Group show with 12 artists in the Main Gallery
bȆte noire
curated by Mario naves
november 11 - december 10, 2017
opening event: november 11, 6-9pm
As a literary allusion, the French term "bête noire"--loosely translated as "bugaboo", "bane" or "pest"--hones in on a quality that is, by turns, vexing and irresistible. The paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures featured in this exhibition illuminate the conceit by embodying forms, narratives and frames of mind that pique and, perhaps, consternate the eye, haunting it in ways that refuse ready interpretations.
“There are any number of ways artists can make their work felt--to connect with the viewer, and have that engagement matter”, writes curator Mario Naves. “The artists featured in ‘Bete Noire’ do so by embracing contradiction and idiosyncrasy; they delve into thematic and stylistic notions that court the illogical, the humorous, the intensive and unexpected. As a result, the work promises a raft of complications and, with them, pleasures that are no less curious.”
An online catalogue with an essay by Naves will be posted upon the opening of the exhibition.
Mario Naves is a painter, art critic, teacher and curator based in New York City. Naves is represented by Elizabeth Harris Gallery in New York and has been granted awards from The National Endowment for the Arts, The E.D. Foundation, the George Sugarman Foundation, The National Academy of Design, and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Naves maintains the blog, Too Much Art: Writings on Visual Culture. He teaches at Pratt Institute, Hofstra University and Brooklyn College.
About the Artists:
Mixed-media artist Matthew Blackwell is the recipient of several awards including the 2015 Guggenheim Fellowship for Fine Arts. His work is in the permanent collections of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY, the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, MA, and Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA. He is represented by Edward Thorp Gallery in New York.
Nancy Cohen is a sculptor and installation artist. Her recent installation, Hackensack Dreaming, was exhibited at UrbanGlass in Brooklyn, NY, New Jersey City University in Jersey City, NJ, The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education in Philadelphia, PA and The Power Plant Gallery at Duke University, Raleigh, NC. In the summer of 2017 her work was featured in a solo exhibition at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts and a two-person collaborative exhibition at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. Recent residencies include Wheaton Arts, Bullseye Glass and The Studio at Corning.
Elisa D’Arrigo is an artist working with ceramics and sewn-and-constructed cloth and paper. She is the recipient of numerous grants, including a NYFA Fellowship (2003) and Italy’s Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship (2013). Her works are in numerous collections, among them The High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA, the Mead Art Museum in Amherst, MA, the Mint Museum of Craft and Design in Charlotte, NC, and the Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro, NC. She is represented by Elizabeth Harris Gallery in New York.
Photographer Laura Dodson has been the subject of seven one-person exhibitions in Athens, Greece, and New York City where she was represented by Kouros Gallery. Her images have appeared at Lesley Heller Workspace in New York, the Godwin-Turnbach Museum in Queens, Schafler Gallery in Brooklyn, The Cycladic Art Museum of Syros, The Municipal Gallery of Piraeus, and the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Nancy Grimes is a painter and recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Award in painting. She has participated in numerous one-person and group exhibitions in New York, New Jersey, Texas and California.
Natasha Hesketh is a Brooklyn-based painter. Her works have appeared in numerous exhibitions including Kunsthalle Projects in Dumbo, Pratt Institute, the Alchemic Theater Laboratory in Chelsea, and the Holographic Center for the Arts in Queens.
Stephanie Hightower’s paintings and drawings have appeared in solo exhibitions at the Flatiron Art Space, the New York Public Library, The Cooper Union, and Cheryl McGinnis Gallery in New York City. She has received several awards, including a residency at Berlin’s Technische Universitat, a Barbara White Fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center, and an Education Honoree for Excellence in the Arts from NURTUREart.
David Hornung is a painter, writer, and professor represented by Elena Zang Gallery in Woodstock, New York. He has had numerous solo exhibitions, including at Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, NY, The Gallery Goteborgs Konstforening in Sweden, and Michael Walls Gallery in New York. He is the author of Color: A Workshop for Artists and Designers (Laurence King Publishing Ltd., London and Chronicle Books, San Francisco, Ca.), which has been translated into five languages.
Painter Loren Munk is also known as a writer for The Brooklyn Rail and a videographer under the alias “James Kalm” for his YouTube videos about the New York art scene. His paintings have been exhibited in numerous one-person exhibitions in New York, New Jersey, California, Florida, Germany, and France. His work is in numerous private, public and corporate collections including the Museum of the City of New York, The Port Authority of NY and NJ, and the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
Thomas Nozkowski is a painter represented by Pace Gallery. To date, his art has been featured in more than 300 museum and gallery exhibitions worldwide, including over 70 solo shows. Nozkowski’s work can be found in over fifty public collections including The National Academy Museum, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Brooklyn Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and MOMA.
Fara’h Salehi is a sculptor and designer working in steel. She has exhibited her work at numerous venues including Art 101, Sideshow Gallery, and Iona Art Gallery in Brooklyn, NY.
Lee Tribe is a sculptor whose work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Robert Steele Gallery, Robert Morrison Gallery, Victoria Monroe Gallery, and J.J. Brookings Gallery, California. Tribe’s art has been featured at the Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro, NC, The Storm King Sculpture Center in New York, and the Arts Council of Great Britain. His awards include The Pollock/Krasner Foundation Grant, The Guggenheim Fellowship, and The Ingram Merrill Sculpture Award.
GALLERY HOURS:
Thursday through Sunday, 1pm to 6pm; or by appointment.
DIRECTIONS:
Take 2, 3, or 4 trains to Franklin Avenue. Walk two blocks against the traffic on Franklin. Walk ¾ block to 558 St. Johns Place. FiveMyles is within easy walking distance from the Brooklyn Museum.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
FiveMyles is in part supported by the New York State Council for the Arts, Public Funds from the New York City Dept. of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Council Member Laurie Cumbo, the Greenwich Collection, The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation, and Humanities NY.