“Top 5 Must-See Shows in New York City Right Now”
# Exploring the Art World: Must-See Exhibitions and Thought-Provoking Installations
Art has the power to inspire, challenge, and provoke thought. This week, we explore notable exhibitions featuring artists who push the boundaries of perception, reshape landscapes of the psyche, and weave new narratives into contemporary and historical contexts.
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## **David Kennedy Cutler: Second Nature**
**Derek Eller Gallery, 38 Walker Street, Tribeca, Manhattan**
**Through April 12**
David Kennedy Cutler’s latest exhibit, *Second Nature*, transforms everyday objects into a kaleidoscopic fusion of painting and sculpture. Using **inkjet transfer, acrylic, and clear coat on canvas**, his pieces capture the relentless “too-muchness” of modern existence from disorienting perspectives.
> “Cutler’s works, poised mid-transformation between painting and sculpture, offer a fragmented yet intimate view of materiality.” — *Lisa Yin Zhang*
Read the full review [here](https://hyperallergic.com/998378/artist-david-kennedy-cutler-captures-lifes-relentless-too-muchness/).
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## **Dorothy Hood: Remember Something Out of Time**
**Hollis Taggart, 521 West 26th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan**
**Through April 12**
Dorothy Hood’s visionary landscapes straddle the real and the surreal, capturing spaces beyond time with **bold brushstrokes and vivid palettes**. The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda once described Hood’s paintings as filled with **both “savage silence” and “desperate interrogation,”** reflecting a balance between introspection and existential wonder.
> “Her art is an exploration of contradictions—fluid yet defined, abstract yet deeply personal.” — *Tim Keane*
Read the full review [here](https://hyperallergic.com/997493/dorothy-hood-landscapes-of-the-psyche/).
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## **Catherine Murphy: Recent Work**
**Peter Freeman, Inc., 140 Grand Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan**
**Through April 19**
Catherine Murphy breathes new life into the ordinary, creating hyperrealistic paintings that shift perception and reveal new truths. In her exhibition *Recent Work*, Murphy’s **meticulous attention to light, texture, and composition** draws viewers into a surreal familiarity.
> “Murphy makes the ordinary inexplicable, urging viewers to question what they think they see.” — *John Yau*
Read the full review [here](https://hyperallergic.com/997780/catherine-murphy-makes-the-ordinary-inexplicable/).
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## **(Re)Generations: Rina Banerjee, Byron Kim, and Howardena Pindell amid the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection**
**Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan**
**Through August 10**
This dynamic exhibition pairs contemporary artists with historic pieces from the Rockefeller Collection, forging new relationships between past and present. The selected works **challenge traditional narratives of Asian art**, sparking powerful discussions on lineage, reinvention, and cultural perspective.
> “How do artists claim their place in an artistic lineage without distorting or romanticizing it?” — *Lakshmi Rivera Amin*
Read the full review [here](https://hyperallergic.com/996357/unlearning-the-myths-of-asian-art-history/).
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## **May Amnesia Never Kiss Us on the Mouth**
**Dia Art Foundation (Online)**
**Ongoing**
Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme’s digital exhibition explores **the fragility of memory, history, and resistance in modern society**. This thought-provoking project builds an online archive of **forgotten and erased narratives**, asserting that remembering is itself a political action.
> “As opposition is quelled worldwide, this project insists on the power of remembering.” — *NH*
Read the full review [here](https://hyperallergic.com/998353/basel-abbas-and-ruanne-abou-rahme-refuse-to-forget/).
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From bold sculptural hybrids to introspective landscapes, these exhibitions challenge conventions and offer new ways to engage with the world. Visit them in person—or online—and experience the transformative