1) Alina Szapocznikow: Sculpture Undone, 1955-1972 at Hammer Museum

February 5, 2012 to April 29, 2012

lina Szapocznikow: Sculpture Undone, 1955–1972 is the first museum survey in the United States devoted to this Polish artist. The exhibition brings to light the extraordinary oeuvre of Alina Szapocznikow, one of the most significant yet lesser known sculptors of the 20th century. At the core of Szapocznikow’s art is the ephemeral condition of life and the human body. Continue reading…

2) Swept Away: Dust, Ashes, and Dirt in Contemporary Art and Design at Museum of Arts and Design

February 7 – August 12, 2012

The next investigation into unusual mediums features an international group of artists whose major materials are dust, ashes, dirt, and sand. Swept Away: Dust, Ashes, and Dirt in Contemporary Art and Design will highlight works that deal with issues such as the ephemeral nature of art and life, the quality and content of memory, issues of loss and disintegration, and the detritus of human existence. Continue reading…

3) Time-Lapse at SITE Sante Fe

February 18, 2012 to May 20, 2012

Time-Lapsepresents large-scale installations that track the passage of time by changing throughout the run of the exhibition. With hourly, daily, and weekly alterations to the works in the show, no two days of Time-Lapse will be the same. Time-Lapse will include the work of Mary Temple and Byron Kim, among others. Continue reading…

4) Cindy Sherman at Museum of Modern Art

February 26 to June 11, 2012

Bringing together more than 180 photographs, this retrospective survey traces the artist’s career from the mid 1970s to the present. Highlighted in the exhibition are in-depth presentations of her key series, including the groundbreaking series “Untitled Film Stills” (1977–80), the black-and-white pictures that feature the artist in stereotypical female roles inspired by 1950s and 1960s Hollywood, film noir, and European art-house films; her ornate history portraits (1989–90), in which the artist poses as aristocrats, clergymen, and milkmaids in the manner of old master paintings; and her larger-than-life society portraits (2008) that address the experience and representation of aging in the context of contemporary obsessions with youth and status. Continue reading…

5) Lifelike at Walker Art Center

February 25, 2012 to May 27^th, 2012

Is it real? Lifelike invites a close examination of artworks based on commonplace objects and situations, which are startlingly realistic, often playful, and sometimes surreal. This international group exhibition features artists variously using scale, unusual materials, and sly contextual devices to reveal the manner in which their subjects’ “authenticity” is manufactured. Continue reading…

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Image: Alina Szapocznikow. Petit Dessert I (Small Dessert I). 1970–71. Colored polyester resin and glass, 3 3/16 x 4 5/16 x 5 1/8″ (8 x 11 x 13 cm). Kravis Collection. Photo by Thomas Mueller, courtesy Broadway 1602, New York; and Galerie Gisela Capitain GmbH, Cologne