~NADIA BELERIQUE . . ‘Everything, All The Time’ / Stained Glass details / BABA YAGA / HUDSON, N.Y.

the world feels . . so skinny !!
in . . Covid.

SCOTT KEIGHTLEY . . is showing a singular & very curious sculpture by young Canadian artist, NADIA BELERIQUE / in his upstate gallery, BABA YAGA,
in a small group show titled, ‘Silhouettes’.

‘Silhouettes’ – BABA YAGA GALLERY
5821 NY-9G, HUDSON, N.Y.
HRS: SAT 12-6 PM / or by appt

it’s . . a great sunny, autumn crisp day / perfect for a rural road trip !!
Go check it out – today / if you can.
it’s Sat !!


NADIA BELERIQUE, ‘Everything, All The Time’, 2020.
Maple wood, stained glass, copper, tape, lead.
(it appears to be . . ‘human size’.)


what struck me as so interesting about this, otherwise at first glance – so, very simple piece / were 2 things.

one: the use of stained glass, esp. in such a narrative way, but also as a visual addition to a sculpture. and a wooden, stand-alone one at that.
glass, and stained glass in particular . . being a recurring subject here on artlovers lately, and trending, apparently in the art world . . in general.
this sculpture is notable for the beautiful, and well, the truly exquisite and subtle color of the stained, leaded stained glass detail, but also most curiously for the lack of, or at least / extremely narrow . . translucent and / or transparent ‘zone’. being fashioned, seeminggly flat . . onto the wood’s surface.
Being attached to the wood at a close call / the pale glass is not a window to see thru / but a kind of shallow light, or reflection.
yet, for all that narrowness, it retains a deft . . dynamic. very curious, & very skilled. and also so controlled by narrative vision, and yet: in a seemingly spontaneous gesture, too.

two: the narrowness of the entire piece, the narrowness of the 2 upright human silhouettes, and yes, even the distance between time, struck me so much – as it jumped to my mind immediately as a Covid metaphor, for today’s limited and, often wounded . . social interaction.
even the stained glass elements, pale yellow ?, white ? gray ?
struck me as . . sickly, pale in hope . . / certainly not bright and sunny.
but still: reaching out, for a pat. a touch. a connection.
this is no steamy ‘kissing’ embrace / this is Covid. cautious. limited. wounded. wavering on the brink of human contact.


Nada Belerique (b. 1982, Canada) / lives and works in Toronto.


see:: BABA YAGA, ‘Silhouettes’ installation photos / on their website


see: NADIA BELERIQUE – ARTIST WEBSITE

note: ALL PHOTOS / COURTESY of THE GALLERY via Instagram @babayagagallery