~DAN MANDELBAUM / CERAMIC FIGURES / MARVIN GARDENS / feel the heat !!

UP-DATE: SUN AUG 15, 2021

well, maybe ‘playful’ – isn’t exactly the right word.
just go ahead & substitute . . ‘terrifying’ !!

invoking the sun to come out and play is not – what this summer is all about.
more like: less sun, more moderation / more awareness. more industrial / cultural mindset . . change.
with all the huge wild fires raging out of control across the globe – with great destruction / and, artists hate destruction, archival, historic, and present endeavors / though p.s. ceramics are pretty much indestructible, by the way / raging fires destroying everything in their path & all around the globe, melting ice caps & resultant extreme storms & rising sea levels, interior river floods / and, now of course, with basically war – if not just a fraught retreat / in a very hot country consuming the headlines,
invoking the sun gods to come out & play – is tempting your fate.
something New Yorkers had considered themselves lucky to be not vulnerable to, situated where they were, as in not flooded, not on fire, and not at war.

though seriously – all you millennial creatives out there / this is an island, and it will go under / or parts of it will / for sure, at some point.

but, the average New Yorker – civilian day warrior was blissful, and feeling lucky: they were not being challenged by a fire or flood path / which seemed totally someone else’s problem / until our daily heat index . . went completely over-the-top of what humans can safely function in / and we went helplessly from a Heat Advisory – to an Extreme Heat Advisory, day after day.

yeah: ‘sunny-side-up’ – is not the word, just one week later.

more like: feel the heat !! the sun is consuming us, and whose fault – is that ?

though, still a big part of me / is reading this sun doll / ceramic doodle . . – as ‘joyful’. even if that’s just – nostalgic ?
or, wishful ?
the sun’s dance – is a wonderful thing / it’s our climate that has changed.

OPEN TODAY – SUN AUG 8 / 1 – 5 PM

what ?
doesn’t everybody have a ‘sunny-side up’ / doll collection ?!!

DAN MANDELBAUM – ‘MIGHT BE THE LAST SHOW’
JULY 14 – AUG 22, 2021
MARVIN GARDENS, 1534 DECATUR ST., RIDGEWOOD, NY 11385
HRS: SUN / 1-5 PM
OR BY APPT ONLY


IMAGE VIA MARVIN GARDENS GALLERY

DAN MANDELBAUM . . . clay figure.
looks to be smallish, but hefty. looking like it has some grit & some weight / very hot fired & extremely well glazed . . it has the shimmer of watercolor. and a dance of playfulness.
definite more cosmic – in mind-set / as opposed to . . deep hippie.
I’m wondering how it remains balanced on the pedestal. is it attached ?

DAN MANDELBAUM, ‘Chromaric Figure’, 2021.
glazed ceramic / 21 x 14 x 9 in.

Brooklyn-based, DAN MANDELBAUM . . graduated from PRATT INSTITUTE, BROOKLYN, NY. BFA / 2016.
see: DAN MANDELBAUM – ARTIST PORTFOLIO WEBSITE




~KELLIE & . . ‘JOHN AND THE HOLE’ / OPENING IN THE USA – TODAY / Q&A at QUAD CINEMA / TO-NIGHT – 7:30PM SCREENING / FRI AUG 6

KELLIE KONAPELSKY . . . !!

‘JOHN AND THE HOLE’ . . .
THE NEW, ‘STRANGE’ FILM / EVERYBODY, EVERYBODY is TALKING ABOUT . . . !!
IS OPENING TODAY, AUGUST 6 – IN THEATERS ACROSS THE US / & ON-DEMAND USA via IFCFILMS.

PASCUAL SISTO . . . “an installation artist with distinctive ideas around architecture, negative space, and composition” & “whose piercing directorial debut..” (both quotes: ROGER EBERT.COM) / this is,
will be doing a Q&A after the 7:30 pm screening – at QUAD CINEMA to-night . . . !!
FRI AUG 6, 2021.

SUPER CONGRATS !! GO OUT TO – KELLIE KONAPELSKY . . . !!

