Words and Photos by J.L. Schnabel - lower coverage (scroll down) by Ryan Morris

Native New Yorker Jonathan Viner returns with his third solo show, "Harem", at Sloan Fine Art in the lower east side. Opening on a rainy night, the gallery was swarmed with damp art lovers enjoying the large group show, '2+', taking up the main room in the front of the gallery. Tucked away in the project room like sacred secrets, Viner's modern opium den of sultry, Russian dames allured and captivated viewers with their piercing, and sometimes slightly crazed gazes.

Created to work as a complete, cohesive collection yet sold as single works, each of the ten, haunting women in the collection appears nude and coupled with a pair of large, high fidelity headphones. The inclusion of the suggestion of sound works well with the dreamy, comfortable landscapes that show the women in various states of repose. The close- up compositional style highlights the ease the women have with their bodies, sexuality and surroundings. Their relaxed moods contrasts with the tight 12X12 spaces they are given, suggesting that these women may be confined, coveted objects.

Further linking the women together are the appearance of single, glowing blue nose studs. This signature color often pops up in past, gloom colored work at the helms of his figures; as the feathers of a drawn arrow or in the inclusion of modern technology, such as the glow of an open cell phone. Here, as a connective symbol, it suggests a sort of branding or shared ritualistic element that further bonds the women together. If indeed the women are a captive collection, their relaxed body language among rumpled sheets suggests its one they've come to embrace and perhaps even enjoy.

This intimate body of work is a departure for Viner; his past works featured stylized figures often at the moment of an unfolding action. Here, the muted and delicate color palette harmoniously depicts the more realistic beauty of the nearly anonymous nudes, titled only by their first names. What is most captivating about the mysterious work is what has been left out; the women appear alone and isolated yet there are hints of liaisons with unseen lovers. The appearances of the headphones cause the viewers to wonder what the women are listening to, as these are the only indications of individual personality traits. Whether the women are reacting to their personal sound environments the encompassing headphones offer, or to an off scene companion, the effect is a subtle yet complex collection of beautiful women, together for a brief time before they are separated and sent off to new collections.

Second coverage with words and photos by Ryan Morris

Finally the rain clears and a decent show presents itself in the city or should I say +2 Shows. What a Saturday! Sloan Fine Art on 128 Rivington in the L.E.S. was packed with people in anticipation of Jonathan Weiner's new portraits of beautiful female audiophiles and the the summer group show featuring Sixty Six of the cities biggest and brightest artists showing their skills on 10"x10" canvases. The names include Eric Amouyal, NaNa An, Sarah Bedford, Bengala, Erik Benson, Chris Berens, Jud Bergeron, John Bowman, Kris Chatterson, Vince Contarino, Orly Cogan, Dame Darcy, Peter Drake, Joel Dugan, Steve Ellis, Evah Fan, Chad Fay, Lori Field, Erik Foss, Lauren Gibbes, Frieda Gossett, Kady Grant, Seonna Hong, Greg Hopkins, Caroline Hwang, Jordin Isip, Jasmine Justice, David Kramer, Tasha Kusama, Michael L. Maes, Julia Marchand, Austin McCormick, Elizabeth McGrath, Adele Mildred, Benjamin Paul Morris, Linsday Mound, John Nickle, David O'Brien, Saejean Oh, Saelee Oh, Reba Pardieu, Marion Peck, Martha Rich, Jean-Pierre Roy, Rachel Salomon, Kristen Schiele, Brian T. Scott, Ryan Scully, Sueraya Shaheen, Jill Simonsen, Morgan Slade, Sally Sloan, Aaron Smith, Owen Smith, Nathan Spoor, Maki Tamura, The John Floyd, Mark Todd, Sarah Trigg, Hanna von Goeler, Esther Watson, Eric White, Justin White and Brad Woodfin. Wow!!! You don't have to take my word for it, just take a look at some of the galleries offerings with Wiener leading the front of the pack.

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