Osamu Kobayashi has two paintings at the The Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts at The Academy of Arts and Letters.  
Congratulations to the artist represented by Boltax Gallery (21 North Ferry Road, Shelter Island, NY).

For more on the artist head HERE.

Jacob Goudreault and Alex Herzog are the subject of an exhibit, conveniently titled Herzogoudreault. The exhibit opens March 29 at Lloyd Dobler Gallery (1545 W. Division St., Chicago). I have no idea when this closes...

There will be a reception from 5 to 10 p.m. TONIGHT Friday March 29. To find out more? Head HERE to read an interview far more interesting than anything I might come up with.

Cordy Ryman’s Adaptive Radiation—which includes a major installation—opens at Dodge Gallery (15 Rivington Street NYC) April 6 and runs through May 12, 2013. This is the artist’s first solo exhibition with Dodge.

The exhibit features stacked blocks, leaning  two by fours, paint sticks, debris and detritus, stapled velcro—all arranged in a way that suggests “compulsive counting. Regularity exists here side-by-side with irregular patterns. The artist even makes new work by recycling his old work.

The types of paint Ryman uses are myriad and color is the crux of these works, the hues used in these pieces are as key as the form.

Charles Fréger's Wilder Mann, an exhibition of color photos, opens at Yossi Milo Gallery ( 245 Tenth Avenue, NYC) April 11 and runs through May 18. The exhibition will be in the West Gallery. An artist’s reception and book signing of Fréger’s book, Wilder Mann, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 11, 2013.

This is Fréger’s first exhibit with Yossi Milo and additional photos from the series will be on display at the Gallery at Hermès in New York from April 12 - June 8.

The pieces shown were taken in 2010-11 when the artist traveled all over Europe looking for the Wild Man—a legendary figure and symbol of transition in a variety of festivals. The photos are of celebrants of these festivals in traditional costumes and in their “native landscapes.”

The exhibit is a mixture of art and anthropology examining ancient traditions throughout Europe in the context of these costumes depicting the Wild Man, further contextualized by the settings. 

Fréger lives in Rouen, France.

John Berggruen Gallery (228 Grant Ave., S.F.) presents a group exhibition, The Time Is Now, opening April 4 and running through May 4, 2013. The exhibit includes a bevy or artists; Doug Aitken, Darren Almond, Diane Arbus, Richard Artschwager, Michael Craig-Martin, Hans Peter-Feldmann, Lee Friedlander, Philip Guston, Jasper Johns, Karen Kilimnik, Vera Lutter, Christian Marclay, Tom McKinley, Tin Ojeda, Richard Prince, Robert Rauschenberg, Linda Ridgway, Ugo Rondinone, James Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha, Stephen Shore, Taryn Simon and Lawrence Weiner.

A pretty impressive list.

There will be a reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4.

The exhibit is of works that deal with the representation of time. As you may note from the names above a number of different media are involved.  From drawings to light boxes (like Doug Aitken’s pictured above and below) the exhibit approaches its subject from numerous angles, figuratively and literally. Time in and of itself, time and its impact on an artist’s work and much more are explored in these pieces.

The Time Is Now will be show on two floors and the exhibit coincides with Christain Marclay’s film, The Clock, which will be shown at SFMOMA from April 2 through June 2, 2013.

Here Comes the Night (LED lit lightbox, 48 x 67 x 5 inches. Edition of 4 + 2APs. Image Courtesy 303 Gallery).

Sonnenzimmer’s work has always been about flat planes.  The artists’ (and it is indeed “artists--Nick Butler and Nadine Nakanishi) work was about two dimensions and exploring those dimensions to their fullest.

That is until this new exhibition, Image Structure, at Chicago’s Public Works Gallery, 1539 N. Damen Ave. 2nd Fl., from April 12 to June 7, 2013. This new work is based on the tradition of textiles. Hand woven and screen printed fabrics are merged into a series of quilts. It goes beyond simply reproducing images on a surface but is tactile and even sculptural.

These pieces do reference earlier work in the sense that they explore two dimensional images in three dimensional form.

