The Best Art Exhibitions to See This Month

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Location: StolenSpace Gallery, 17 Osborn Street, London E1 6TD

Dates: Feb. 6 - March 8, 2015

Having recently finished his residency in Detroit, where he painted a 6,000-square-foot mural (his largest to date) and enjoyed a sold-out show, artist MEGGS is now coming to London for a solo satirical exhibition. Titled “Rise & Fall,” the exhibition is a continued exploration into MEGGS' interest in modern society and its often unhealthy obsession with pop culture and overindulgence. As the artist explains it, “Through all of the manufacturing and consumerism, we have moved away from more genuine, simple ideas such as community…and perhaps things that are better for us.” Yet despite this rather bleak premise, the LA-based artist, originally from Australia, maintains his eye for beauty even amongst ugliness and urban decay. His signature bold, energetic style makes it hard for viewers not to see the underlying life and optimism in his works.

Location: Guggenheim Museum, 1071 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10128

Dates: Feb. 6 - May 3, 2015

For the first time ever, a complete retrospective of the works of the late Japanese conceptual artist On Kawara—whose career spanned over four decades—will be presented at the Guggenheim Museum. Known for his interest in ideas of time, space, and mortality, Kawara stripped his artistic objects of personal emotion, allowing the audience to arrive at their own conclusions instead. The exhibition includes some of his most well-known works, such as his "Today" series, a collection of paintings that famously consist only of the date of their creation. The Guggenheim will also organize a continuous live reading of One Million Years, a simple recitation of millions of years listed year by year.

Location: LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles 90036

Dates: Dec. 20, 2014 - July 26, 2015

Perhaps no other Chinese artist has been more influential in studying the intersection of language and art than Xu Bing. After leaving post-Tiananmen China due to political persecution, the artist's career took off in the U.S., where he specialized in printmaking and calligraphy. He invented thousands of fake Chinese characters for several of his works, exploring the manipulative potential of text and language. Xu Bing's first solo exhibition in LA explores his two-decade-long career and includes some of his most significant works, including his video The Character of Characters, an investigation into the relationship between Chinese characters and Chinese society.

Location: MOCA Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Dates: Feb. 7 - May 17, 2015

German fashion designer Bernhard Willhelm, known for his zany and convention-breaking aesthetic, has curated his first art exhibition together with business parter Jutta Kraus. Consisting of video installations, photography, and other memorabilia selected by Willhelm, the collection is both a manifestation of “the future of commerce” as well the designer's response to the “uniformity of fashion.” When asked to comment on the interplay between fashion and art, Willhelm pointed out, “Things have changed completely, because fashion got intellectualized: people collect it, and write about it as art. They have become aware of it.”

Location: Kakaʻako, Honolulu, Hawaii

Dates: Feb. 7 - Feb. 14, 2015

The annual festival centered around street art, music, and culture kicks off again this month. If last year's inaugural POW! WOW! Hawaii is any indication, this year's certainly won't disappoint, boasting a promising roster of visiting artists like D*Face and Tristan Eaton. Some of the events include panel discussions with key figures in the street art and music industries, days of mural painting all over Kaka'ako, and a massive block party to conclude the week-long event.

Location: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Dates: Feb. 20 - May 24, 2015

A much-needed breath of fresh air in the tradition of classical painting, Kehinde Wiley has established a reputation for his modern reinterpretations of portraiture. He is particularly invested in the representation (or lack thereof) of African-American males in art, often replacing aristocratic European figures with contemporary black subjects, as well as juxtaposing elements of hip-hop culture with classical motifs in his works. "Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic" presents an extensive overview of such works, raising questions of race, gender, and politics that, in light of recent events, feel especially relevant today.

Location: New Museum, 235 Bowery, New York 10002

Dates: Feb. 25 - May 24, 2015

This year, the New Museum's signature Triennial—an exhibition devoted to young international artists—is titled “Surround Audience” and will focus on digital technology and its effects on our perception of the world. In particular, “Surround Audience” ponders invasions of privacy due to social media and the overwhelming increase in public presentations of self. The exhibition encompasses a wide variety of artistic mediums including dance, sculpture, video, and poetry, broadening and enhancing previous definitions of contemporary art.

