Art critic Emily Watlington investigates two unexpected exhibitions on New York's Lower East Side. At Hoffman Donahue gallery, Altoon Sultan presents 13 small egg tempera paintings of agricultural machinery on parchment-covered panels, zooming in on mechanical details with a luminous, almost devotional treatment of light. At Company gallery, Hayden Dunham's third solo show "NEVER IS OVER" transforms a dark basement into a multisensory installation with video projections, ambient whale sounds, and sculptural egg- or stone-shaped forms that evoke 1990s installation art.
These shows matter because they challenge conventional expectations of what belongs in a gallery space—farm equipment and immersive darkness—while demonstrating how artists can use traditional techniques (egg tempera) or throwback aesthetics to engage with contemporary issues like factory farming and digital obsession. Watlington's reviews highlight the enduring power of painting and installation to command attention and provoke thought, even in unexpected settings.