On the necessity of gardening: an abc of art, botany and cultivation, Editor: Laurie Cluitmans Contributors: Maria Barnas, Jonny Bruce, Laurie Cluitmans, Thiëmo Heilbron, Liesbeth M. Helmus, Erik A. de Jong, René de Kam, Alhena Katsof, Jamaica Kincaid, Bart Rutten, Catriona Sandilands, Patricia de Vries. Design: Bart de Baets
Henk Wildschut, Rooted, ZaatariCamp, Jordan-April-2018. Henk Wildschut photographed the improvised gardens of people who have lost their homes and ended up in refugee camps.KJM in botanical revolution
Adopted Landscapes, an exhibition co-curated by Dina Mitrani with Marina Font–gallery artist and resident of Collective 62. This exhibition features the work of twenty-two artists pushing beyond the boundaries of the photographed landscape and will be on view through November 15, 2022.
In the history of art, the landscape has been one of the most explored subjects of representation. Adopted Landscapes brings together contemporary works of photography-based art that depict the landscape as a departure point for unique conceptual and narrative works. Disinterested in the photographic landscape as a conclusion, these works offer answers to the question: How does the traditional photographic landscape serve multidisciplinary artists today?
Combining mediums as well as interlacing techniques, the artists build upon the formal qualities of the genre. In some cases, the landscape is transformed before the camera captures the image. In others, the image undergoes digital manipulation; while in many of the works, the printed image is the base layer where multimedia elements are manually applied to the surface. Each artist offers a different vantage point, but their intentions are similar: to transmute the pure retinal experience of capturing nature and re-interpreting it in a way that is connected with the human experience.
These works inspire us to contemplate the ever-changing, ancient relationship between person and place. They suggest a range of themes including climate change, erasure, nostalgia, and in some cases, a sense of displacement. Through innovative experimentation, each artist inspires different ways of seeing, making us more aware of our roles and responsibilities in this dynamic world we all share.
The Collective 62 Art Studios, founded by Nina Surel, is an independent art space devoted to creation outside of the traditional circuits of art. Located in Liberty City, Collective 62 also seeks to reverse the growing phenomenon of gentrification through regeneration that derives from creation and community-based workshops.
Adler Guerrier, Adriene Hughes, Aline Smithson, Amy Gelb, Charlotta Hauksdottir, Christa Blackwood, Colleen Plumb, Deryn Cowdy, Gabriela Gamboa, Ingrid Weyland, Luciana Abait, Lujan Candria, Marina Font, Marina Gonella, Manuel Nores, Phil Toledano, Roberto Huarcaya, Silvia Lizama, Tatiana Parcero, Thomas Jackson, Vanessa Marsh, and Veronica Pasman.
“Vini kouzen map mennen’w!”, in the title of the exhibition, translates as “Come on cousin, I’ll take you!”. The bit of dialogue parallels a moment toward the end of Toni Morrison’s Tar Baby, when Thérèse volunteers to take Son to Isle de Chevaliers. Though partly blind, Thérèse insists on leading the way to a place where she thinks Son needs to be in order to make a better choice about his life, future, and in service to blackness; she encourages him to run toward the ancient and enchanted. It is, in essence, the best way to navigate this formulation of the Caribbean, through kinship and with the help of those we share deep affinities.
Natalia Garcia-Lee‘s exhibition (April 22, 2022 – June 25, 2022), The Measure of Man, featured twelve grand oil on canvas renderings, a series of intimate oil gems, and a mixed-media installation titled The War Machine to interpret the tactical ‘complexities’ burrowed within the human psyche. Inspired by the findings of American psychologist Edward C. Tolman, and behavioral research of ethologist John B. Calhoun, the exploration of mammalian behavior and the cognitive reactions to both physical and societal structures provide the foundation on which the paintings emerge. The output of both Tolman and Calhoun serve as landing points in Garcia-Lee’s interpretation of the paradoxical nature of the human experience, assumed on the basis that living creatures are inherently alike.
The collection of paintings, drawings and collages are the artist’s first solo exhibition at LnS Gallery. In tandem with the show, a comprehensive exhibition catalogue will feature informative essays by Dr. Carol Damian, emeritus Professor of Art History at Florida International University, and former Director and Chief Curator of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University (Miami, Florida) and Melissa Diaz, Cultural Arts Curator at Deering Estate (Miami, Florida).
The First Death, 2021 oil on canvas 60 x 72 inchesLow Level Learning, 2021 oil on canvas 72 x 96 inches
Including outdoor sculptures in the gardens and indoor artwork in the Leonhardt Galleries, “Symbiosis” aesthetically merges art and the botanical world. Curated by renowned art collector Beth Rudin DeWoody, “Symbiosis” will not only focus on the interaction between two organisms that mutually benefit each other, but also will speak in a greater sense about the overall interconnectivity of living things.
