Collective Memory: Artists Reflecting on the Arts
May 23rd- July 7th 2018
Equity Gallery, 245 Broome Street, New York, NY 10002
Opening Reception: Wednesday, May 23rd, 6 - 8 PM
Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Friday, 1 - 7 PM and Saturday, 12 - 6 PM.
Equity Gallery is pleased to present Collective Memory: Artists Reflecting on the Arts, a group exhibition curated by Jessica Daryl Winer, featuring the work of Elliott Arkin, Babette Bloch, Christopher Carroll Calkins, Valentina DuBasky, Gabriel Ferrer, Ana Golici, Emilie Lemakis, Marc Mellon, Michael Townsend and Jessica Daryl Winer.
The artists within Collective Memory explore the idea that over the millennia of human history, the arts remain the singular and lasting footprint of civilizations. It asks the question of artists, how does one reflect on and respond to being part of this continuum. Or as phrased by President John F. Kennedy, “Behind the storm of daily conflict and crisis, the poet, the artist, the musician continues the quiet work of centuries…”
The exhibition’s title embraces the notion that the arts have existed since the first humans, and that over time, artists and the work they make comprise humankind’s pieced-together memory.
“Artists have always held tremendous power, which is not usually in evidence except when you look at the long view of history,” says the show’s curator, Jessica Daryl Winer. “But when you see terrorist groups willfully destroying archeological remnants of great civilizations past in order to subjugate populations, you realize the enormous power that arts and culture holds.”
The eleven artists juxtapose divergent approaches in conversation with each other, reflecting on primal questions consuming artists over the millennia: Elliot Arkin’s conceptual use of web-based commerce spins an absurdist view on the commodification of artists; Babette Bloch’s stainless steel reassessments of nature and artistic precedent limn positives and negatives through light; Christopher Carroll Calkins’s street photography captures moments of under-the-radar narratives; Valentina DuBasky’s acrylic and marble dust works on paper and plaster are a contemporary comment on the prehistory of art; Gabriel Ferrer's performance-like in-the-moment sumi-ink drawings on handmade paper reflect on memory and personal narrative; Ana Golici, in pergamano and collage, takes inspiration from 17th Century female naturalist, entomologist and botanical illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian to explore questions of science, nature and objective truth; Emilie Lemakis’s monumental amplification of an ancient Greek krater employs scale to upend perceptions for the viewer’s reconsideration; Mark Mellon’s bronzes address the oppositions of movement and stillness; the alchemy of Michael Townsend’s uncontrolled poured acrylic paintings equate the properties of materials with the turbulence of the universe; Jessica Daryl Winer’s engagement with luminous color and choreographic line reflects in visual resonance the sonic history of a musical instrument.
On her arrival in New York, Romanian born Ana Golici began experimentation with new techniques such as electrostatic transfers and digital imagery, as well as Scanning Electronic Microscope images which she has used in her scientific explorations of nature. Golici’s works are in the permanent collections of the Romanian Museum of Art, The Library of Congress, The New York Hall of Science, and in private collections in Europe, Asia and the U.S.
Emilie Lemakis finds that only by working with a variety of methods, materials, and media can she really accomplish what she’s looking for. To make invisible feelings visible.
Figurative sculptor Marc Mellon has been creating lyrical dance bronzes, iconic sports bronzes, and insightful and revealing busts and statues for over forty years. He has exhibited internationally, and has works in numerous museum collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.
Michael Townsend attended Mansfield University to obtain his Bachelor's in Studio Arts, but his critical artistic education has developed over a 28 year expanse working in the laboratory and technical departments at GOLDEN Artist Colors, Inc. There, Townsend gained an appreciation for paint-making and artist technique. This fuels his constant quest for understanding the universal forces impacting his painting process.
Jessica Daryl Winer’s work is infused by her native New York City; her explorations of color, composition and subject in her paintings, refract architecture, nature and the performing arts. She has had numerous exhibitions, large public works, and project collaborations with prominent institutions including American Ballet Theatre, Central Park Conservancy, Lincoln Center and Times Square.