While the art season’s biggest blockbusters have closed (you have three days left to see Gagosians magisterial Monet exhibition), many galleries are preparing major summer shows filled with large groups of artists — meaning thatmore work will be on display than at any other time of the year. This Thursday, a solid percentage of those shows are opening in what's likely to be an art free-for-all, with a packed schedule of events that could overwhelm even the most ardent art lover. To best plot your course through the sweltering masses, consult ARTINFOs handy guide to Thursday evening's bonanza of events. All openings are 6–8 p.m., unless otherwise noted, and listings have been organized north to south.

CHELSEA

Memories of the Future,” at Sean Kelly Gallery, 528 West 29th Street, through July 30, skny.com

*RECOMMENDED* Shape Language,” at Nicole Klagsbrun, 526 West 26th Street, No. 213, through July 31, nicoleklagsbrun.com
The late German painter Blinky Palermos moment has arrived. The Dia Art Foundation is queuing up a major touring retrospective, artists like Sarah Crowner are revisiting his fabric paintings, and now one of his works, hisfloating blob of color titled Graue Scheibe, is serving as the inspiration for this group show about shape. Organized by gallery archivist Natalie Campbell, it includes such participating artists as wily naïf Joe Bradley, “Greater New York” painter Zak Prekop, and the unstoppable Amy Sillman. Fun fact:Palermo studied with Joseph Beuys back in the 1960s, alongside Imi Knoebel, whose work will also be on view.

*RECOMMENDED* The Tell-Tale Heart (Part 2),” at James Cohan Gallery, 533 West 26th Street, through August 13, jamescohan.com
This show, featuring Felix Gonzalez-Torres, James Ensor, Tracey Emin, Hanne Darboven, Kota Ezawa, Nan Goldin, and Dash Snow, promises works that “explore dissolute scenarios through the lens of ‘obsession’ that reflect an intensity of passion, guilt, rage, love, identity, death, andpolitical beliefs.” It sounds like an invigorating curatorial effort, though it may be worth remembering that Edgar Allen Poes namesake short story does not end on a pleasant note.

States of Flux,” at Aperture Foundation, 547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor, through August 12, aperture.org

*RECOMMENDED* Touched,” at Lehmann Maupin, 540 West 26th Street, through August 13, lehmannmaupin.com
Artists from the Minimalists to Jeff Koons have gotten around the issue of “touch” byfarming out the creation of their work to assistants and factories, while the conceptually minded — from Ian Wilson to Tino Sehgal — have simply eschewed the creation of objects. However, as Julian Schnabel would be happy to tell you, “touch” never went away, and the six artistsin this show, including Angel Otero, Allison Schulnik, and Brett Lund, have forged their young careers on it.

Unwind,” at Lana Santorelli Gallery, 110 West 26th Street, through September 3, lanasantorelligallery.com

*RECOMMENDED* Ragnar Kjartansson, at Luhring Augustine Gallery, 531 West 24th Street, through August 13, luhringaugustine.com
Visitors to the 2009 Venice Biennale may recall Kjartansson as hirsute, hard-drinking painter hard at work in the Icelandic pavilion, slugging beers and painting portraits of a Speedo-clad model for a piece he titled The End (Venice), a joyfully irreverent take on the typically serious genre of performance. (Though not an unambitious one — he partly modeled the six-month-long performance on the endurance pieces of artists like Marina Abramovic.) All 144 paintings that resulted from the experiment will be on display, showing the artist's evolving skill in the medium, as well as a new video about Pinetop Perkins, America’s oldest living Delta blues practitioner.

Self Exposure,” at Daniel Cooney Fine Art, 511 West 25th Street, Suite 506, through July 30, danielcooneyfineart.com

Jack Pierson, at Bortolami, 510 West 25th Street, bortolamigallery.com

Reflexive Self,” at Mike Weiss Gallery, 520 West 24th Street, through August 14, mikeweissgallery.com

Keeping Busy: An Inaccurate Survey of Michel Auder,” at Zach Feuer Gallery, 530 West 24th Street, through August, zachfeuer.com

The Mass Ornament,” at Gladstone Gallery, 515 West 24th Street, throughAugust 13, gladstonegallery.com

Keeping Busy: An Inaccurate Survey of Michel Auder, at Newman Popiashvili Gallery, 504 West 22nd Street, through August 13, npgallery.com

Christian Marclay, “Fourth of July,” at Paula Cooper Gallery, 521 West 21st Street, through July 30, paulacoopergallery.com

Ellie Ga, performance of “The Fortunetellers: Arctic Circles (10:10),” at 21st/21st Salon, 551 West 21st Street, 7 p.m., 21st21st.com

*RECOMMENDED* Andy Warhol, “Rain Machine (Daisy Waterfall),” at Nicholas RobinsonGallery, 535 West 20th Street, through August 27, nrgallery.com
There’s a great article to be written on the fountain — that age-old artistic medium — in modern art. Duchamp made one, of course, as did Bruce Nauman. (Going back a few years, Bernini did a nice one as well.) Now it turns out that even Warhol tried his hand at the form in a joint project with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, though the result was later destroyed. The Andy Warhol Museum decided to fabricate a new version of his rainmaking machine a few years back, complete with a long wall of healthy daisies. Now that recreation will go on view at Nicholas Robinson, providing a continuous stream of precipitationall summer long.

Theatrical Properties,” at bitforms gallery, 529 West 20th Street, through August 6, bitforms.com

DOWNTOWN

Over Before it Started,” at West Street Gallery, and Ryan Sullivan, at Spare Room, 395 West Street, Unit 2, 7–9 p.m., weststreet.info

Brion Nuda Rosch, at DCKT Contemporary, 195 Bowery, through August 20, dcktcontemporary.com

Carolee Schneemann, performance and talk, at Location One, 26 Greene Street, 7 p.m., location1.org

*RECOMMENDED* Behind the Green Door,” at Harris Lieberman, 89 Vandam Street, through July 30, harrislieberman.com
In the 1972 pornographic film that lends its title to this group show, actress Marilyn Chambers is forced to perform sex acts on a stage before anaudience of mask-wearing voyeurs — an allegory for the art industry at its darkest moments? However, this show, curated by the Harris Liebermanteam and artist Jason Kraus, will focus on art that deals specifically with sex, fetishes, and the taboo. Expect resolutely kinky veterans likeBruce Nauman and Lynda Benglis to appear alongside some younger taboo-breakers, including Martin Kersels, Erik van Lieshout, and Sue Williams.