HIGHLIGHTS
From Manhattan to Brooklyn, there is funny business happening in the galleries this holiday season, quite literally. Portraits of humorous creatures in a solo exhibition titled Donut Dog by Nancy Elsamanoudi at Doghouse Gallery are an opening act to the performances at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective. Slightly absurd paintings of “Lost” posters by Jeffrey Morabito crack a joke in a two-person exhibition titled Flat Theater at Space 776 (CLOSING DECEMBER 18th), while a humorous undertone sets the mood in the Paintings and Chairs group exhibition at Zepster Gallery.
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Flat Theater at Space776 @space_776
On view through: December 18, 2024
Curated by: Bowie Bo Gyung Kim
Featuring: Alex W. Rader, Jeffrey Morabito
Jeffrey Morabito and Alex Rader are both painters of anecdotes. Rader, a master of light, has a very romantic approach to his subject matter. The delicate brushstrokes depict quite ordinary but beautiful objects, which he renders in an old master style. Every leaf, fiber, and shadow are handled with care and attention to detail. Morabito, on the other hand, is a much more immediate painter who, in the subject matter, focuses on tongue-in-cheek humor and gestural brushstroke. His depictions of “Lost” posters are particularly funny as one wonders how serious the inquiries truly are. As some appear more straightforward in inquiring about a lost pet, the “ lost mustache” painting causes a laugh-out-loud reaction. Morabito is known for his gestural and fun paintings, often using pigeons and pizza rats as his muses.
Donut Dog at Dog House Gallery @dog_house_gallery
On view through: December 29, 2024
Featuring: Nancy Elsamanoudi
The show centers around Nancy Elsamanoudi ‘s humorous portraits of her poodle named Fergus, orange cats, and viral sensation baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng. In accompaniment there are plants in handmade pots, brightly colored to compliment the paintings. The gallery is a storefront vitrine, right at the entrance of a comedy club, which cannot be a better venue for the display. Elsamanoudi’s style is very tongue-in-cheek as well, as she approaches the subject matter of everyone’s guilty pleasure- watching funny animals. She embraces the awkwardness and makes fun of her subjects but in a gentle and loving way, while playing with color and design. Her plant pot sculptures have a similar attitude, where they stand proud despite awkwardness and asymmetry.
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Paintings and Chairs at Zepster Gallery @zepstergallery
On view through: December 22, 2024
Featuring: Joe Garvey, Otis Houston Jr., Austin Lee, Maia Ruth Lee, Lucien Smith, Josh Smith and B Thom Stevenson
This group show featuring Joe Garvey, Otis Houston Jr., Austin Lee, Maia Ruth Lee, Lucien Smith, Josh Smith, and B Thom Stevenson presents paintings paired with various chairs created by the same artists. This unique curatorial concept allows for a complex conversation between painting, architecture, and various stylistic approaches to decorative vs functional. In some instances, such as Austin Lee’s whimsical and bright pieces, the painting and the chair appear to be related in both thematic and material sense. However, in Lucien Smith’s pairing, it seems as if the artist left the chair he was using while creating the painting of “Jenna” Ortega. Josh Smith appears to have a similar approach but playing more closely with the geometric shapes.
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About the writer: Anna Shukeylo is an artist, writer, educator, and curator working and living in the New York Metropolitan area. She has written for Artcritical, Painters on Painting, and Art Spiel. Her paintings have been exhibited in solo exhibitions at Kean University, NJ, Manchester University, IN, and in group shows at Auxier/Kline, Equity Gallery, Stay Home Gallery, among others. @annashukeylo