Location: Textile Study Group of New York, 435 E 57th St # 12A, New York 10022

Dates: Jan. 16 - March 8, 2015

The non-profit Textile Study Group of New York presents “Square,” an exhibition of 82 works showcasing fiber art. The exhibition encompasses a variety of different materials including fabric, paper, and wire, as well as techniques including stitching, knotting, and weaving. Considered a contemporary art form, the majority of fiber art is abstract, “relying on color, texture, and pattern to communicate.” Many of the works presented in “Square” incorporate different mediums such as printing and collage, highlighting the versatility of textile as an art form.

Location: Subliminal Projects, 1331 W. Sunset Blvd Los Angeles 90026

Dates: Jan. 24 - Feb. 21, 2015

The '90s was arguably the rebirth of skater culture both as a sport and an aesthetic, and “AGENTS PROVOCATEURS” celebrates the artistic spirit of that time period. Presented by Shepard Fairey's Subliminal Projects, the exhibition explores the visual identity of skate culture, which, like skateboarding itself, always encompasses “a certain degree of danger, pain, selfless abandon, and mischief.” Featuring some of the biggest pioneers in skateboard art including Ed Templeton and Sean Cliver, “AGENTS PROVOCATEURS” will present a selection of fine art, prints, and collectible decks.

Location: Hauser & Wirth, 32 East 69th Street New York 10021

Dates: Jan. 14 - Feb. 21, 2015

Artist Djordje Ozbolt is a known travel junkie, and it shows in his works. The London-based artist, celebrated for his surreal paintings and sculptures, often incorporates a variety of cultural motifs in his art. Drawing from symbols of kitschy Americana to a mishmash of Christian, Asian, and African influences, his resulting works are often humorous, bizarre, and always intriguing. “More paintings of poets and food” is an extensive presentation of his latest works, featuring his largest installation yet. Titled “50 ways to leave your lover,” it consists of 50 paintings presented in a horizontal line, representing a walkable path through Ozbolt's rambling imagination.

Location: Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 West 20th Street, New York 10011

Dates: Jan. 15 - Feb. 21, 2015

Last year, New York-based artist Titus Kaphar was commissioned to create a painting about the Ferguson protests for Time's Person of the Year issue. Titled “Yet Another Fight for Remembrance,” this work, along with a survey of Kaphar's other paintings, will be presented in his first solo exhibition. “Drawing the Blinds” ultimately is an exploration of the overrepresentation of African American men in the criminal justice system; Kaphar slashes, whitewashes, and scrapes at his paintings, placing his figures “in a mysterious space of presence and absence.” In doing so, he draws attention to the bodies and communities that historically have been relegated to the background, reconstructing dominant social narratives and memories into something that is profoundly personal.

Location: Galerie Perrotin, 76 Rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris

Dates: Jan. 10 - Feb. 28, 2015

Dedicated to the late Jesús Rafael Soto, "Chronochrome" is a comprehensive double exhibition of over 60 of the artist's works. The other half of the exhibition will be held simultaneously in Galerie Perrotin's New York location. Soto, who was deeply influenced by the theories of Piet Mondrian and Laszló Moholy-Nagy, played with space, perception, and monochromatic color in his art. Often described as "kinetic art," his works are meant to escape rational comprehension, instead inviting the viewer to experience a sense of ambiguousness and wonderment. 

Location: Mana Contemporary, 888 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306

Dates: Jan. 11 - March 13, 2015

Since the '80s, dancer and choreographer Karole Armitage, also known as the “punk ballerina,” has been an iconic figure in the dance world with her provocative, genre-bending performances. A key element of her widespread and enduring success was her elaborate sets and costumes, which she made in collaboration with esteemed designers and artists like Jeff Koons, Christian Lacroix, and Jean Paul Gaultier. Mana Contemporary's exhibition “Making Art Dance” showcases some of these iconic backdrops in a 50,000-square foot space, as well as sketches and costumes from the '80s and '90s. The exhibition is a fascinating look into the “unique art-dance partnership” that played a critical role in her career and her ability to successfully merge classical and modern dance.