KELLIE . . . our Precog friend / where she is co-editor, publisher & . . graphic designer / designed the fab fab, super cold, nailed it . . . ‘JOHN AND THE HOLE’- movie poster !! / above !! damn !!!!!
really totally drop, dead – great.
& great font, btw /
I also really really like how she let those random, white ‘dot’ high-lites / of those tiny white rocks / play out visually – against the overall green grass field & bravely engage with the title’s font as well / a small touch, but maybe a big graphic design decision ?
but which totally . . brings some sense of the angst of the film – into the poster.
Kellie also . . . “did all the title design in the film.”

& ps I’m also pretty sure she had a lot of random / influence on the film’s creative decisions in general, as well; because PASCUAL SISTO, the newly critically acclaimed / film’s director, is . . her partner. irl / in real life.

SO, BRAVO FOR OUR FRIEND KELLIE !! / 6 DEGREES Of SEPARATION, or what !!
NYC UNDERGROUND, YOU ALWAYS AMAZE ME – YOU ALWAYS . . RULE !!

artlovers flashback:


from left: NICHOLAS STEINDORF and the women of Precog:
GABY COLLINS-FERNANDEZ, KELLIE KONAPELSKY, and, FLORENCIA ESCUDERO / bottom row center.

PHOTO: NANCY SMITH / ARTLOVERSNEWYORK, MARCH 1, 2020

historical note: this group photo was taken at what was to become known as the ‘Last Opening’ / as it was in fact the very last public opening, before the whole city, the whole world, shut down for . . COVID. it was a big, party-like celebration for HALEY JOSEPHS’ new painting show, at JACK BARRETT GALLERY, on the Lower East Side.
that’s a hint of Haley’s painting on the wall, and yes !!
she painted the walls – a cloudy baby pink !!

Florencia Escudero . . is co-editor, publisher of PRECOG,
Gaby Collins-Fernandez . . is also co-editor, publisher of PRECOG.
Kellie Konapelsky . . is co-editor, publisher, & Graphic Designer at PRECOG.
see: PRECOG

NICHOLAS STENDORF had just helped them with their digital, interactive ‘feature’ – on the global-minded / Paris-based, online VDC / VIRTUAL DREAM CENTER / digital platform.

some people just get around !!
Nicholas, 1/2 of Blinn & Lambert . . has a digital animation work – in the Brooklyn, Greenpoint / East Williamsburg / inaugural opening, also tonight, of new space: 11 Newel.

things are heating up / & it’s not even – Sept !!

BTW,
here’s: the link to the rave review . . TOMRIS LAFFLEY posted / on ROGER EBERT.
‘JOHN AND THE HOLE’ . . by TOMRIS LAFFLEY / ROGER EBERT – AUG 6, 2021


here’s: the link to the trailer




~’TIMELY’ / BIG GROUP SHOW / incl: BLINN & LAMBERT, CATHERINE MULLIGAN, JOE W. SPEIER / 11 NEWEL / OPENS FRI AUG 6

BIG, INAUGURAL OPENING – at 11 NEWEL / TESSA KRIEG’S NEW GALLERY VENTURE !!

‘TIMELY’ / A BIG GROUP SHOW – CURATED BY TESSA KRIEG
OPENS . . . FRI AUG 6 / 6 – 9 PM
& runs thru . . . SEPT 6, 2021
11 NEWEL GALLERY, 11 NEWEL ST., EAST WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN 11222
HRS: SUN-MON / 11-1 PM

WITH:
NOELLE VELEZ, JESSE EDWARDS, CLARE KOURY, JOE W. SPEIER, JAQUELINE CEDAR, ERNESTO RENDA, DAN BAINBRIDGE, TSAI-LING-TSENG, IRENA JUREK, JUSTIN ORTIZ, RENFIELD PEALE, MERYL BENNETT, MATTHEW TOM, CATHERINE MULLIGAN, BLINN AND LAMBERT, ANGELICA YUDASTO, ANDY RALPH, LEILA POUFFE, THEO ROSENBLUM, and CHELSEA SELTZER.

looks – to be on point !!

