Paul McCarthy: Propo

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"Between 1972 – 1983, I did a series of performances which involved masks, bottles, pans, uniforms, dolls, stuffed animals, etc. After the performances these objects were either left behind or they were collected and stored in suitcases and trunks to be used in future performances. In 1983, the closed suitcases and trunks containing these performance objects were stacked on a table and exhibited as sculpture. In 1991, I opened the suitcases and trunks photographing each item. The group of photographs in their entirety was titled PROPO," says Paul McCarthy. Hauser & Wirth presents n exhibition of over 60 photographs by Paul McCarthy. This selection, many of which have only been seen before in publications, is taken from the artist’s large group of more than 120 photographs, collectively known as ‘PROPO’. Propo is on view until October 20, 2012 at Hauser and Wirth, Limmatstrasse 270 8005 Zurich 

The Graphic Design of Tony Arefin

A new exhibition at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, England is a comprehensive survey of work by Tony Arefin (1962–2000), a graphic designer who emerged during the late 1980s as one of the most important figures in the British art world. With his numerous catalogues for institutions such as the Serpentine Gallery, ICA, Chisenhale Gallery and Ikon itself, Arefin had achieved such art world dominance by the early 1990s that design critic Rick Poynor described him as ‘single-handedly processing the print needs of the entire British art scene’. Comprising early publications from the YBA movement to seminal advertising campaigns for corporate clients such as IBM, Ikon’s exhibition reveals the intuitive genius of Arefin’s work. Arefin & Arefin: The graphic design of Tony Arefin will be on view between September 12 and November 4, 2012 at Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square  Brindleyplace, West Midlands, United Kingdom

Dan Colen Monograph with Text by Harmony Korine

This artist’s book documents Dan Colen’s 2011 exhibition at Gagosian Gallery in New York, as well as his June 2012 Gagosian exhibition in Paris. Drawing from mass media, local environment, and subculture, Dan Colen’s art imbues the ordinary, the disenfranchised, and the tribal with provocative new status. This publication includes over fifty new works, including Colen’s series of Grass, Gum, Confetti, and Stud, with extensive details of the works. There is also text by Harmony Korine. Now available by Rizzoli.

New Works by April Wood

April Wood is a metalsmith artist working with the complex relationship between food and the body. Wood is interested in the ritual process of eating and the tools societies use to feed one another. For the artist, eating is a form of consumption, which can span a range of emotions, from pleasurable to horrific, from overindulgent to controlling. In this way Wood’s larger discussion on food’s often contradictory role in the contemporary society relates to the Collections Selections theme of excess. Her Feeding the Hunger sculptures become activated performances when placed in a person’s mouth. April Wood: New Works is on view until December 2, 2012, at AMOA-Arthouse, 3809 West 35th Street

The Sculptures of Kevin Francis Gray

Haunch of Venison presents London-based artist Kevin Francis Gray’s first solo exhibition with the gallery. The exhibition will showcase several of Gray’s porcelain, bronze and marble sculptures that merge elements of both classicism and the sculpted human form with an aesthetic that contextualises the work firmly within the visual landscape of contemporary society. On view from September 4 to September 29, at Haunch of Venison, 550 West 21st Street

José Lerma and Eddie Martinez

Halsey McKay Gallery in East Hampton presents a two-person exhibition of new works by José Lerma and Eddie Martinez. Both artists use creative material approaches to painting and its history as the starting point for their practice. Inhabited by voracious marks and a motley cast of characters, their works display the political histories of nations imagined and conflicts all too real, through the interplay of their denizens. On view until August 29, 2012 at Halsey McKay Gallery, 79 Newtown Lane East Hampton, NY

American Sugar

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American Sugar, a solo exhibition by J.M. Giordana, takes a confrontational look at America's addiction to sugar, sex, and insulin. Giordino's photographs and sculptures are also aiming to reintroduce "pop" to Balitmore's art scene. American Sugar is on view until August 31, at CA Gallery, 440 E Oliver Street Baltimore, Maryland

Marcello Cinque at Galerie Piece Unique

On view now at Galerie Piece Unique in Paris Marcello Cinque's giant octopus sculpture that fills almost the entirety of the space. In his monochrome sculptures, white, black, red or blue, Marcello Cinque experiments new materials such as elastic paint and sponge rubber. This material, being able to wrap and roll around itself as if squeezed out of a thick tube of paint, can create real “post-lunar” forms which nullify the laws of gravity. On view until Setember 8, 2012 at Galerie Piece Unique 4 Rue Jacques Callot, Paris. 

