Events:
May 21, 2021
6-8 PM EST
Opening Reception, Tulu Bayar: Traces
Opening Reception with the artist Tulu Bayar and special guest, Pianist Sezi Seskir
Friday, May 21
In-person reception from 6-8 pm at Amos Eno Gallery
56 Bogart Street
Join us in our new space in the building's center hallway!
Free and open to the public
May 20- June 13, 2021
Opening Reception Friday, May 21st, from 6-8 pm
Amos Eno Gallery proudly presents “Traces,” an exhibition of mixed-media installation by Tulu Bayar. Join us Friday, May 21 from 6-8 pm for the opening reception of Bayar’s most recent installation, which draws upon her decade-long exploration of drawing with photographic film, and utilizes meditative repetition to communicate the idea of oneness: all binary concepts share and are connected to one source. In contrast to an examination of the physical, Bayar’s work focuses on the spiritual essence of wholeness and mysticism that are deeply rooted in Rumi’s teachings. The artist will be creating ephemeral drawings to gift visitors to her opening in tandem with pianist's Sezi Seskir, who will be performing John Cage's work, "Two Pages" (1968). Cage's performance instructions for this work are sparse, allowing the performer to repeat each pattern cell as many times as they wish, meaning each performance is slightly different, thereby allowing different patterns to emerge from the repeated pattern cells.
Bayar's exhibition “Traces” is composed of several mixed-media works meticulously created from photographic film, ink and resin. Each exhibits an exploration in calligraphic abstraction, performance, drawing, and ebru (Turkish marbling art). Bayar’s meditative compositions of photographic film respond to the traditional Islamic understanding of the spirituality of text, and to Islamic manuscript painting. Repetitious play with material and form lends a performative element to the works, while their intimate size simulates an intensely personal interaction. Regardless of your familiarity with this language, the beauty of the symbolic expression comes to the fore.
Bayar’s practice is informed by her experiences and immediate context as an immigrant artist, and her work is deeply influenced by both her native and adopted cultures. Exoticism, otherness, hybridism, homogeneity, pluralism and containment are some of the concepts that she has been exploring throughout her practice. Bayar is interested in engaging with artistic strategies that blur the boundaries between strict categorizations and binary situations.
In “Traces”, Bayar draws with photographic films, as opposed to exposing, processing and enlarging the materials in the darkroom. She sees this work as a journey on a contained surface. She explains, “Drawing allows one to go back and reflect. The gestural record on the surface stages a moment of existence that is like no other moment. By containing that peculiar moment, I feel like I am able to memorialize the process."
The work draws an analogy between how we experience unconscious emotions through repetition and the accumulation of marks, and between the intonation, hesitation, and inflection of sound (which occur independent of sight, then is generated by the mind and mediated by perception). This way of working with unexposed photographic films gives Bayar a privileged relationship to the non-visible, as the work embodies and exposes the thinking process. “I usually start each work with a social issue in mind," reflects Bayar. "Gradually, the pragmatic develops and disintegrates, leaving behind a sense of the assembled material that transcends the literal. This opens a path to connect with the viewers on an emotional level, and it is also the point at which I assume the work is finalized”, she explains.
For Bayar's bio, please see "Upcoming Exhibitions."
Seskir received her first degree in piano in her native, Ankara, Turkey. She went on with her studies in Lübeck Musikhochschule and then completed a D.M.A. degree with Malcolm Bilson in Cornell University. She concertized widely in Europe and the US. Seskir has given guest lectures at schools such as UC Berkeley, University of Toronto, Williams College and at the Royal Conservatoire of the Hague among others. Her articles appeared in collected editions titled “Schumann Interpretieren” and “Schumann Studien 11” respectively by Studio Punkt Verlag. She is currently an assistant professor of music at Bucknell University and is an editor of Schumann's keyboard works for the Schumann complete edition for Schott and Bärenreiter publishing houses. Her CD of three Beethoven violin sonatas with Lucy Russell recorded on period instruments appeared in 2020 by the Acis label and garnered enthusiastic acclaim.
March 19, 2021
6-8 PM EST
"Irja Boden: Fractured Light" Opening Reception at Amos Eno Gallery
Opening Reception with the artist Irja Boden present
Sunday, March 19th from 6 PM
In-person at Amos Eno Gallery
56 Bogart Street
Free and open to the public
Amos Eno Gallery invites guests to the opening reception, "Fractured Light": an exhibition of new ceramics by Irja Bodén. This is Irja's first solo exhibit with the gallery, and the show's title is in reference to Leonard Cohen's song Anthem, which declares, “There is a crack . . . in everything; that's how the light gets in.” These works emphasize a particular dimension of ceramics: as clay hardens, it gets fragile. Clay in that way echoes our society; as it hardens, it gets fragile and brittle, but it is within its cracks where a hopeful light may shine through.