“Time as we know it Time as we don’t /
My time Your time Our time” . . .
see: ‘Timely’ / 11 NEWEL
see: 11 NEWEL on Instagram @11NEWEL

I have recently written up . . . 3 of the artists – in the show:
BLINN AND LAMBERT / CATHERINE MULLIGAN / JOE W. SPEIER.

1. actually . . 4 !!
BLINN AND LAMBERT – being a collaborative project involving 2 artists: NICHOLAS STEINDORF & KYLE WILLIAMS.


BLINN & LAMBERT are showing a ‘projection loop of a digital video’ /
image via Instagram @11NEWEL


BLINN AND LAMBERT / NICHOLAS STEINDORF & KYLE WILLIAMS,
‘EDGE OF LIGHT’ GROUP SHOW / PRESENTED BY CENTER for the HOLOGRAPHIC ARTS / CURATED BY JONATHAN SIMS
DEC 3 – 22, 2020, / PLAXALL GALLERY, LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH / FROM THE ADVANCE VIEWING, NOV 28, 2020.
see: ‘EDGE OF LIGHT’ – ARTLOVERSNEWYORK

2. I have never seen or met CATHERINE MULLIGAN irl, but this painting of hers, posted by A.D.NYC back in OCT of 2020 – sure caught my eye.


CATHERINE MULLIGAN, ‘Loyalty’.
oil & silver leaf on panel / 24 x 15.75 in.
image via Instagram @AD.NYC
see: ‘FADE INTO YOU’/ AD.NYC / OCT 17, 2020 – ARTLOVERSNEWYORK

3. likewise, I have never met or seen in real life, JOE W. SPEIER, or his ‘line drawing / narrative’ work, but my review of his recent show at KING’S LEAP via the gallery’s social media photos, this past April 2021 / . . garnered many new fans & mainstream press / for this artist.


JOE W. SPEIER, ‘Landscape Portrait’, 2021
ballpoint pen, acrylic medium, glitter, metal micro-beads.
image via Instagram @kings_leap
see: JOE W SPEIER, ‘YOU LIKEY’, March 26 – April 24, 2021 – ARTLOVERSNEWYORK




~JONNY CAMPOLO, JEFFREY TRANCHELL, ORLANDO ESTRADA / TURN ONZ, DETROIT / NADA House

LAST WEEKEND . . !!
NADA House / GOVERNORS ISLAND
ROCK THAT FERRY – OR, MISS THIS FAR-OUT . . ROCKIN’ ART RAVE !!

JONNY CAMPOLO, JEFFREY TRANCHELL – TURN ONZ, DETROIT


JONNY CAMPOLO . . !!
has several light switches – scattered about the NADA Houses.
when you see him, you see a rockin’ rolling good time – for sure.


NYC-BASED, JONNY COMPOLO – is the hands-down / art glass wizard of the east coast.


JONNY CAMPOLO – ‘TURN ONZ’, glass fabrication / light switch, 2021.
the transparent background plane of this glass-based light switch, picks up on its distressed, surreal surroundings, all part of the ‘groovy’, visual game that Jonny plays /
not just so well, but, with such glee . . .


JONNY CAMPOLO, ‘TURN ONZ’ glass fabrication / light switch, 2021.
meet the MAGIC MERLIN . . . of the UTILITARIAN !!


JONNY CAMPOLO, ‘TURN ONZ’ glass fabrication / light switch, 2021.
in these almost medieval, or at the very least uncertain times / who wouldn’t want an outburst like this – on their walls ?!!


