The exhibition titled Grit of the Hearth Beyond the Brambles creates a sense of place, wonder, and belonging. The title itself invites introspection, especially after reading the poem in the press release. It offers an exhale to the stressed, a release from tension, and a bright light to those who may be unsure.
These lines in the poem struck me most of all- and gave me a foundation for a view with which to explore this show-
“we build, we dream, we comfort, we strive
For a better world than we inherited
In this long season of gloom”
This show is a safe haven, a welcoming community of process, inspiration, and discovery converging to create a new place protected from the turmoils of the outside world, a safe space, beyond gloom, beyond the brambles. The sense of place acts as a significant anchor in this show. Creating an immersive experience that highlights the feeling of being in existence and presents an opportunity for people to enter a space, explore it, learn from it, and reflect on those who exist in this world alongside us.
Anna Shukeylo creates a sense of place from an outside vantage point. Taking on the premise similar to Rear Window, Shukeylo uses her paintings, such as Hudson Heights (Nocturne 17), pictured below, to make audiences both active and passive viewers, watching what is occurring in the building across the street through warm, electric lights. The sand used with the paint to create a gritty texture blurs the image just enough to make it feel as if you have to squint or look through something to see the other person’s life. The light illuminates the darkness, showing that other people exist nearby, granting a glimpse of their stories, but leaving the rest for us to fill in.
Ethan Shoshan’s piece titled Another place, Another Time, Another Life…(Your Art Journey Begins Here), situates us in some form of a beginning. Shoshan places viewers at the precipice of a stairwell, giving us the choice to start the climb, to begin the journey into the unknown. As artists, we know that the beginning of an art journey can lead us to many places and introduce us to many people. Each place, time, and opportunity builds upon our sense of community, where we can share ideas and work and offer care and support. With the fabric mimicking brick and hard stone, which are often cold surfaces, Shoshan turns conventional around and changes our expectations. The new surfaces are softened, and as sequins reflect the spatial light, the empty stairwell becomes a bit more welcoming- the journey more enticing.
Zakariya Abdul-Qadir’s I Love New York series offers snapshots of people and places that may be familiar to us. While we may not know Matt as depicted in the piece Portrait of Matt in Brooklyn Botanical Gardens (I Love New York Series) below, we feel a familiarity with them, as if we’ve met someone like them, shared a friend like them, or shared an experience similar to theirs in the Botanical Gardens. The pieces create conversations, a moment captured in time that now stems into future moments. Abdul-Qadir uses paintings to reflect on humanity and the community we find ourselves within, inside the city, to show the importance of place and the cultivation of shared thoughts and experiences. Welcoming reflection and additions to the ongoing conversation, this exhibition continues to offer.
Danielle Gadus’s suspended work, Grounding Practice Variation 9 (Swash Zone), feels ethereal. Hovering over us in space, it felt as if it were a connector of sorts. A nexus to the other works, connecting conversations and energies. Grounding seems to be a very appropriate term for this work, and many of the works within this exhibition. Each piece does a great job in grounding visitors in some way, be it place, sensation, memory, or thoughts. Gadus’s work barely uses reinforcements; the mediums and materials are pushed into a tug of war with gravity, and suspension lifts the energy within the room upwards, cascading our view into Nicholas Diaz’s ceramic Caged Starfish, which are hung higher up in the gallery, pulling us from the sea, into this new space.
The sculpture, We are afar from afar but aloof we are, by William Kim, shares in the grounding energy offered by Gadus’ piece. Both hoops, though simple, feel right. They feel present, but also carry with them memories of the past. They pull me into warm memories of times with my friends, the sun gleaming overhead, a time when the world was lighter, things simpler. A time when being aloof was allowed, where being playful was a strong resistance to the gloom of the world outside. By using the hoops, an endless loop, Kim offers us a sense of endless time, suspended in a liminal state, one where he allows us to choose how we want to react. We get to choose what memories we place upon the hoops, as they interlock and stay connected, just as much as we are to our memories, our experiences, and our community.
This exhibition is a welcoming blend of views and experiences. All of which come together to build a sense of place within each piece, allowing viewers to escape into it in some way. Very ethereal, a community is built. These artists are brought together onto this vividly green grass of the gallery floor to create a welcoming, playful space that offers an opportunity for contemplation, wonder, and simply just being. I feel as if this show is welcoming me to share my own stories while standing by the work, share my own experiences, while the artists all welcome an open dialogue.
Grit of Hearth Beyond the Brambles, 56 2nd Ave, Suite 21, Brooklyn, NY 11215.
On view through February 15, 2026. Saturday and Sunday, 1-6 or by appointment.
Featuring Zakariya Abdul-Qadir, Nicholas Diaz, Glen Eden Einbinder, Danielle Gadus, Tony Griego, William Kim, Ethan Shoshan, Anna Shukeylo, Sarah Valeri, and curated by Yasmeen Abdallah.
About the Writer: Taylor Bielecki lives in Gowanus, where her studio is, and works at Pratt Institute, where she earned her MFA. She also studied at Penn State, where she earned a BA in English and a BFA in Fine Arts. She finished as a finalist in the Kennedy Center’s VSA National Emerging Young Artist program for 2017, where she earned an award of Excellence. She has shown prints internationally in a print exchange in Australia and exhibitions in Dubai, India, and the Glasgow School of Art. She has also shown paintings internationally in Gallery 24N, PhilaMOCA’s juried exhibitions in Philadelphia, Pa., Perry Lawson Fine Art in Nyack, NY, BWAC in Red Hook, and IW Gallery in Brooklyn. Taylor works periodically for Two Coats of Paint, TUSSLE Magazine, and has joined Art Spiel as a contributing writer. @taylor.bielecki