The most subtle acts are often the most cathartic. In times of relentless upheaval and injustice, simple moments can feel Herculean by measure. The current exhibition at Freight and Volume, It Takes A Village, focuses on daily ritual as a gate of entry. Artists Andrea Castillo, Nancy Elsamanoudi, and Baran Shafiey blend nuanced elements with doses of surreality, resulting in invitations into spaces that delightfully offer more questions than answers. Each work is a reckoning with the quietude of in-betweenness. Each artist is a painter working in figuration; yet the similarities end there, and the departures are as varied as one can imagine.
Andrea Castillo’s figures exist in the public realm and are dreamily bathed in shadows. Working in both cool and warm tones, these scenes evoke the sublime colorscape of desert days and nights. A sensation of silence emits through this body of work, with subtleties in place to indicate the act of waiting, or being in transition between two places. This is inferred through the inclusion of intentionally vague text that is familiar, yet nonspecific. Pockets of time reflect the world in a manner that references the channeling of specific memories and attachments significant to the artist’s life, but is also relatable to the viewer. The compositions emit a reverence for these glimpses into slices of past experiences through a measured and poignant stillness.
In contrast, Nancy Elsamanoudi’s works inhabit the domestic in quirky, unexpected ways. Bright hues with punctuations of neon are upbeat and curious. The female-presenting form is the central glue. Often engaging with furniture, wine goblets, and an occasional animal companion, we witness the subjects positioned in various standing and sitting positions. Minimally dressed, save for the occasional dress or go-go boots, the characters live within interior spaces, cavorting with flora and fauna, smoking eternal cigarettes, and contemplating the next move. In this world, is the lobster a confidante, food, or foe? Perhaps all three. Information is sparse in this ecosystem, and the experience is all about reading in between the deliciously striped lines of its vibrant backdrops.
Baran Shafiey’s work also explores the domestic, but in more intimate detail. Relationships between figures are evident, with depictions and iconography offering glimpses into moments shared between cherished individuals clearly depicted. The rich jewel-toned palette references luxe items held with reverence through reflection and memory. Figures curled up in bed, on couches, and with clothing carefully detailed, are paired with newspapers and other ephemera containing important information. This world feels reminiscent, its deeply saturated colors and patterns recognizable, and referencing cultural and familial touchstones. Beautifully rendered, this body of work evokes a circle of care: those bonds between the artist and the subjects, as well as those in which we see and feel connections within our own lives that these depictions are representative of.
As each artist wrestles with what it means to be here and now, navigating the endless unknowns, we are brought back to this present moment, and through the language of art, we find ways of articulating what is most important to us. Even if it is a lexicon only we ourselves know, it can still inspire others to find strength in the fact that we are all in the unknown together. It Takes A Village brings these varied perspectives together in a rich and compelling way that emphasizes the importance of these precious moments. This presentation is a heartened reminder to appreciate these granules of time, solitude, and connectivity as we move through each day and accrue them with intentionality.
It Takes A Village on view through June 6, 2026, at Freight and Volume. All images courtesy of the writer.
About the writer: Yasmeen Abdallah is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and writer. She has been an artist/educator/lecturer at institutions including the New Museum, Pratt Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, Residency Unlimited, BRIC, Kean University, Parsons, Civic Art Lab, Creative Time, Columbia University, Children’s Museum of NYC, El Barrio Artspace, Interference Archive, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and University of Massachusetts. She holds Bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and in Studio Art, with honors from the University of Massachusetts. Abdallah also holds an MFA in Fine Arts, with distinction, from Pratt Institute. Exhibitions include ABC No Rio; Ankhlave Arts Alliance; Art in Odd Places; Bartow-Pell Museum; the Boiler; Bronx Art Space; Bullet Space; Chashama; Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center; Cornell University; Darb 1718 Gallery; Ed Varie; Elizabeth Foundation; The Factory LIC; Fairleigh Dickinson University; Flux Factory; Kean University; La Bodega; Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space; NARS Foundation; Open Source; Peep Space; Pratt Institute; PS122 Gallery; Red Hook Public Library; Satellite Art Fair; Space 776; Spring Break Art Show; Stephen St. Gallery; 601 Artspace; Tempest; Trestle; University of Massachusetts; Westbeth Gallery; Whitebox; and Yonkers Public Library, among others. Publications include Anthropology of Consciousness; Ante Art; Art Observed; Bust Magazine; Emergency Index; Free City Radio; Hot Coffee Conversations; Hyperallergic; Impulse; Papergirl Brooklyn; Radio Alhara; Transborder Art; Tussle Magazine; and Urban Activist. Her work is in public, private, and traveling collections in the U.S. and abroad. @86cherrycherry
@freightandvolumegallery @andiiicastillo @nancy_elsamanoudi @baranshafiey