IMAGE VIA JONNY CAMPOLO INSTAGRAM
JONNY – keep on trucking !!
JONNY – keep on rocking !!
follow: Jonny Campolo . . on Instagram / @jonnycampolo


JEFFREY TRANCHELL, founder / curator . . of the ‘TURN ONZ’ artist collective, based in DETROIT.
if Jonny is the MERLIN, of this scene / then, JEFFREY . . for sure is the . . KING ARTHUR !!
of this band of mostly underground / merry artists.
formerly NYC-based, where he was a founding member of the ESSEX FLOWERS collaborative gallery, Jeffrey Tranchell almost single-handedly – revved up the creative jump – on utilitarian objects.
sustainable, wildly – or most minimally (!!) imaginative, up-cycled . . art, in a very real sense of the word.

note: the snippet of the ‘jungle’ painting on the left, is by ERNESTO GUTIERREZ MOYA / of the EMERSON DORSH, MIAMI / NADA House 2021 presentation; the ‘autobiographical’ paper & mylar collage light switch he stands beside, is . . MINE !!
while the suspended, painted wooden eggs are by: NIKHOLIS PLANCK, presented MAGENTA PLAINS, NYC.


JEFFREY TRANCHELL – glass fabrication light switch, 2021.
PHOTO COURTESY: TURN ONZ

I didn’t catch Jeffrey’s light switch IRL, which was added to the mix by – popular demand !!
WARNING: don’t stare at it, too long / it can . . . READ – YOUR – MIND !!

but maybe, just maybe: it can make your most innermost dreams – come true.


ORLANDO ESTRADA, ‘TURN ONZ’ light switch – at NADA House 2021 / Governors Island.
image via JEFFREY TRANCHELL INSTAGRAM
check out: Jeffrey’s art, & his cutting edge / curatorial . . vision. / @jeffreytranchell

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH / unless otherwise noted.




~SAM MOYER / TURN ONZ, DETROIT / NADA House 404B

a slab . . .
a slate . . .
a double-take !!

last weekend !!!!!!!!
open thru . . . SUN AUG 1
NADA House 2021 / GOVERNORS ISLAND

SAM MOYER, ‘Light Switch’ . . . presented by TURN ONZ, DETROIT
NADA House 404 B
curated by JEFFREY TRANCHELL.


SAM MOYER, Light Switch, 2021.

all I can say is: what a beaut of a brute / brutalist / minimalist / chip-off-a-surface . . light switch !!
but, still – a story tale unfolds !!

ps: peeking in at the right, a peep of a WILLIE JINKS naive / brute painting . . in the SHRINE presentation – around the corner.


SAM MOYER, ‘Light Switch’.

yes !!
a story tale, albeit more along the lines of . . HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN !!
‘The Snow Queen’, ‘The Ice Virgin’ / the brittle, dark icy north, and the dark, dark sea.

I wonder if Ms. Moyer would object, if I termed her . . the ‘Ice Queen of Governors Island’ . . ?!!
I mean, what’s a watery rock outcrop – of an island / without a myth, a mermaid, or a snow queen.
with a tough, hard stance, a cold, cold heart – but a heart, that’s chipping away, slowly.

would she get mad – if I called her: SAMMY . . LA BETE ?
SAMMY the SNOW QUEEN . . . ?
her work is just so f-cking hard, and tough & . . . wistful.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH




~WILLY LE MAITRE / CANADA, NY / NADA House 405B

last weekend !!
NADA House 2021 / GOVERNORS ISLAND

WILLY LE MAITRE – Presented by CANADA, NY
NADA House 405 B

this presentation – also resonated quite strongly for me.


WILLY LE MAITRE . . . ‘TWINS’, 2021.

“Working in relation to his lenticular photographs and virtual reality installations, Willy Le Maitre uses immersive digital photography to present expanded and exploded views of the ever-forming world. In this new work ‘Twins’, Le Maitre applies continuous panoramic scenes to translucent material which enshroud a pair of standing pods. The printed image acts as a membrane to the form that effectively turns the panoramas inside out. The two ambiguous pod-like figures anchor perspective points, relative to one another and to the beyond, they both encapsulate in their interior voids”. – CANADA


WILLY LE MAITRE, ‘TWINS’.


WILLY LE MAITRE, lenticular photograph.


WILLY LE MAITRE, lenticular photograph.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH




~MARIE LORENZ / JACK HANLEY GALLERY, NY / NADA House 404B

last weekend !!!!
to see the very remarkable . . .
NADA House / Governors Island, 2021.
. . . up thru SUN AUG 1st.