“I am thrilled to continue my ongoing collaboration with the Berkshire Botanical Garden — this time with ‘Symbiosis,”’ said DeWoody, who curated last year’s “Taking Flight” sculpture exhibit at BBG. “Throughout my collecting, I see patterns in the works that artists are creating. This exhibition focuses on the natural world and the relationships among living things and is reflective of what I have been seeing within the greater art world.”
“I am bringing to BBG lots of exciting, emerging artists that have been on my radar for a while,” DeWoody continued. “I’m also happy to show artists within this exhibition that are more world-renowned. Curating always gives me the opportunity to support and share my vision beyond just my collection. Enjoy!”
Chairman of The Rudin Family Foundations and Executive Vice President of Rudin Management, DeWoody is known for her vast art collection, which she houses and exhibits by appointment at The Bunker Artspace in West Palm Beach, Fla. She is the Vice Chairman of the Whitney Museum of American Art and Life Trustee at The New School in New York City. Her board affiliations also include Empowers Africa, Save A Child India, Inc, The Glass House in New Canaan, Conn., and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.
The outdoor sculpture portion of “Symbiosis” is on exhibit from June 10 through Oct. 28. It will feature works by Michele Oka Doner, Daniel Gordon, Brandon Lomax, Yassi Mazandi, Thaddeus Mosley, Ben Wolf Noam, Kiki Smith, Ned Smyth, Wade Tullier, and Erwin Wurm.
The first of three indoor “Symbiosis” exhibits this season in BBG’s Leonhardt Galleries will run from June 10 through July 24. It will feature works by Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A.), Ann Craven, Michele Benjamin, William Binnie, DABSMYLA, Robert Davis, E.V. Day, Jordan Doner, Walton Ford, Daniel Gordon, Karen Gunderson, Judi Harvest, Steven & William Ladd, Lee Relvas, Kathy Ruttenberg, Sean Mellyn, Dana Sherwood, Alan Sonfist, Ana María Velasco, Paul Villinski, LeRone Wilson, Rob Wynne, and Firooz Zahedi.
The second indoor exhibition will run from July 29 through Sept. 11, and feature works by Christopher Adams, Charles Arnoldi, L.C. Armstrong, Madeleine Bialke, David Brooks, Leidy Churchman, Peter Dayton, Margot Glass, Mimi Gross, Paula Hayes, Robert Hawkins, Marc Horowitz, Kathy Klein, Seffa Klein, Nancy Monk, Charles Ray, Tomás Saraceno, Max Hooper Schneider, Katherine Sherwood, Simone Shubuck, Coleen Sterritt, and Tabboo!
The third indoor exhibition will run from Sept. 16 through Oct. 30, and feature works by John McAllister, Lou Beach, Helen Chung, Elliot Green, Adler Guerrier, Sophia Heymans, Marsia Holzer, Max Jansons, Poppy Jones, Iran Issa-Khan, Lacey Leonard, Matt Murphy, Peter Nadin, Rose Nestler, Jonathan Peck, Alexandra Penney, Rob Raphael, Megumi Shinozaki, Elizabeth Thompson, Celina Teague, Henry Vincent, Gabrielle Vitollo, Shanna Waddell, Faith Wilding, and Anna Zemánková.
“Symbiosis” is produced by Laura Dvorkin, co-curator of The Bunker Artspace and Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection.
Untitled (Wander and Errancies–memories within; citrus in Saint Augustine). 2021. Archival pigment print. MNP.
Des grains de poussière sur la mer – Sculpture contemporaine des Caraïbes françaises et d’Haïti présente les œuvres de vingt-six artistes issus de la Guadeloupe, de la Martinique, de la Guyane française et d’Haïti. L’exposition met en scène différentes approches matérielles et conceptuelles témoignant des pratiques des artistes de cette région du monde ; elle vise à souligner leur participation à un monde de l’art globalisé tout en poussant dans ses retranchements la question de savoir qui est au « centre » et qui est à la « périphérie ». Conçue à partir du médium de la sculpture, l’exposition présente les œuvres d’art de manière à la fois distincte et intégrée afin d’évoquer un réseau d’idées autour du patrimoine, de l’histoire, de l’identité, du corps social et de la politique.
L’exposition Des grains de poussière sur la mer – Sculpture contemporaine des Caraïbes françaises et d’Haïti a été créée par Arden Sherman pour la Hunter East Harlem Gallery du Hunter College New York en 2018. Elle a été rendue possible par le soutien généreux des services culturels de l’ambassade de France aux Etats-Unis et du Hunter College. Elle a également été soutenue par les directions des affaires culturelles de Martinique et de Guadeloupe, et la fondation FACE.
En France, l’exposition est coproduite par le Hunter College de New York, la Villa du Parc (74) et la Ferme du Buisson (77), centres d’art contemporain d’intérêt national.
