Spirit in the Flesh is on view at UTOPIA in Kingston, the gallery, bookstore, and studio space founded in 2025 by Lucia Cote. Curated by Saul Chernick, the exhibition brings together sculpture, painting, and works on paper by Courtney Puckett, Ben Pederson, and Chernick. The show treats art as a way of being, shaped by imagery rooted in intuition and dreams and carried into physical form through sustained attention to process. In a climate of constant noise and unrest, the works lean toward beauty, curiosity, and play. Curator and artist Saul Chernick tells us more about the exhibition and the venue.
As both curator and participant, how did the concept of “art as a receptor for messages beyond perception” shape the dialogue between your work and that of Courtney Puckett and Ben Pederson?
Some decisions we make as artists are easy to explain—easy to build an artist statement or presentation around. Others are far stranger and harder to articulate; our minds can’t access their rationale, and we can only feel our way through. They lead us to make some peculiar moves, but we feel their rightness and instinctively trust. When it’s all done, we look at what we made and wonder, “Who in there actually made this?” The three of us experience this often and see part of our work as becoming receptive to these unknown driving forces. I see it’s evident in the shared weird streak across our work – beguiling specificities in terms of off-kilter palettes; the recurrence of enigmatic forms and symbols; an intense sensitivity to the tactile qualities of our materials.
You mention that this exhibition offers counter-messaging in a time of sensory and political overload – can you share how the exhibition embodies this idea?
Despite the darkness of our current period, a quality of optimism comes through our work through its playfulness, focus on sensory pleasure, and a desire to provide comfort. One reading is that we are paying homage to curiosity itself. The work grows from joyful yet rigorous play, gently inviting viewers to be curious with us at a time when curiosity, empathy, and openness are being attacked as weaknesses. While the work does not address current events directly, the values that drive it are diametrically opposed to the MAGA mindset. We embrace ambiguity and what it means to sit with questions.
Let’s look closely at one work by each artist. How do these pieces speak to one another within the exhibition?
There are several underlying shared qualities that give our work a surprising level of visual cohesiveness. Lyrical, calligraphic approaches inform how we arrange elements in space – it’s rhythmic, musical, there’s a call and response happening. The way these works are rendered creates ambiguity about what they are, where they exist, and what they’re doing. In Ben’s painting, I might be seeing a landscape, a plant, a map, or a diagram. In Courtney’s sculpture: a talisman, an encrypted text, a figure, or a road sign, however you want to read it, its presence emanates strangeness into any room. In my collaged panel, I see what could be a game board, an altar, the panels of a comic book, or a scrambled logo.
The works balance playfulness and meticulousness, using materials in precise ways to create distinct tactile qualities: Ben through stippled color that forms a skin-like surface; Courtney through the varied textures of found textiles; and me through low-relief tiles made from felt, sculpting compound, plastic, and leather. The pieces are generous – the closer you look, the more fun surprises you can find.
Tell us a bit about the venue and how this show came together.
UTOPIA is a gallery, bookstore, and artist studios founded in 2025 by artist Lucia Cote. It is committed to supporting local, emerging, and underrepresented artists through exhibitions, creative gatherings, and studio space for practicing a variety of mediums. In a short period of time, Lucia has organized several open calls and created a platform for a ton of artists. I visited the space for its inaugural exhibition and later submitted a proposal. I’m thrilled to be showing in Kingston, the town where I live, alongside two artists whose work resonates deeply with me.
About the curator: Saul Chernick (BFA, RISD & MFA, Rutgers) has exhibited in numerous galleries, museums, and cultural institutions, including the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, the Bronx Museum of Art, the Jewish Museum, the Lower East Side Printshop, Rush Arts Gallery, and Senior & Shopmaker Gallery. He has had solo exhibitions at Soloway Gallery, Max Protech Gallery, Franklin Art Works, La Montagne Gallery, and NURTUREart. He lives in Kingston, New York. @saulchernick
About the writer: Etty Yaniv is a Brooklyn-based artist, writer, curator, and founder of Art Spiel. She works in installation, painting, and mixed media, and has shown her art in exhibitions across the United States and abroad. Since 2018, she has published interviews and reviews through Art Spiel, often focusing on underrecognized voices and smaller venues. More about her art can be found at ettyyanivstudio.com and on Instagram @etty.yaniv