Earlier in the season, I wasn't feeling so excited by the work I was seeing in Chelsea, except for a few exception like the always-reliable Foxy Production.

Our visits in the last couple of weeks, though, have made me much happier. I'll put of some highlights tonight, and add a few more in the next day or so.

Larry Mantello's outrageous installations at Kustera Tilton. We first saw his work in a great installation at Henry Urback in 2003.

Julia Oschatz, Untitled (72-05), 2005, Oil, enamel, acrylic, spray paint on canvas, 21 5/8 × 15 inches

Julia Oschatz's New York debut show of videos, installation, and paintings at Leslie Tonkonow is one of my favorites of the year. Check out the gallery web site for more images, plus some video excerpts.

James has already written about the Josephine Meckseper show at Elizabeth Dee, so go read him.

Mark Napier's show Empire, at bitforms, manages to combine interactive computer-based art with a beautiful visual aesthetic that I have rarely seen in the field. You know it's a good tech-y art show when James is really into it. Visit Mark's web site for more information on his work.

[All photos except Marge are from the respective gallery sites. Marge was photographed by me.]