Butcher and Nakanishi’s studio bring together their diverse backgrounds—printmaking, typography, graphic design and fine art. They have been exhibited worldwide. For more on Sonnenzimmer head to www.sonnenzimmer.com.

James Rieck’s On Location opens at Lyons Wier Gallery, 542 West 24th Street NYC,  March 29, 2013 and runs until April 27. There will be an artist's reception Friday, March 29th 6-8 p.m.

Reick is an unconventional artist and the press release accompanying the announcement of this show was far more personal than usually arrives from galleries.  Here is part of that;

“James has always sifted source material from commercial advertising catalogs.  But for first time, James has deviated away from exclusively using commercial catalogs by introducing imagery from manufactured studio locations.  It is obvious that the self-imposed exile to Hollywood and the celluloid scene of Los Angeles has influenced his current work.  Like the magic of movies, our beliefs are momentarily suspended as we gaze at these images of beautiful people, visiting exotic locations, indulging in the finest that life has to offer, knowing all the while that the compositions are make-believe. “

The pieces shown in On Location are paintings from digitally composited studies of figures—in “grandiose landscapes.” It doesn’t take too long before a familiarity with these “figures” will dawn on the viewer; they are from advertisements. The backdrops are likewise “manufactured nature.”

Interesting concept behind aesthetically pleasing pieces? What is not to love.

Reick, who now lives in Los Angeles, did his undergraduate and graduate studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art. He also attended the Glasgow School of Art and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Scuplture. His work is in numerous collections.

ArtPad SF comes back to the Phoenix Hotel, 601 Eddy Street San Francisco , in San Francisco from May 16 to 19, 2013. Forty rooms of the wonderful hotel will be taken over by galleries and other projects. There will also be panels, screenings, performances and, of course, parties. What is art without a party to chat about art. I am not kidding, a discussion about art is part of the experience.

This is the third year of the event, created by Chip Conley and Maria Jenson.

This year the event will announce the SFMOMMA SECA  (the Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art) Art Award.

Exhibitors will include, Unspeakable Projects, Beta Pictoris, Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, Johansson Projects, The Luggage Store, Gregory Lind Gallery, Walter Maciel Gallery, Marx & Zavattero, Steven Wolf Fine Arts, New Image Art and many more.

There will also be a VIP preview from 6 to 8 pm which will benefit SFMOMA SECA Art Award (the cost is $125). The after party (also a benefit for the above) is from 8 to 11 p.m. and will set you back $50.

For more information on programming go HERE.

For more on SECA head to www.sfmoma.org/seca.

An exhibit of two remarkable artists, Jeff Wall and Thomas Bangsted opens March 24 and runs until April 21 at Marc Straus (299 Grand StreetNew York, N.Y.). There will be an opening reception from 5-7 p.m. on Sunday, March 24, 2013.

There is a great deal to say about these artists and their work and I am just not up to summarizing a press release. It would only come out gobbldeygook.

The work below, by Bangsted, is Last of the Dreadnoughts and it takes inspiration from how, during World War I, large ships were painted in ways to confuse the enemy--visually. It was also done in World War II but from what I recall reading it was not as extensive. Abstract artwork done to confound submarine attacks. This photo is not trying to be historically accurate but is a representation.

The work above is Wall's Rear, 304 E. 25 Ave., May 20, 1.14 & 1.17 P.M. which is Wall's most iconic work. It shows a woman standing under a wooden patio. The piece begs for a backstory. It is like a frame from a movie by a master filmmaker.

Two exhibits open Friday March 15, 2013 at Civilian Art Projects (1019 7th Street NW, Second Floor
Washington DC). Both also have receptions from 7 to 9 p.m. on opening day.

Erick Jackson’s fourth solo exhibit with Civilian Art Projects, Folks, opens March 15. Jackson’s work is made up of large scale paintings relating to fantasies of an imagined world—from dreams, from memories. Jackson is a RISD alumnus with a degree in illustration.

Also opening March 15 is Dan Gray’s first solo exhibition with the gallery--Seeking Provision. Gray’s work is sculptural installations that use found and common objects to make complex and useable structures. His work draws inspiration from simple—and not simple—technologies. He creates sculptures that use natural mechanics.