MARIE LORENZ . . . presented by JACK HANLEY GALLERY, NY
NADA House 404 B


MARIE LORENZ . . with her presentation / which was so interestingly & vibrantly sited in a . . vintage kitchen !!
such a perfect tableau – for her faux archeological ‘objects’ / to be viewed & placed upon. as they are first & foremost 3-D ‘objects’ / that need to ‘sit’ on a surface.
and, also so interestingly – as connected to her themes:
found objects, fished out of the many water bodies surrounding us, and, mostly of the ‘thrown-out’ genre, and if most of our trash doesn’t come from the kitchen, and hence, home – then . . where ?
the old Governors Island military home kitchen . . also reverberates with questions of sustainability / unspoken questions of . . functionality, then, and now.
and… of course with regard to the future / recycling, repurposing / etc etc.
with the NADA houses themselves – now repurposed / as museum or gallery-like exhibit spaces – for this contemporary art presentation / and, really / so much more vibrant & sustainable than a big crowded tent, or the droning maze of a corporate show room.

note: the rigid, black (dying ?) coral, or fauna branch – atop the cabinet
note: the ominous but graceful ‘amphora’ peeking in at the left, sitting on the floor.


MARIE LORENZ . .
this great ole hunk of a piece, was hanging on vintage metal ‘pipes’ and seemed both a big hunk of steak and an . . an old vessel, a vase ? an amphora ?
having a great ‘visual’ conversation with both the interior kitchen space & . . what lay beyond the window.

MARE LORENZ, b. 1973, lives & works in NYC, and “roots her work in exploration and narrative. Since 2002 she has been traveling various waterways in boats she designs and builds, collecting the tidal debris that accumulates in the harbors”. – JACK HANLEY GALLERY
check out: MARIE LORENZ – JACK HANLEY GALLERY


MARIE LORENZ.

“An amphora, a funerary urn, plastic forks and water bottles, formed from cast beach plastic in a fossilized jumble. Future archeologists misunderstand the function, they misplace the objects and the century. Who can possibly remember what went where, when it all gets buried together, impossible combinations of form . . . and fancy.”
~JACK HANLEY GALLERY

a big giant’s teapot ?
more memory jar – than functional pouring vessel / it still seemed . . . steamy !!
braced as if with barnacles, it teemed with marine impulses.
while chiding us all – about – our natural waterway & water life . . . destruction.


MARIE LORENZ . . faux amphora
now, here’s the potential for a very big essay – on art fairs / unexpected presentation locations / historic venues / historic ‘visual’ influences re the actual object / and, the seamless incorporation of a far-out contemporary art object – into an historic kitchen – of all places !!
on an island / surrounded by water – that once functioned, as a – military fort.
dust-to-dust / the story gets retold, to keep the globe – spinning / or, not.
climate change. trash over-abundance. the treasures of the ancient oceans vs the blatant current destruction & overwhelmed natural marine life.


MARIE LORENZ . . .
but first, and foremost – it’s about these shapes !!
historic leaning – yet, full of new invention, new purpose – and, new storytelling.
I didn’t know Marie made objects like these. they blew me – away !!!!!
so handmade. so both about volume, and exterior accessory.
really, really remarkable.

ps: I asked Marie to tell me a little bit more about the fabrication of these amazing vessels:
“the sculptures are cast flotsam (beach plastic), the molds are made from clay, that is where they get their surface color and texture. The big black amphora, I cast out at the beach in the sand, by digging a pit & pressing objects into the sand. The casting material is hydrocal, so not fired, but I think they end up looking like clay / ceramic / fossil . . . because of the molding material”.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH


artlovers flashback:


MARIE LORENZ, in her kitchen, in an early 2000 millennial / artist communal residence in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Archival Photo: NANCY SMITH, Nov 22, 2005

.




