'Re/Imaging New York' to Arrive at Studio21south
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Studio21south will present the exhibition "Re/Imaging New York" from Saturday, July 31 through Monday, Sept. 6. The featured artists' work explores new iconography at the city's fringes, changing how the viewer sees New York in the 21st century.New York City consists of several islands, and the means of traveling from one to the other is a major factor in the lives of all the artists in the show. The show's subject matter is diverse, but each artist in "Re/Imaging New York" focuses to some degree on the intricate underpinnings of the bridges and elevated subway trestles which connect the boroughs. Interpretations of the theme range from graphic close-ups which verge on abstraction, to accomplished panoramas by Valeri Larko.
Larko, a mid-career painter whose extensive exhibition history includes an ongoing solo show at the Morris Museum (located in Morristown, N.J.), highlighting two decades of her past work. In the words of Steven Miller, executive director of the Morris Museum, "We take the train in and out of the city, or we pass through with our windows rolled up and the radio on, and we ignore the landscape because we think these are not aesthetically pleasing places to be. But she finds peace and simplicity in these places that she then renders on canvas."
Larko's image of a string of houseboats along the coast of the Bronx is a window into the "city that never sleeps" that most of us never see. Another atypical subject in "Re/Imaging New York" is in Eric March's painting of a half-finished condo building sporting garish yellow insulation – a familiar sight in the gentrifying neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens.
The show contains much larger works than any of studio21south's prior exhibits. The studio-loft setting complements these paintings, with their gritty, industrial themes. As New York City expatriates, the gallery co-directors, Thor Wickstrom and Jaye Fox, have a particular personal interest in this show which connects their old hometown to their current Berkshire environs.
Located in an historic mill loft, studio21south is an exhibition space featuring contemporary realism and formal abstraction, located at 189 Beaver St. (Route 8), approximately 1 mile from Mass MoCA.
There will be an opening reception for the show on Saturday, July 31, from 3 to 7 p.m. Studio21south is open Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m., Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and most weekdays and other times by appointment or by chance. For more information, call 413-652-2141, email studio21south@gmail.com or visit www.studio21south.blogspot.com.
