If we need anything from art at this dire time, it’s faith and fun. The shows below encourage flights into the imagination or nurture hope for the future. Artist Tove Jansson and her Moomins creations are nothing if not beacons of warmth and inclusivity, while EJ Hill’s installation and endurance performance transforms 52 Walker gallery into a space of healing. Likewise, an exhibition of historical media about atomic power at Poster House offers an unexpected message that protest can change the world for the better. And Andy Warhol’s early fashion drawings — well, those are just a pleasure to see. While you’re gallery hopping, make sure to visit Carrie Yamaoka’s captivating solo exhibition See-saw, ending this weekend at Anonymous Gallery on the Lower East Side. —Natalie Haddad, Reviews Editor
Andy Warhol: Fashion
Anton Kern Gallery, 16 East 55th Street, Midtown, Manhattan
Through August 13
“[T]he show is infused with a subtle in-the-room-where-it-happened aura that’s playful and inviting.” —Julie Schneider
Fallout: Atoms for War & Peace
Poster House, 119 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
Through September 7
“The dozens of posters and other forms of mass media on view … emphasize how deeply ingrained the visual vernacular of nuclear development and disarmament is in popular culture” —Lisa Yin Zhang
EJ Hill: Low-slung Promises on the Tongues of the Devout
52 Walker, 52 Walker Street, Tribeca, Manhattan
Through September 13
“In conversation with physical objects, Hill’s performance cuts through potential cynicism or preciousness and proffers a sense of solace” —NH
Tove Jansson and the Moomins: The Door Is Always Open
Brooklyn Public Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Through September 30
“[Jansson] recognized the wisdom of children and the invaluable role of art in nurturing imagination and empathy.” —Lakshmi Rivera Amin
