Now on view: A round-up of local gallery offerings

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As temperatures drop, New York City’s artistic energy only rises. This December, the city offers a cornucopia of visual experiences, unfolding narratives, and new artists to discover.

“Confessions of Fire,” “No Pigs,” and “Gentle Tug on Thigh” are just a glimpse of what’s on view, but each brings an undeniable spark that art lovers shouldn’t miss.

Isaiah Davis’ “Confessions of Fire” on display through December 20

Forged in steel, Isaiah Davis’ “Confessions of Fire” reaches temperatures high enough not only to melt and mold heavy metal, but to reshape long-held tropes of Black masculinity. The Bronx native found the title and inspiration for this collection in rapper Cam’ron’s debut album. Cam’ron’s music compelled the masses, heads nodding in the shared rhythm of hip hop, but the album’s cover struck Davis just as deeply.

“The image printed itself onto my psyche,” Davis explained. “A man, Black like me, in heavy leather, with heavier equipment, at work in a rugged steel-mill environment.”

Davis charts his own coming-of-age in parallel with Cam’ron’s growth and self-discovery as a leader of ’90s hip hop. As he navigates aging and understanding, the steel matures as well. This inspiration becomes a constellation for his solo exhibition, each steel work a star to be marveled at. A blacksmith in practice, he scorches imperfections, refines ruggedness, and unlocks the potential of heavy metal: his own alchemy of expression.

“This is a lifelong practice,” said Davis. “It’s heavy. It’s dangerous. But if you really want it, you do it.”

Though no literal human forms appear in the work, Davis still forges his own humanity by creating objects that recall bondage. Observing the pieces, I’m reminded of artifacts left behind after a village has been plundered, evidence of beasts that once ruled but are unfit to survive in the present. Walking through the exhibit feels like moving through a museum; we witness the artist’s process of revolution, and what is left behind in its wake.

“I made these works to exist in the past, present, and future,” said Davis. “It’s always in dialogue. How it communicates with you now will shape how it speaks to you when you return to it.”

“Confessions of Fire” by Isaiah Davis will be on display at Kings Leap Fine Arts until December 20th. For more information, visit kingsleapfinearts.com.

Omai Douglin’s “No Pigs” on display through December 13

Fans of “Animal Farm” rejoice. Omari Douglin’s “No Pigs” takes a life-or-death subject, one rooted in the deepest fears of Black America and displays it on a canvas in a style so whimsical it becomes almost fairytale-esque. The paintings in “No Pigs” recall political cartoons with their anti-authoritarian imagery, but in Douglin’s own words, “the making of the paintings can serve as some kind of poetic justice.” “No Pigs” trades cops and glocks for pigs and paint.

Douglin’s inspiration for the series began after a trip to L.A., where he came across graffiti of a pig that burned itself into his imagination. What followed were experiments with bare pig outlines and small navy-blue cartoonish police hats. He cast tubes of paint as violent weapons. And with titles like “Pig Juice,” “France’s Bacon,” and “Baby Back Yorkshire,” each work offers a multilayered experience that extends far beyond visual enjoyment.

Douglin approaches composition with a distinctive eye, guiding viewers into an experience that unfolds in multiple directions. Entering the gallery forces your gaze not only side-to-side but also upward and downward, from floor to ceiling. Your vantage point shifts with the changing reflection of light on each image. The hues bend and shift as you scan each inch. As you move your body and eyes around the work, you begin to understand the depth of Douglin’s compositional journey.

“No Pigs” by Omari Douglin will be on display at Ramiken Gallery until December 13. For more info, visit ramikencrucible.com.

Jonathan Lyndon Chase’s “Gentle Tug on Thigh” on display until December 20

“Gentle Tug on Thigh” gives the viewer a riveting experience from the moment you cross the threshold. Jonathan Lyndon Chase explores the intersectionality of pleasure and the perverse. The artist’s style isn’t just raw, it’s rare. Chase toys with the fragility of the human body and with Black masculinity more broadly, using drawings and soft sculptures to reveal its vulnerabilities. In one image, men play basketball; in the next, the sexual energy between two subjects intertwines. It’s an indictment of desire and a rejection of the boundaries often imposed on it.

To view this work is to observe the exterior of masculinity as you think you know it. Familiar descriptors like “urban” and “rough” are tested and pushed. Chase challenges our assumptions on dress codes, hairstyles, facial expressions, even through the transformation of the gallery’s typically stark white walls, trading them for walls that resemble darkness. Chase breathes life into visions of alternative love and peace.

“Gentle Tug on Thigh” will be on display at Company Gallery until December 20th. For more information, visit companygallery.us.