~COLBY BIRD, HENRY GLAVIN / HALSEY McKAY GALLERY, EAST HAMPTON, NY / NADA House 403

last weekend to check this out !! – up thru . . SUN AUG 1
NADA House / GOVERNORS ISLAND

COLBY BIRD, HENRY GLAVIN / PRESENTED by HALSEY McKAY, EAST HAMPTON, NY
NADA House 403

. . . “the contrast of colonial style architecture and grooves of hardwood trees so close to the looming towers of Wall Street – makes for a unique setting to display paintings and sculptures by two artists who value labor and material history of rural artifacts and the physiological content of spaces”.
~HALSEY McKAY GALLERY

see: COLBY BIRD, HENRY GLAVIN / NADA House installation / HALSEY McKAY


COLBY BIRD, ‘A Large, Counterfeit Life’, 2021.
wood, paint, drywall screws, nails, aluminum, lightbulbs, glue, brass pins, brass latch, wiring, wood stain, linseed oil, mineral spirits, radio spring, light sockets, brass hinge, chain, leather, resentment, billiard ball, aluminum flashing, pleather, honeydew melon.
50 x 26 x 18 in.


COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species With Short Arms and Legs…Known for His Slow-Witted Demeanor’, 2021.
oranges, silver gelatin photograph of Nefertiti taken at Neues Museum in Berlin, glassine, wood, drywall screws, wood screws, nails, wood filler, wood stain, linseed oil, mineral spirits, brass hinges, suboxone wrapper, glass, water, lightbulb, wiring, keyboard, spring, brass pin, dog toy, pineapple finials, alabaster, washers, glue, music box, paint, water, slag glass door knob.
68 x 44 x 30 in.


COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘


COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘


COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . .’


COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘


COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘


COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘


COLBY BIRD, ‘Indeterminate Species . . . ‘


COLBY BIRD, ‘ Buddy Shoellkopf’, 2021
wood, brass, wiring, light fixture, lightbulb, 1800s brass handle, dreams about Alex dying, pressed wood, screws, nuts.
96 x 10 x 10 in. / Variable


HENRY GLAVIN painting over fireplace – flanked by COLBY BIRD sculptures.


HENRY GLAVIN, ‘The Piano and the Dog Gate’, 2021.
acrylic & ink on wood panel
60 x 48 in.


HENRY GLAVIN, ‘Forsythia in Living Room’, 2021.
acrylic & ink on wood panel
24 x 30 in.


HENRY GLAVIN, ‘Sale (Warren McKenzie)’, 2021.
acrylic & ink on wood panel.
24 x 30 in.

check out: COLBY BIRD – HALSEY McKAY

check out: HENRY GLAVIN – HALSEY McKAY

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH




~HENRY CRISSMAN / TURN ONZ, DETROIT / NADA House 404A

TURN ONZ . . . ???
LIVES UP – TO IT’S . . NAME !!!
IRL – ALERT !!!!!!

TURN Onz & NADA House / open today !!
Sunday July 25 !!
NYC !! – HIT THE ‘GO’ BUTTON, & JUMP ON THAT FERRY – !!!

note: next weekend is the last chance to catch this amazing / creative endeavor /
NADA House / Governors Island . . . up thru – AUG 1st !!

HENRY CRISSMAN – LIGHT SWITCH for: TURN ONZ, Detroit !!
curated by JEFFREY TRANCHELL / NADA House 404A /


HENRY CRISSMAN, Light Switch, 2021.
ceramic.

my daughter Kate, a classic millennial ‘creative’ / and therefore, a post-modern, mid-century, minimalist-loving fashion & style / design professional . . . literally let out an audible gasp, when we turned a corner, and she caught sight of Henry Crissman’s – minimalist, architectural, sculptural, and very very smooth – light switch !!

she said she had seen it online, but wondered what it was going to look like – IRL !!!!
needless to say – she . . . . . WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED !!!!


HENRY CRISSMAN, TURN Onz – light switch, 2021.

if only,
the world worked this way – in general.
so smooth, so calm, yet passionate. innovative, yet quite functional. a touch of emotion.
a big punch of . . determinism !!

problem-solving in a peaceful arc / nothing brutal about it, though perhaps ‘brute’ leaning, in that classic modernist sense.
a great contrast to the historic house, for sure. the presence of an artist – at work, for sure.


