“Last Wash at Midnight” at The Border Project Space, installation view courtesy of The Border Project Space, New York
At a time when one would have to work 78 hours at minimum wage to afford a studio apartment in most of the US, the idea of a rusting laundromat provides a fitting theme for an exhibition to reflect the struggles faced by so many in the US. While the show curated by Jamie Martinez evokes layers of meaning, the sagging laundry machine of Chelsea Nader, provides an ethos for the current state of the world grappling with economic stress in a pandemic.
The rational is challenged through the works of Jaejoon Jang whose work “hoodie” presents a hoodie and a disturbing face made out of a tortilla. We feel alarmed by a ghostlike hooded entity while also finding humor in the simplistic face cut into a tortilla leaving the viewer to question their own implicit reactions to something that brings both laughter and paranoia. The hanging 3D scanned works of Nicholas Oh present another startling image to those hoping to wash their clothes in a laundry mat. Oh’s work deals with race, conformity, as well as authoritarian influence within Korean culture.
“Last Wash at Midnight – Advertisement” at Home Gallery, installation view courtesy of Home Gallery and The Border Project Space, New York
Chelsea Nader at The Border Project Space, installation image courtesy of the Broder Project Space, New York
Layers of meaning take form in the works of Martinez that utilize the theme of a washing of the soul to coincide with the idea of a laundry mat as a gallery. With the archetype of laundry leading the way, we see the fresh laundry of collaboration between two galleries to create this compelling joint exhibition with Martinez acting as the laundromat manager.
With this theme of spiritual cleansing guiding Martinez’s vision, this creative collaboration brings a type of ethos that is dearly needed at a time where the world must confront the extreme stress that a global pandemic imposes on the psyche. The collection of works in this show creates a dialogue that is uniquely expressed by the works of the same artists in two different locations and creatively arranged according to the spatial dimensions of each gallery.
The exhibition is up until March 20th at the Border and will have a closing event that evening called “the Final Spin” that will have performances by Ronit Levin Delgado with David Chalet and Gabriel Garcia. The Home Gallery portion of the exhibition closes March 14th with a closing reception on Saturday the 13th from 5-7 pm.
Jamie Martinez, Permission, 2020, ink, spell, scratches on clay, 14 x 5 x 4 inches
Nicholas Oh, ue-men, 2018, stoneware, expandable foam, paint, ratchet strap, 10ft x 2ft x 2ft
The Border Project space is run by Jamie Martinez and located at 56 Bogart St, Brooklyn, NY, 11206. Visit www.theborderprojectspace.com for more info.
Home Gallery is run by William Chan and located at 291 Grand St, New York, NY, 10002. Visit www.homehomehomehome.com for more info on the latest from Home Gallery.
Adam Aslan greatly values many elements of art. He creates art, exhibits art, and delights in writing about things with exceptional artistic significance. For more of his writing visit: @writingbyadam – Twitter, for his art @nycpony and for the gallery he runs visit @zxygallery