True Alchemy

Thierry Goldberg is pleased to present “True Alchemy”, a group exhibition of works by Daniel Boccato, Helia Chitsazan, Genevieve Goffman, Kat Lowish, Asif Mian, Johanna Mirabel, Gabriela Rassi, Emma Schwartz, Nicholas Sullivan, Augustina Wang, and Elzie Williams III.

We are now at a junction, a point of change, where one must build upon the old to embark on the new. Taking to transmutation as an entry point, the works in “True Alchemy” savor the seemingly magical process of transformation. Drawing on a multitude of mediums, the artists collectively change and redefine their styles and techniques to produce a surprising oeuvre of works that brim with guileful ingenuity.

Alchemy denotes a call to bend and manipulate nature to reflect human imagination. Stretching the properties of paper to its fullest capacity, Nicholas Sullivan and Elzie Williams III transform the medium itself. Nicholas Sullivan upcycles old magazines to produce miniature industrial stoves that look deceptively heavier than they are. Elzie Williams III stitches together cutouts from fashion magazines concentrating on the colloquial pantones of skin color often highlighted in advertisements.

Genevieve Goffman and Augustina Wang infuse their works with a sense of lore, presenting imagery that reflects an idyllic worldview. Goffman designs intricate 3D-printed models that represent historical or mythical events. Her works bring attention to the inherent complication involved in oversimplifying or fetishizing the past. Wang’s ethereal figures distort reality through their idealization of fantastical female forms. Her figures often serve as a proxy for herself, encouraging the development of female archetypes that are enigmatic and flawlessly powerful.

Helia Chitsazan, Johanna Mirabel, and Emma Schwartz‘s works also play with depictions of femininity. Chitzazan’s tempestuous figures utilize light, transparency, and shadow to manifest their internal emotions externally. Emma Schwatz’s ghost-like figures glide across the canvas exposing moments that are hazily seeped in quiet introspection and reflection. Johanna Mirabel’s works explore aspects of duality. Her twin figures wander through amalgamated spaces poignantly highlighting complexities of conducting life on the borderline.

Taking delight in the serendipitous, Kat Lowish and Gabriela Rassi create compositions that bolster the unexpected. Kat Lowish’s closely cropped paintings pair partially pictured figures with half-eaten jewel-like dishes, comically accentuating instances of grotesque opulence. Utilizing color, form, and saturation, Gabriela Rossi engages with multiple mediums creating abstract compositions that undulate with unconscious unpredictability.

Asif Mian and Daniel Boccato‘s works revel in creating interesting intersections and combinations. Asif Mian weaves together sculpture elements producing works that reverberate with notions of ritual, place, and mythology. Daniel Boccato engages in both painting and sculptural practices, often blending art historical language and iconography with commercial readymade aesthetics developing juxtapositions that are provoking in their indetermination.

Gallery hours Tue-Sat 10 am – 6 pm

Exhibition Duration 13 January – 18 February 2023

www.thierrygoldberg.com

Location:
Thierry Goldberg Gallery
109 Norfolk Street
10002 New York, NY
United States