HENRY CRISSMAN – IMAGE VIA SELECT 2019 OBJECTS – HENRY CRISSMAN

HENRY JAMES HAVER CRISSMAN . . .
has a BFA in CRAFT / College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI / MICHIGAN (2012),
and, received his MFA in CERAMICS, Alfred University, NY, in 2015.
currently based in Hamtramck, MI (essentially Detroit), Crissman is currently an adjunct professor in the CRAFTS & MATERIALS STUDIES DEPT / College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI.

see: SELECT 2019 OBJECTS / HENRY CRISSMAN ARTIST PORTFOLIO WEBSITE


HENRY CRISSMAN – IMAGE VIA HENRY JAMES HAVER CRISSMAN / ARTIST PORTFOLIO WEBSITE

see: HENRY JAMES HAVER CRISSMAN / ARTIST PORTFOLIO WEBSITE

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH / UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED




~EDRA SOTO / MORGAN LEHMAN, NY / NADA House 404A

New England’s beloved, winter white snowball quilt pattern – turns black . . . in the tropical heat /
while addressing the historical, colonizing impact of the USA / on the island of Puerto Rico.

and, prob more likely just a function of basic graphic intersects / points on a grid.
I’m not sure the artist is even aware of the traditional early New England – ‘snowball’ quilt pattern ?!!
but at any rate, her decision to see the central shape ‘balls’ / i.e. the ‘negative’ space between the smaller surrounding grid units / as ‘black’ . . .
as opposed to . . . ‘our’ white – is telling / and, deliberate.

our early, pieced quilt pattern . . addresses: childhood fun, and the freedom to play joyfully, and carefree – in the fresh falling snow /
this contemporary interpretation of the same / square grid pattern, has a completely different message.
the central white snowballs, now rendered ‘black’ . . announce: “resistance, and civil disobedience”.

EDRA SOTO, MORGAN LEHMAN, NYC / NADA House 404A
NADA House – open weekends . . thru AUG 1.


EDRA SOTO, ‘Tropicalamerica 21’.

in early New England patchwork quilting traditions, a form of this grid pattern was called, ‘Snowballs’, and in it – the black shapes, would have been rendered – in white.
just shut your eyes, and i-m-a-g-i-n-e.


EDRA SOTO, ‘Tropicalamerica 21’.

EDRA SOTO, (b. 1971, Puerto Rico / currently teaches in the USA, where she is a faculty member in the Contemporary Practices Department at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

her new hand-crafted, textile artwork, titled ‘Tropicalamerica 21′,
“is suspended form the ceiling, (with) custom vinyl (tape) artwork adhered to the windows . . . continuing the artist’s practice of creating architectural interventions in spaces that connect her heritage with the pa articular history of the site where her work is being presented . . .
The 3 x 5.5’ fabric and metal flag features 78 4-pointed stars with each star representing a county equivalent entity (“municipio”) of Puerto Rico. This artwork is inspired by the all-black Puerto Rican flag, which was introduced in 2016, as a symbol of independence, resistance, and civil obedience. In Soto’s rendition, the artist refers to the visual motifs of Puerto Rican vernacular architecture to create a highly graphic original design.
The stars are made of soft pushed metal and hang loosely from the fabric . . .
In the windows Soto has created custom vinyl tape artwork that continues the architectural patterning that appears in the flag . . grafting the decorative motifs of her homeland onto the historic New England architecture (of the Governors Island / NADA House) . . .”
~MORGAN LEHMAN
see: EDRA SOTO / NADA House – MORGAN LEHMAN

note: hung this way, with a vertical domination, of course it speaks more of a quilt, than a flag, at least to me.
esp with the ‘square’ . . (piece work) multi-patterns.


EDRA SOTO, vinyl tape art work on the historic windows.

yes, a window – is a beautiful & scientifically wondrous . . thing.
whether it allows us to look out upon the surroundings, through clear glass / or symbolically – as a window of refection, upon history.
the potential for dialog, as spoken by an art work, is also – a beautiful thing.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH