BEST OF SHOWLower East Side



Image courtesy of the artist and Reena Spaulings Fine Art. Photo by Joerg Lohse.
Words by: Bridget Goodbody
John Duff has been making sculpture in a Chinatown loft since the 1970s. Using clay, cement, fiberglass, Turtle Wax, resin, and things people toss on the sidewalk, he turns them into something precious. Magical, even.
The exhibition spans decades, from work made in the 1960s to pieces finished just this year. Quiet forms, cobbled together with care. Hard materials seep into softness. Concrete plays with foam. Bicycle chains become a puddle of cement. Clam shells painted green and strung together with wire look like fishing nets on the docks. Or a necklace. Tough. Touching.
These stumbled-upon moments, transformed into something solid and lasting, feel like they could be around forever, or, like a lifetime, gone tomorrow. Really, they shouldn't be so beautiful. Yet here we are, wondering when we can see them again.
John Duff (b. Lafayette, Indiana, 1943) lives and works in New York City's Chinatown. He attended the San Francisco Art Institute before moving to the Lower East Side in 1967. Like his art, he's been woven into the fabric of New York City's art scene. Duff has lived in the same loft on Doyers Street since 1971.

RestaurantLower East Side
Catch a little whiff of California in the center of Dimes Square. Locals flock to this corner spot for coffee, cocktails, and Hangover Wraps before (or after) hitting the galleries of Henry Street.

BookstoreLower East Side
Get lost in thought, sifting through the smart and soulful collections of art, spirituality, philosophy, and fiction at this dream bookstore.

GalleryLower East Side
Process is worshipped in this basement gallery, which champions younger local and international artists.

BarLower East Side
Nothing sparks post-exhibition musings more than a good glass of wine. Follow the emerald doorway to this cozy wine bar. If you bed in long enough, you may as well get a burger, too.
Discover other top-rated shows happening nearby.
Discover other top-rated shows happening nearby.

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