Featured Exhibition
As a textile artist, I am drawn to works that uphold the tradition of fibers vis a vis labor, technique, material, craftsmanship and innovation. In this presentation put forth by Bravin Lee Programs, The Golden Thread 2 displays fiber-themed works taking various forms. Filling the old seaport building from floor to ceiling, room after room reveals different interpretations on what constitutes a “textile” work.
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From paintings on large swaths of fabric to traditional forms of weaving, knitting, and needle art practices, the works in the show bring vibrant punctuations of color to the beautiful wood-and-brick structure. Some of the artists present work in relation to the architecture of the space, which is a delight. Many of these works function as installations, created from an array of materials, and playfully expanding through space. With sixty artists spanning the breadth of four floors, there is much to see, and lots of surprises to unfold.
Weaving is a common form present in many of the works in this show. Artists such as Michelle Segre, Julia Bland, and Sylvia Schwartz take drastically different forms in their approaches, resulting in different feels, textures, and sculptural formations. The grid is transformed in endless ways and feels ever-expansive. Assemblage is another popular take, where the old becomes new again. This is exercised in bright colors and large-scale works from artists such as Ruby Chishti, Tomo Mori, and Emily Silver.
Portraiture is also on view, in works by artists such as Lauren Luloff and Halley Zien. The language of painting is also represented through works alluding to it by artists such as Sammy Bennett and Lior Modan. Of course, crochet is always a classic way to create fiber art, and Sheila Pepe’s work is a mighty piece that hits the mark every time. With so much to see and take in, the visit will take some time. In this stunning and historic venue, it’s an inviting way to while the day away.
As Tura Oliveira’s Wheel of Fortune utilizes the large mill wheel once used to hoist grain, the symbology is ripe and opens up conversations on how artists are utilizing these spaces to create new commentary. Several installations in the exhibition touch upon the idea of nature through forests and seascapes; perhaps dreaming of elsewhere is a secondary thread within the thematics of this show.
Overlooking the seaport and its long and complicated history, one can imagine the stories that could be threaded into some of the works temporarily at home here. With so many voices echoing throughout the building, there is no shortage of conversing or reverberation happening here. Throughout the galleries, the Golden Thread 2 weaves a tapestry all its own.
Photos courtesy of Yasmeen Abdallah
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The Golden Thread, Part 2, Curated by: Bravin Lee Programs (Karin Bravin and John Post Lee), 207 Front Street (Between Fulton + Beekman, west side of street), NYC, Wednesday-Sunday 12pm-6:30pm through May 16
Featuring: Liv Aanrud, Alissa Alfonso, Abdolreza Aminlari, Paolo Arao, Natalie Baxter Felix Beaudry, Sammy Bennett, Montrel Beverly, Samantha Bittman, Julia Bland Jess Blaustein, Chris Bogia, Eileen Braun, Jennifer Cecere, Ruby Chishti, Poppy Deltadawn, Rima Day, Sam Dienst, Lesley Dill, Ali Dipp, Lucia Engstrom, Mark Fleuridor, Terri Friedman, Manuela Gonzalez, Françoise Grossen, Tali Halpern Sharon Kerry-Harlan, Valerie Hegarty, Ana María Hernando, Candace Hicks, Traci Johnson, Anna Kunz, Lauren Luloff, Karen Margolis, Ruben Marroquin, Caitlin McCormack, Lior Modan, Tomo Mori, Ellie Murphy, Tura Oliveira, Mia Pearlman Sheila Pepe, Julie Peppito, Debra Rapoport, Josie Love Roebuck, Baylee Schmitt, Sylvia Schwartz, Michelle Segre, Manju Shandler, Fran Siegel, Emily Silver Jacqueline Surdell, Rhian Swierat, Suzanne Tick, Trish Tillman, Tiny Pricks Project (Diana Weymar), Maris Van Vlack, Cyle Warner, Rachel Mica Weiss, Ulla-Stina Wikander, Halley Zien
About the writer: Yasmeen Abdallah is an interdisciplinary artist, curator and educator. Her work examines historical and contemporary culture through materiality, reuse, memory, and space. She has been a visiting/teaching artist and lecturer at institutions including the New Museum; Pratt Institute; Sarah Lawrence College; Residency Unlimited; BRIC; Kean University; Parsons the New School for Design; Columbia University; Children’s Museum of NYC; Interference Archive; El Barrio Artspace; Brooklyn Arts Council; Fairleigh Dickinson University; and University of Massachusetts. Abdallah earned Bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology (focus in Historical Archaeology) and in Studio Art with honors, with a Minor in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies from University of Massachusetts. She also holds an MFA in Fine Arts, with distinction, from Pratt Institute. Exhibitions include Art in Odd Places; the Boiler; Bronx Art Space; Bullet Space; Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center; Cornell University; Ed Varie; Elizabeth Foundation; Emily Harvey Foundation; Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space; NARS Foundation; Open Source; Pratt Institute; Painting Space 122 Gallery; Spring Break Art Show; University of Massachusetts; and Westbeth. Select press and publications include Anthropology of Consciousness; Ante Art; Art Observed; Bust Magazine; Emergency Index; Hyperallergic; Papergirl Brooklyn; Free City Radio; Radio Alhara; Tussle Magazine; the Urban Activist; and Transborder Art. Her work is in public, private, and traveling collections in the U.S. and abroad. @86cherrycherry