Madrid
“Allegro” by Manolo Valdés
Where: Opera Gallery
When: February 29 - April 13
Why It’s Worth a Look: “Allegro” marks the triumphant return of Valdés to Madrid after a 10-year absence. Drawing on themes and figures from iconic works like Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez, the artist reimagines these classical subjects in new contexts as paintings and sculptures. Highlighting the porous boundary between the two mediums, Valdés’s sculptures often take on the appearance of brushstrokes, while his paintings seem to be pushing into the third dimension.
Know Before You Go: Valdés has a playful and profound engagement with Matisse’s oeuvre, particularly evident in his sculptural works, where a visual ballet of shadows and light dance before the viewer.
New York
“Welcome…to the one who came” by Huma Bhabha
Where: David Zwirner
When: February 22 - April 13
Why It’s Worth a Look: The exhibition showcases Bhabha’s unconventional approach to sculpture, featuring a dynamic array of materials and techniques—from styrofoam and cork to patinated bronze and iron casting. Themes of destruction, displacement, and rebirth meld with references to Tarkovsky’s Stalker and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey in the alien landscape the artist has created.
Know Before You Go: David Zwirner is hosting concurrent exhibitions of the artist’s work at both its West 20th Street and East 69th Street locations.
“Turn My Way” by Ethan James Green, Martine Gutierrez, and Sam Penn
Where: OCDChinatown
When: February 9 - March 31
Why It’s Worth a Look: This trio of artists has captured the essence of being both the observer and the observed in their respective explorations of self-portraiture and identity. Intimate moments the artists have captured aim to transcend conventional beauty standards in a digital world saturated with images.
Know Before You Go: Penn’s creative process took an unexpected turn when negatives of her and her girlfriend were left in a hot car Upstate. This serendipitous mishap led to photographs uniquely marked by the sun’s imprint on their flesh.
“5 Paintings 1962-1963” by Paul Thek
Where: Galerie Buchholz
When: February 15 - March 30
Why It’s Worth a Look: Galerie Buchholz’s “5 Paintings 1962-1963” explores the early, transformative period of Thek’s career, showcasing a series of paintings that predate his time spent on sculpture and installation. Accompanied by text pulled from Julie Ault’s contemporary reflections and Valérie Da Costa’s historical insights, this exhibition reunites a series of seminal works for the first time since their original presentation in Rome during 1963.
Know Before You Go: Thek’s fascination with themes of mortality and the ephemeral began during a venture to the Capuchin catacombs with photographer Peter Hujar.
“Common Sense | Infinite dis-ease” by Anders Dickson
Where: Wschód
When: February 9 - March 13
Why It’s Worth a Look: Through a series of sculptures that defy easy categorization, Dickson dives into the philosophical and technological entanglements that shape our contemporary existence. These artworks—crafted from gray board, epoxy clay, and found items—interrogate our place within a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Know Before You Go: While some pieces may resemble familiar devices like typewriters, they are explicitly designed to evade any practical use. The tools, like their audience, hang in the balance between new and outmoded technology.
“Winter” by Vija Celmins
Where: Matthew Marks Gallery
When: February 16 - April 6
Why It’s Worth a Look: “Winter” at Matthew Marks Gallery presents the artist’s first exhibition of new work in six years. This collection of nine paintings, one print, and four sculptures explores the dark, poetic nature of the season. The highlight, an eight-and-a-half-foot-tall canvas titled Snowfall (blue), is the largest painting the artist has ever created.
Know Before You Go: “Art is not an illustration, it is an invention,” said Celmins in a statement. “The paintings have an internal feeling, as if there were something behind what you see.”
London
“Surrogates” by Erwin Wurm
Where: Thaddaeus Ropac
When: February 15 - April 14
Why It’s Worth a Look: Delving into the fabric of our everyday existence, “Surrogates” transforms mundane objects into explorations of the human form and its relationship to the material world. Among the most captivating aspects of Wurm’s works are his “Substitute” sculptures, which serve as stand-ins for the human body—these are crafted from thin, skin-like membranes of painted aluminum.
Know Before You Go: Thaddeus Ropac is sharing three of Erwin Wurm’s new sculpture series for the first time with the public: “Paradise,” “Mind Bubbles,” and “Dreamers.”
“Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive” by Refik Anadol
Where: Serpentine North Gallery
When: February 16 - April 7
Why It’s Worth a Look: “Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive” at Serpentine North offers a journey into the natural world through the lens of artificial intelligence. Refik Anadol’s pioneering work merges art, technology, and environmental consciousness, creating a space in which the organic and digital coalesce. This exhibition transforms the gallery into a living canvas of A.I.-generated imagery, drawing from rainforests, coral reefs, flora, and fauna from across the world.
Know Before You Go: The exhibition uses The Large Nature Model, the world’s first open-source generative A.I. model dedicated to nature. This tool synthesizes datasets of natural settings and generates ever-changing visual landscapes.
“These Gestures Towards You” by Adam Pendleton
Where: Galerie Max Hetzler
When: February 27 - April 13
Why It’s Worth a Look: This exhibition marks Adam Pendleton’s first solo presentation in the gallery’s London space with a dynamic interplay between 45 ceramic paintings and four large-scale drawings. His work is presented against a black wall, thereby presenting and investigating blackness as both a color and political subject.
Know Before You Go: The circle motif, recurring throughout Pendleton’s practice, undergoes a transformative journey across different mediums, acting as a visual anchor throughout his web of abstraction.
Paris
“Solitude” by Patrick Eugène
Where: Mariane Ibrahim
When: February 17 - March 23
Why It’s Worth a Look: Inspired by the depths of self-discovery and emotional volatility during solitude—from the shadows of loneliness to the light of self-awareness—Eugènes work delves into the complex interplay between isolation and introspection. With a thoughtful palette that moves from the softest cyan to the deepest navy, combining gloss and matte finishes, Eugène captures the power of his own quiet moments.
Know Before You Go: The pieces on display here were crafted during the artist’s own stretch of self-imposed isolation.
