Spanish-born Ivan Puig makes good use of sculptural forms in his large scale photography. “Tour de Force” (2001), shown above, is a fun example. His work doesn’t stop at fun though. He plays with societal issues like immigration and education through sculptural devices well.

At Scope New York, Puig is shown by Kunsthaus of Santa Fe, Mexico. Three works take up roughly one half of the booth, indicative of his oeuvre and telling of his interests.

View more after the jump.

Schooled as a painter at the Mimar Sinan Faculty of Fine Arts, Turkish artist Ansen Kayseri now works in digital painting and monoprint. He was discovered by X-ist Gallery, which is devoted to showcasing the most cutting edge Turkish contemporary work, in 2003. Ansen produces what they call “new media painting,” putting together disparate images that are not direct representations to form narratives about Western interactions in the Muslim world.

Most impressive at Scope New York was “The Mirage” (2010), shown above.

Seoul, South Korea’s Gallery Yeh exhibited some of the most refreshing work at Scope New York. “Museum Interior” (2009) by Choi Insune, shown in detail above, bursts with color and incorporates two themes that are close to my heart (museums and interiors). The Korean artist works in oils and was born in 1964.

Though not to my taste, Da Young Kim’s mixed media sculptures impressed for their detail. Working with pop culture figures, they present small scenes enclosed in glass. View examples after the jump.

Liao Yibai’s stainless steel sculptures are simply too big to ignore at the Mike Weiss Gallery booth at Scope New York. Set in the middle of the fair, the exhibited pieces – oversized watches, rings, shoes, and a the impressive “7 Dollar Bill” (above). Living and working in Beijing and Chongqing, China, the artist lectures at the local Chongqing University. Unfortunately, the images here do not do justice to the detail of the sculpture, but will however provide a sense of scale.

Mike Weiss Gallery is located at 520 W. 24th Street, New York.

Further images from Scope New York follow.

Belfast’s Golden Thread Gallery is a large-scale arts venue in the heart of the Northern Irish City. Representing photographer Allan Hughes, the Gallery brings his “The Listening Station” series to Scope New York. Produced in 2009, these haunting Lambda prints depict empty industrial space.

Also impressive is the work of Victoria J. Dean, whose “Everything Equally: Fountain” (2006) is also shown by Golden Thread Gallery.

Washington, DC born Steve Ellis teaches painting at the School of Visual Arts in New York. At Scope New York, his work dominates the Gallery Nine 5 booth. “Crashed Police Car” (Hot Dog Stand Accident) of 2007 (above) is the largest of the exhibited works. A series of smaller paintings are also shown. His hyper realistic oil paintings respond directly to popular visual culture.

Gallery Nine 5 is located in Soho, New York and specializes in contemporary art encompassing all media.

More of Ellis’ painting as shown at Scope New York after the jump.

Miami-based artist Julie L. Friel draws inspiration from cave painting, pre-Colombian art, and African art. She also has great affinity for the intuitive street graffiti that inspired French modernists, and later the work of Pollock and Basquiat. Her work is a continuation of these influences, drawing also on contemporary street art (she cites David Choe as a favorite). Frequently using decks as canvases, Friel takes pleasure in dismantling the world and putting it back together in her painting.

At Scope New York, Friel is shown by Miami gallery Hardcore Art Contemporary. More looks at Friel’s work from the Hardcore Art booth after the jump.

Opus Art has received frequent mentioned here for their fine collection of printed works. At Scope New York, Opus’ booth is among the most vibrant. New work by Hush is the highlight. “Passing Through” (2010) the most impressive piece in the selection. The painting is indicative of the artist’s interests, fusing eastern and western cultures.

Also shown at the Opus booth are a number of impressive works by Dan Baldwin. “Death in Paradise” (2010), and hand painted vase and “Long Way from Home” (2009) a mixed-media assemblage on canvas among the selections. My personal favorite painting in the Opus booth comes from Charlotte Bracegirdle. Her “The Artist’s Studio” (2010) a magnificent little number which follows her interest in “subtle traces that we leave behind.”

Baldwin and Bracegirdle’s work is shown after the jump.

A highlight from Lincart Gallery’s booth at Scope NY was the above Barry McGee/Twist painted bottle. This bottle in particular is “Red Man” (2008), acrylic on glass.

Lincart Gallery is based in San Francisco and is primarily focused on program of living artists.

Contemporary Art fair, Scope New York opened its doors to the public today and will continue through March 7, 2010. Over the next few days, I will be highlighting a few of the exhibiting galleries and pointing out pieces that caught my eye.

Founded in Naples and with space in Milan as well, Mimmoscognamiglio Arte Contemporanea is showing several strong sculptural works by Pepe Perone. All are untitled, and made of wood, steel and cast sand. Household objects are commonly figured in rather humorous fashion and the use of sand requires some investigation – the identity of the material not immediately apparent. Examples of Perone’s work are both above and immediately after the jump.

Also shown at the Mimmoscognamigilio Arte Contemporanea booth is Adrian Tranquilli, an Australian now based in Rome. His photographic work exhibits a bit of a superhero fetish.

Check out more art from Mimmoscognamigilio Arte Contemporanea at Scope NY after the jump.