Artists' Vision: Two Gallery Shows in Brooklyn

 

Amy Weil, Burnt Offerings           Photo:440 Gallery

I have recently seen two local Brooklyn gallery shows of note. My gallery visits included stimulating conversations with three artists. One of the reasons I love talking to artists is we see possibilities.  We believe in our vision and we want to share it.

Stand4 is a Bay Ridge gallery run by Jeannine Bardo. I met Jeannine soon after I moved to Brooklyn by following a series of crumbs that led me to her. A bonus was that her gallery is close by. Stand4 always has a very ambitious agenda that pushes my boundaries. The current show is no exception.  

Artists Mira Dayal, Marina Kassianidou and curator John Ros     

Intermission museum art/archive: volume I, on view at Stand4 from September 10 — October 23, 2021 is a robust show that takes a certain amount of unpacking. Twenty-two artists have been paired to create the 11 teams included in this exhibit. I will merely scratch the surface here and invite you to come to Stand4 and immerse yourself in this exhibit. I am grateful for the opportunity to expand my horizons and see the world from a different perspective.

At the opening I met two of the collaborating artists, Mira Dayal and Marina Kassianidou. Their work consisted of a series of white sheets of paper on the wall, a blue tape drawing on the floor and a web-based animation. I was interested to learn that they had collaborated virtually and only met for the exhibit. Marina Kassianidou lives in Colorado and Mira here in NYC. 

Mira and Marina both focus on the concept of subtlety and nuance in their work. Looking at a mark and seeing both inside and outside the boundaries. That is really the bottom line, artists are sharing their vision. Artists are not limited in what their vision might be, demonstrating what I meant by "seeing possibilities.  What was very informative for me was that both artists, Mira and Marina talked about making viewers “work” to see the essence of their art.  When I asked why, the answer was that if it is too easy to consume/digest, it may also be easily forgotten. If you work for it, it has greater meaning and value. Not my approach but I certainly can understand that point of view. By contrast, I see my work  as tactile, present and in the moment.  Please take advantage of the exhibit catalogue to read both the artists and the curator’s ideas about this diverse collection of collaborations.

440 Gallery in Park Slope lured me into their current show by spectacular promo images of Amy Weil’s Burnt Offerings, September 8 - October 10, 2021. I made it to the show on the Wednesday afternoon it opened and Amy was there. 

Amy Weil, artist's hand and Burnt Offerings      photo:400 Gallery promo postcard

As you enter the gallery, you are surrounded by small squares of paper hanging from the ceiling. The gallery is quite small and the effect is mesmerizing. I love walking in the rain and this was EVEN better. I was surrounded by color and content that demanded inspection. Amy explained that the number of pieces, 660 reflected (times 100) the number of Covid death’s in the country, each square a tribute to a victim of the pandemic. She wanted the squares to represent each unique personality. Weil feels that the bees wax makes the paper almost skin-like and the marks she makes add a memory of time and place. 

I really appreciated meeting these three artists and having the opportunity to hear them talk about their work and ask questions to expand my understanding of their vision. Artists=vision/possibilities

Check out these exhibits for yourself. Let me know what you think.