Location: Urban Nation, Bülowstraße 97 10738 Berlin-Schöneberg, Germany

Dates: Jan. 31 - Feb. 27 2015

Art agent Olly Walker and photographer Henrik Haven have co-curated "CUT IT OUT!," an exhibition dedicated solely to the art of the stencil. Featuring a lineup that includes the likes of Jef Aerosol and Icy & Sot, the exhibition presents not only brand new works of stencil art, but also the key equipment, tools, and images that were used in order to create them. "CUT IT OUT!" provides a closer, invaluable look into the relatively young history of this form of street art.

Location: Sean Kelly Gallery, 475 10th Avenue, New York 10018

Dates: Jan. 30 - March 14, 2015

The self-taught Hugo McCloud is remarkably unrestrained in his artistic process; blowtorches and black liquid tar, for example, are all fair game when it comes to creating his works. This visceral, unconventional approach towards art manifests itself in his solo exhibition at Sean Kelly, titled “Palindrome.” Consisting of 11 new abstract works made of unconventional materials like aluminum sheeting and silver aluminum butane, the exhibition “furthers [McCloud's] search for beauty in the overlooked and perfection within imperfection.”

Location: Dominique Lévy Gallery, 22 Old Bond Street London W1S 4AJ

Dates: Feb. 10 - April 18, 2015

The Dominique Lévy Gallery in London presents “Sotto Voce,” an exhibition uniting artists from around the world through a common medium: the abstract white relief. “Sotto Voce” aims to “map the progression of the abstract white relief geographically and through time,” focusing particularly on the 1930s to the 1970s. The versatility of the white relief as a medium allowed it to be translated throughout different art movements, ranging from Surrealism to Spatialism to Constructivism. Exhibition highlights include works by Jean Arp, a prominent Dadaist, as well as Gunther Uecker, who is best-known for his nail structures.

Location: Leila Heller Gallery, 568 West 25th Street, New York 10001

Dates: Jan. 16 - Feb. 21, 2015

First gaining fame after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution for his defiant street murals, graffiti artist Ganzeer now presents his first American solo exhibition at the Leila Heller Gallery. Titled “All American,” the exhibition is “a visual diary of Ganzeer's first experience of living in the US.” The artist gathered over 80 screen prints and acrylics that comment on contemporary American life, offering the unique outside perspective of an artist from Cairo.

Location: Sean Kelly Gallery, 475 10th Avenue, New York 10018

Dates: Jan. 30 - March 14, 2015

Best known for his images that capture the banalities of suburban American life, photographer Alec Soth is at it again with “Songbook,” presented by the Sean Kelly Gallery. The exhibition debuts over 25 new black-and-white photographs Soth took throughout the US as he searched for signs of community and genuine human interaction in a world increasingly defined through virtual networking. Characteristically sad yet funny at the same time, Soth's photographs reflect the tension between American individualism and the innate human longing to connect to those around us.

Location: SculptureCenter, 44-19 Purves Street, Long Island City, NY 11101

Dates: Jan. 25 - March 30, 2015

SculptureCenter presents “Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook,” the Thai artist's first retrospective the US. One of the most prominent artists in Southeast Asia today, Rasdjarmrearnsook is particularly interested in exploring historically marginalized groups like women, animals, and the insane. The exhibition presents many of the artist's video works, including Thai Villagers, a comical piece in which a Buddhist monk discusses Western paintings, as well as sculptures, many of them modeled after the stray dogs she cares for in her home. All in all, the exhibition is Rasdjarmrearnsook's head-on confrontation of societal power structures and reflects her desire to give a voice to those without language.

Location: Postmasters Gallery, 54 Franklin Street, New York 10013

Dates: Jan. 24 - Feb. 28, 2015

Founder of the online art community Dump.fm and creative director of OKFocus, New York-based Ryder Ripps is also a conceptual artist. His debut solo exhibition, titled "Ho," features oil paintings of photographs of Chinese/French-Canadian model Adrianne Ho, taken from her Instagram. Ripps' paintings warp the original images to the point where they are nearly unrecognizable, rendering the model's attractive features into a grotesque abstraction. “Ho” is a commentary on the manipulation, presentation, and mass circulation of self in the modern age, as well as the anxiety and hyper-self-awareness that often ensues as a result.