NEW YORK NEW WORK | ALBADA JELGERSMA | AMSTERDAM, NL | 9.2 – 11. 4, 2017
New York, New Work
Patrick Brennan, Elise Ferguson, Joseph Hart, Karen Lee Williams, Erin O’Keefe, Ryan Wallace
September 2 – November 4, 2017
ALBADA JELGERSMA Gallery proudly presents its inaugural exhibition NEW YORK, NEW WORK with six New York based artists: Patrick Brennan, Elise Ferguson, Joseph Hart, Karen Lee Williams, Erin O’Keefe and Ryan Wallace.
Opening reception: Saturday, September 2 from 5-8 pm.
ALBADA JELGERSMA is a new gallery located in Amsterdam that aspires to bring foreign artists to the Dutch capital, and it wants to contribute to its lively artistic climate by organizing events such as artist talks, discussions and screenings. With this exhibition it connects the New York art world with the Dutch tradition of painting.
New York has been featured as the center of the art world since the 1940s and 50s with the Abstract Expressionists. The emphasis on the medium of painting is still very much present in New York today. The artworks in this exhibition show how versatile this medium is. These American artists are keen to show their work in Amsterdam because it stands for a rich painterly tradition as can be witnessed in its history and museums.
About the artists
Patrick Brennan (1975) works with his environment. This can be the city (New York) or the mountains and woods upstate (where the artist works as well). There is a certain discomfort and uneasiness in his paintings; they need serious attention. Each painting is an invitation to the viewer to connect with the experience of the painter. Brennan works the surface by layering paints, dyes, spray paint, and glitter, all in order to create his abstractions that evoke landscapes or figures, with suggestive titles.
Elise Ferguson (1964) makes paintings from plaster on mdf panel. She works with mathematical puzzles and geometric variations using patterns and color. She creates the patterns in Photoshop, after which she makes screen prints that she applies to the plaster. The works seem flawless but at a closer look one sees imperfections. It is these imperfections that create a tension between the figure and the plaster build-up. In that way Ferguson explores the possibilities and limitations of her materials.
Joseph Hart (1976) makes paintings that incorporate impulsive mark making and careful organization. By combining painting, drawing and assemblage, his work is built up and impulsively edited until a dynamic composition begins to emerge. Bold forms are balanced by wayward gestures, while vibrant colors are checked by swaths of black and white. The visual results are provocative, severe and elegant.
Karen Lee Williams (1980) works mostly in sculpture and photography to create a space in which logic and intuition play with each other. Her work challenges conventional assumptions about natural phenomena and materiality and it makes us aware of the absurdity of trying to reconcile reason with gut feeling. Lee Williams is inspired by instances where superstition and mysticism infiltrate scientific discovery and technology.
Erin O’Keefe (1962) is informed by the disciplines of architecture and photography in her practice. Her work consists of photographs of tabletop still life arrangements that she constructs in her studio. Her images exploit the layer of distortion and misapprehension introduced by the camera as it translates three-dimensional form and space into two-dimensional image. This inevitable misalignment is the central issue in her practice.
Ryan Wallace (1977) recycles and deconstructs studio materials and paintings to build his works, in a continuous generative cycle. His paintings are composed with the worn surfaces of vinyl screens, tarps, metallic tape, tiles, rubber and torn pieces of canvas. The use of reflective materials causes visual changes to the paintings depending on their light source. The exhibition includes collaged works as well as Pitch paintings consisting of tiles that had a previous life as molds for sculptures and floor installations.
About ALBADA JELGERSMA Gallery
The gallery Albada Jelgersma is founded by Renée Albada Jelgersma and Lucas Albada Jelgersma. Renée has worked for an extended period in the New York art world. She interned at Christie’s and LMAKprojects and worked for over five years at Peter Blum Gallery. She also worked in Amsterdam at Flatland Gallery. Her brother Lucas is an entrepreneur in heart and soul. After selling his business he sought a new challenge and found it in the foundation of a gallery with his sister, sharing her enthusiasm for contemporary art.
Artist Talk: Elise Ferguson
The first artist talk will take place on Friday September 22 at 6:30 pm with Elise Ferguson, one of the artists in the exhibition. Please RSVP via info@albada-jelgersma.com.