For centuries figurative sculptors have found ways to render their subjects in motion. But how many have used motion itself as an element in their work? About a decade ago the artist Paul Chan (no relation) began affixing fans to the bases of humanoid sculptures, made from cylindrical nylon tubes, in order to animate them. These flapping, flailing inflations—Chan calls them Breathers—are not unlike the inflatable tube-men that beckon motorists into used-car dealerships. But by tweaking this archetype again and again, Chan transforms a cheap gimmick into a complex ecosystem of life-forms. The latest installments in this series are the most eye-catching of the nearly twenty works in Chan’s exhibition at the gallery Greene Naftali. Some appear to be cordially greeting viewers with a wave, while others evince the desperation of a person drowning. Too Spirituale! (after Leibniz), made earlier this year, has two surplus arms in place of a head. In several others, useless multicolored fabric appendages extend from the base. Chan might well be referring to those swatches when he cites the influence …