Simonette Quamina – The Big Fight

Simonette Quamina, Swing: An ode to romanticism. 50 x 70 in. , 2017. Graphite, relief print on paper, courtesy of the artist

Simonette Quamina coalesces printmaking, drawing, and collage seamlessly. She is using only paper, graphite and ink to create richly textured surfaces in subtle yet bold monochromes. Her images vacillate between stillness and movement, personal and epic narratives, memory and tangible presence. I first saw her work at the Elizabeth Foundation open studios and invited her to share her ideas and methods. Besides this interview for Art Spiel, her work was included in an article I recently wrote for Kolaj Magazine (upcoming issue). Continue reading “Simonette Quamina – The Big Fight”

Christina Massey – In Between Zones

Christina-Massey, artist-studio, mixed-media artwork, photo courtesy of the artist

Christina Massey is a multi faceted artist whose appetite for bold experimentation with multiple materials and techniques feeds her rigorous search for complex form and subtle commentary on social and cultural issues. This process oriented search results in prints, sculptural installations, and wall reliefs –  layered imagery in her two dimensional work and highly textured surfaces in her dimensional work. Massey represents our current state of being “in between,” not only in the hybridity of her art forms, but also in the very definition of what it means to be an artist at this moment. Continue reading “Christina Massey – In Between Zones”

Hecho en Tránsito / Made in Transit at Salena

Travis Leroy Southworth  & Lisbet Roldan Collaboration Version 3, photo courtesy of the curator

What happens when artists who come from different worlds encounter one another through art? How does access to information and materials in the U.S. and the constraint and lack in Cuba affect making art? What does a dialogue look like without words? The exhibition “Hecho en Tránsito / Made in Transit” that is currently presented at the LIU Salena gallery, is posing these questions with rigor. The artwork in this show is resulting of a long term project which was designed to foster intercultural dialogue between U.S. and Cuban artists, primarily through the exchange and collaborative creation of artwork. The visual dialogue between the artists is sustained in thought provoking ways across time, place, cultural differences, and political transitions. Continue reading “Hecho en Tránsito / Made in Transit at Salena”

Liminal Worlds at Trestle Gallery

Anne Polashenski , Aliens in a New Land: Josef & Francziska Podleszański (Great Grandparents), 2015, C-prints, cut paper collage & gouache on paper, 23 x 19 in, photo courtesy of the artist

Curated by Katerina Lanfranco“Liminal Worlds,” the upcoming show at Trestle features four artists who reflect on the fluid dividing line between the multiple realities we experience as part of the human condition.  Anne Polashenski and Greg Thielker examine notions of “self and other” through ethnography, immigrant experiences, and national borders. Ashley Hope and Elizabeth Insogna explore the elusive notions of spirit and afterlife. Altogether, through their artworks, these artists invite us to venture into territories that make us contemplate not only  politics, but also the potential for deeper self-awareness. Continue reading “Liminal Worlds at Trestle Gallery”

Après Coup: Transforming Trauma into Art

Samira Abbassy, Reincarnated Fears, Oil on Gesso Panel, 48” X 36”, 2016, photo courtesy of JEANETTE MAY photo studio

The group exhibition “Après Coup: Transforming Trauma into Art” was conceived in tandem with the conference, Translating Trauma into Art and Literature at the Hewitt gallery in Marymount Manhattan College. Curated by Hallie Cohen, Professor of Art, Director of the Hewitt Gallery, this thought provoking show features work by Samira AbbassySusan Erony, Joumana Jaber, Miriam Katin, jc lenochan,  Lance Letscher, Ruth Liberman, Tyson Robertson, and Stephanie Serpick who come from diverse backgrounds and refer to different adversities, but all share ongoing reflections on trauma – running the gamut from the deeply personal to the philosophical. Continue reading “Après Coup: Transforming Trauma into Art”

Leveling at Novado Gallery

Diana Schmertz, America’s Social Contract, watercolor on laser cut paper – both sides painted, 7 panels, 28×16 inches each, 2017

“Leveling”, the painting show at Novado Gallery features figurative paintings by Michelle Doll, Charlotta Janssen, Heather Morgan, Stefania Panepinto, Diana Schmertz and Jennifer Watson. Anne Novado,  the director, curator, and co-owner of the gallery, describes the premise of the show as an artistic response to issues that permeate the social, economic, educational, and political landscape –  such as inequality, social status and women’s rights. Continue reading “Leveling at Novado Gallery”

Quotidian Metamorphosis at the Rockland Center for the Arts

As part of their Spring exhibits addressing Climate Change, The Rockland Center for the Arts features three exhibitions – two solo shows: Quotidian Metamorphosis featuring works by Jaynie Crimmins  and Aqueous Remains  featuring  Aurora Robson as well as The Tipping Point, a group show featuring J. Henry Fair, David Maisel, Alison Moritsugu, Richard Parrish, and Jill Pelto.

Jaynie Crimmins, Accumulations #4 , 12” x 12” x 12”D,  shredded household mail, thread over armature mounted on wood, 2016, photo courtesy of Cibele Vieira

Continue reading “Quotidian Metamorphosis at the Rockland Center for the Arts”

Meet the artists at Wave Hill’s Open Studios

Tamara Kostianovsky, trunk 4. photo courtesy of the artist

Wave Hill* is a twenty eight acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the spectacular Hudson River and Palisades. Wave Hill aims to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts. For the ninth consecutive year, Wave Hill opens Glyndor Gallery as workspace for selected New York-area artists, giving them the unique opportunity to explore the winter landscape and  develop innovative work based on direct observation  from nature. Continue reading “Meet the artists at Wave Hill’s Open Studios”

Internalized Borders at John Jay

Francisco Donoso, Between Passages, installation, 2018 image, photo courtesy of the artist
Francisco Donoso, Between Passages, installation, 2018, photo courtesy of the artist

Curated by Maria de Los Angeles and Susan Noyes Platt, the group show “Internalized Borders” at John Jay  College of Criminal Justice examines the various ways in which language and legal systems create internal and external borders. It addresses urgent issues of  immigration, detention, and deportation; especially focusing on how these issues are related to fear, criminalization of identity, economics of migration, and  perception of otherness. Continue reading “Internalized Borders at John Jay”

Dialogue between Art and Life: suggestion, that is the dream

To My Mougouch (dedicated to Agnes Magruder) by Arshile Gorky; all photos courtesy of Outlet gallery website, unless otherwise noted

In response to Arshile Gorky’s colored drawings exhibition, an ARTnewsreviewer back in March 1947 declared that Gorky is in no sense a draftsman and that his drawings “must be appraised as doodlings, for psychological rather than formal interest.” More than sixty years later, an exquisite Gorky drawing from 1946 on loan to Outlet gallery, serves as a starting point for a vibrant dialogue between more than thirty contemporary artists with strong and distinct personal iconography and some shared formal concerns. Continue reading “Dialogue between Art and Life: suggestion, that is the dream”