Must-See Summer Art Shows

The 2024 season kicks off with a feast for the eyes.
Agathe Snow, “Out of the Storm,” 2024, courtesy of Agathe Snow

 By Julia Szabo

LongHouse Reserve

A self-taught sensation from another generation, Corsica-born sculptor Agathe Snow (b. 1976) has renamed the monument she created for LongHouse during the pandemic, formerly known as “We’re All Gonna Die.” Now titled “Out of the Storm,” it’s composed, Snow says, of “more than 50 life jackets, collected over time, found and brought to me by friends and community,” plus one 8-foot steel ring, more than a few zip ties—and a great deal of focused thought. “It’s a more hopeful title but the idea is still the same: group survival, the ring of life, we’re all in it together.” longhouse.org

Natalie Edgar installation, 2024. Photo courtesy  Arts Center at Duck Creek

Arts Center at Duck Creek

Natalie Edgar: 1970s Paintings showcases a selection of abstract paintings and prints by the polymath, a Springs resident who was born in 1932, ArtNews critic, friend of Elaine de Kooning, mentee of Mark Rothko and student of Ad Reinhardt. Through June 2, duckcreekarts.org

The Drawing Room 

If still life master Wayne Thiebaud had preferred savory treats to sweet ones, his work might have resembled Plated: A Food Diary, works on paper by foodie and oil stick enthusiast Jack Ceglic. Through May 27, The Drawing Room, drawingroom-gallery.com 

Wunetu Wequai Tarrant in First Literature Project, 2024, courtesy of Christian Scheide

Guild Hall 

Immersion in the Indigenous experience is enlightening for all Americans; Guild Hall makes the teaching lesson as compelling as it is relevant. Focused on Native nations’ efforts to maintain and further their languages, narratives and oral traditions, First Literature Project blends 3D video with virtual reality (via the Apple Vision Pro headset) to present Padawe, developed by Guild Hall Community artists-in-residence Wunetu Wequai Tarrant and Christian Scheider. Also featured: video works by the Shinnecock language revitalization collective Ayim Kutoowonk (She Speaks), a collective of three Indigenous Shinnecock women, Cholena Boyd-Smith, Kaysha Haile and Ahanu Valdez. Through July 15, Guild Hall; guildhall.org

Jamie dePasquale, “Card number 3,” 1988, courtesy of Jamie dePasquale and Mark Borgh

Mark Borghi Gallery 

Offering compelling visual proof that this random thing we call life amounts to a game of chance, the arresting paintings of Jamie dePasquale present larger-than-life shuffled decks of traditional playing cards reimagined as modernist icons in The Card Series. Like Roy Lichtenstein, with whom he worked as a studio assistant, dePasquale is poised to become an immortal East End artist. Says his gallerist, Mark Borghi: “Jamie dePasquale continues to push the boundaries of traditional art forms, turning everyday items into significant cultural statements. This exhibition is particularly exciting as it demonstrates Jamie’s remarkable ability to weave complex narratives into the playful and iconic imagery of playing cards.” Don’t miss this visual storyteller’s insights on his creative process at the Sag Harbor gallery’s slate of talks and workshops, led by dePasquale himself. June 7-15,  markborghi.com

 

Lorna Simpson, “C-Ration, edition AP 1/10,” 1991, courtesy of the collection of the Jordan D. Schnitzer Family Foundation

The Parrish Art Museum

Food does more than build strong, healthy bodies—it is vital to the wellness of communities. Currently on the menu at the Parrish in Water Mill: The Art of Food, a delectable exhibition featuring more than 100 works by artists including Enrique Chagoya, David Hockney, Alison Saar, Lorna Simpson and Andy Warhol. This cultured smorgasbord of drawings, paintings, sculptures and ceramics also celebrates the East End as one of New York State’s most important agricultural regions. Through June 30, parrishart.org

 

François-Xavier Lalanne, “Grand Moutons de Peter,” 2004, courtesy of Beyond The Streets, Peter Marino Art Foundation

Peter Marino Art Foundation 

Marvel at The Lalannes, with works by surrealist sculpture pioneers Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, aka “Les Lalanne,” the hyper-creative couple whose wonderfully whimsical work Emmanuel Macron described as “re-enchant[ing] the familiar and the functional.” On June 22, hear their work engagingly discussed at “Brunch With Bob,” featuring Bob Colacello and Isabelle Marino in conversation with Jean-Gabriel Mitterand and Jane Holzer. Through Sept. 28, petermarinoartfoundation.org

 

Mayowa Nwadike, “Ndey Christi,” 2023, courtesy of Mayowa Nwadike

Southampton African American Museum

Excitement builds for What Is, What Was and What Could Be, the debut solo exhibition of Nigerian-born artist Mayowa Nwadike, 26. Wise beyond his years, this self-taught prodigy plies vibrant acrylic and ghostly charcoal to conjure, most artfully, the spirits of African ancestors past, present and to come. “Through my work,” he says, “I talk about empathy, sadness and loneliness”—and his healing brushwork lets us see how those “negative” emotions can positively fuel “a journey of self-discovery.” Through July 8; saamuseum.org

Southampton Arts Center

A sweet celebration of street art, Beyond the Streets: Post Graffiti exhibits eternally edgy work by Guerrilla Girls, Kenny Scharf, Maya Hayuk and many more: compelling proof that this once-ephemeral art form has taken its rightful place in the hallowed museum/gallery setting. Through July 20; southamptonartscenter.org