Four Lower East Side Shows: From Farm Machinery to Cyborg Basements

A critic examines four simultaneous exhibitions in Manhattan's Lower East Side. At Hoffman Donahue (99 Bowery, until July 18, 2026), Altoon Sultan showcases 13 small egg-tempera paintings on parchment, focusing on agricultural machinery with a simplified style reminiscent of late-medieval art. Originally from Brooklyn, Sultan exhibited at Marlborough Gallery in the 1970s and later at Tibor de Nagy, and has resided in rural Vermont for over three decades. At Company (145 Elizabeth Street, until June 13, 2026), Hayden Dunham's third solo exhibition, "NEVER IS OVER," features a dark basement with whale sounds, video projections of a cyborg figure, and papier-mâché orbs that play recordings of voices from Octavia Butler, Pippa Garner, and SOPHIE when illuminated. At Magenta Plains (149 Canal Street, until June 20, 2026), Stan VanDerBeek's "Micro Kosmos" displays prints and animations from the 1960s and 1970s, including "Moveable Mandala" (1976) and "Poemfield No. 1 (Blue version)" (1967), created with engineer Ken Knowlton at Bell Labs. Lastly, at Lubov (5 East Broadway, 4th floor, until June 13, 2026), Italo-Bosnian artist Adelisa Selimbašić presents an immersive installation featuring paintings on cylindrical columns and a horizontal canvas band, exploring female figures inspired by New York nightlife venues such as Basement and Nowadays.