his life" —NH

Read the full review here.

Christine Sun Kim: All Day All Night

Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street, West Village, Manhattan
Through July 6

Installation view of Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader, “Palm Reader” (2020), at Readings from Below at the Times Art Center Berlin (© Christine Sun Kim; photograph by GR.Berlin, courtesy the artists, François Ghebaly Gallery, and White Space)

"Kim revels in translation not just between languages or systems of notation, but between concepts and feelings or experiences." —LYZ

Read the full review here.