Alex Israel First Solo Show in Italy

Peres Project, Il Giardino dei Lauri and Citta' della Pieve are present Alex Israel's first solo show in Italy, at the Museo Civico Diocesano di S. Maria dei Servi in Citta' della Pieve (PG), Umbria until October 1st, 2012. Continuing with Property, an ongoing body-of-work, Israel has rented his newest prop sculptures from the legendary Italian film studio Cinecittà. He selected an array of replica Styrofoam and fiberglass antiquities and objects, iconic and anonymous, drawn from an amalgam of cultures, eras, and narratives, and composed them in dialogue with each other and with the unique venue.

His painting spells TRBL

In-your-face, achingly simple, deceptively frank, the work of Christopher Wool is so very New York. Though he owes a debt to abstract expressionism and pop art, he completely transcends—even demolishes—these genres. Whether it’s a text-based painting or an abstract spray-painted piece, his work is immediately engaging. Wool questions painting, like many other artists in his generation, but he doesn’t provide any easy answers. “The harder you look the harder you look,” he puts it in one of his word paintings, and that is an excellent example of how he states the obvious whilst provoking us to think deeper about what seems obvious. This September a new monograph will be available on Taschen – In over 400 pages, all of Wool's work phases are covered in large-scale reproductions, accompanied by production Polaroids and installation photos by Wool himself. Essays and analyses by Glenn O’Brien, Jim Lewis, Ann Goldstein, Anne Pontégnie, Richard Hell, and Eric Banks.

Adam Green Houseface @ The Hole

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The Hole gallery in New York presents an end of summer exhibition by artist and musician Adam Green. Green will fill the galleries with painting, sculpture, and his feature-length film The Wrong Ferrari screened on continuous loop in Gallery 3. Houseface will be on view August 16 through August 25, 2012 at The Hole, 312 Bowery Street, New York

Carolee Schneemann: Remains To Be Seen

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Carolee Schneemann is a pioneer in many artistic disciplines. Having consistently challenged concepts of sexuality and gender identity in the fields of painting, sculpture, installation art, video art and, most importantly, performance with key works such as Meat Joy (1964) and Interior Scroll (1975), Schneemann broke new grounds within the Happening and performance fields subverting taboos facing women artists in the 60s and 70s. Schneemann will install three major video installations at during this year’s Summerhall Festival in Edinburgh– ‘Precarious‘ (2009), ‘Devour‘ (2003) and ‘Infinity Kisses – The Movie‘ (2008) as well as displaying a never before exhibited photographic series where she performed ice skating naked in London while holding her cat.

Rodolfo Loaiza's Disasterland

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Disasterland is Mexican artist Rodolfo Loaiza's tribute to pop culture, fashion, animation, horror films and the undeniable attraction of celebrity. The stage is set for fantasy to collapse and surrender to the inevitable apocalypse of 21st century Hollywood. Fairytale characters continue to dominate his latest project –this time caught in the headlines of our favorite tabloid stars. Continuing his penchant for cleverly depicting the "uncouth" customs of our dichotomous society, Rodolfo explores what would happen to our fables if they were flesh and blood and confronted with the frenetic and excessive world of fame. Who among them would prove susceptible to the excesses of drugs, alcohol, harassment or vanity? On view through September 2 at La Luz de Jesus Gallery, 4633 Hollywood Blvd, CA.

Harmony Korine's Caput in Los Angeles

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LA-based duo Io Echo is playing tomorrow, August 9 at Dilettante - featuring a special screening of the new short film by Harmony Korine Caput. Caput is scored in part by Io Echo.  RSVP to io.echo.la@gmail.com, Dilettante 120 North Santa Fe Avenue, Los Angeles

Man Ray and Lee Miller: Partners in Surrealism

A beautiful portrait of Lee Miller by Man Ray. Man Ray |Lee Miller: Partners in Surrealism consists of approximately 115 photographs, paintings, drawings and manuscripts that explore the creative interaction between Man Ray and Lee Miller, two giants of European Surrealism. This is the first exhibition to focus exclusively on the pair’s artistic relationship. On view at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco until October 14, 2012.