Bodén uses stacking as a method of spatial organizing The stacks run between three to forty-five inches, richly textured, wheel-thrown and hand-built. Many of the works contain unique loose objects precariously perched upon larger vessels to express that within balance inheres precariousness. Some are layered richly with glaze, others are made in alternative firings of raku. Bodén's work alludes to the natural world and domestic interiors. Ceramics are an unpredictable material and it is largely out of one's hands how it will appear after firing. But it is the unpredictability which keeps her interested in the material, as it echoes life and because clay, like our bodies, retains memories of how it has been treated. It is not unusual for her to subject her works to multiple firings, since she enjoys experimentation with surface techniques.
Irja Bodén (b. Sweden) holds a BFA from SUNY Potsdam, magna cum laude, in visual arts and a BA in Social Science from Lund University, Sweden. Recipient of several grants, awards, and residencies, her work has been exhibited in the US and abroad. Bodén was awarded an 2021 Artist Resource Trust Fund from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. She was an artist in The Immigrant Artist Biennial 2020; Here Together!, NY. Bodén is currently based in New York's Hudson Valley.
February 11, 2021
6:30 PM EST
The Long Goodbye: Reflections on a Divided Country
Discussion with artist Heidi Neff and Guests Elifnaz Caliskan, MPP; Stephanie Hallock, PhD; and Regina Roof Ray, MEd
Moderated by Audra Lambert, Director of Amos Eno Gallery
February 11, 2021 at 6:30 PM EST
Attend via this Zoom link:
Free and open to the public
What has happened here? Why is the country so divided, some say on the brink of Civil War? After viewing Heidi Neff’s animated short the Long Goodbye, a personal documentary of the time between Election Day 2020 and Inauguration Day 2021, the artist will discuss themes present in the project with panelists Elifnaz Caliskan, MPP, political scientist and public policy expert; Stephanie Hallock, PhD, Professor of Political Science and Regina Roof Ray, MEd, Associate Professor of Psychology. Themes for the discussion include political divisiveness, how we are living through a party realignment—a rare occurrence in American History which is always tumultuous—and how phenomena such cognitive inflexibility, confirmation bias, and misinformation effects have created a situation where people are unable to come together, even to agree on facts.
Heidi Neff is Professor of Art + Design at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland, where she was granted a sabbatical to work on animations for the Spring semester of 2020. Despite headaches of online teaching, small children, and a love/hate relationship with technology, Heidi makes apocalyptic animations with a hand-drawn/hand-painted aesthetic. Heidi earned her MFA from University of Iowa and her BFA from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She makes her home in Maryland with her husband, Paul Chuffo, and their two children, Max and Maya.
Elifnaz Caliskan, MPP, is a Senior Project Manager at an international development firm focused on providing expertise in conflict and post-conflict countries. She holds particular interest in the role of diplomacy, negotiations, and human capital investment in conflict prevention and transformation. A native of Turkey, she has lived across 8 cities around the globe across 3 continents. She is currently baesd in Washington DC, and is a proud alumna of University of Maryland (MPP and BA). Caliskan sees herself a storyteller and aspires to help marginalized communities to tell their stories.
Professor Regina Roof Ray is Associate Professor of Psychology at Harford Community College in Bel Air, MD. Roof-Ray brings her expertise in social psychology and will explore how phenomena such as personality, cognitive inflexibility, confirmation bias, and misinformation effect. She has presented at national conferences including the National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology and was a founding organizer of the Mid-Atlantic Undergraduate Psychology Conference. She holds a BA in behavioral science from Messiah College, studied at Temple University and Daystar University in Nairobi, Kenya and holds an MEd in counseling from Millersville University.
Dr. Stephanie Hallock PhD, is a professor of Political Science at Harford Community College in Bel Air, MD. Dr. Hallock brings 20 plus years’ experience teaching American Government at the college level.
December 20, 2020
Virtual Exhibition Tour, "Where'er His Silent Beams Intrude" Small Works Group Show
Virtual Tour:
-
Tour Begins 2:00 PM EST
Part of Virtual Bushwick Open Studios 2020
Amos Eno Gallery is pleased to offer a virtual tour of this small works group show, "Where'er His Silent Beams Intrude." Referencing "The Inward Morning" by Henry David Thoreau, the exhibit contemplates on the transcendence of silence and stillness as a catalyst for hope.
Artists will discuss their work on view during this virtual tour with curator Audra Lambert: attending artists include Philip Swan, Aaron Wilder and David Olivant.
Zoom Link for Tour:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/2662622699?pwd=M09IWHJzOHI0MktSMUV6ODBCUjhidz09
April 23, 2021
5:30-9 PM EST
Opening Reception, "Rosemary Meza-DesPlas: Marching Across Your Lawn, The Grass is on Fire"
Opening Reception with the artist Rosemary Meza-DesPlas
Friday, April 23rd
Virtual reception from 5:30 PM EST
In-person reception from 6-9 pm at Amos Eno Gallery
56 Bogart Street
Free and open to the public
Amos Eno Gallery presents, Marching Across Your Lawn, The Grass is on Fire, an exhibition of new works by Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, on view at the gallery from April 22-May 16, 2021. A virtual exhibition tour and presentation will take place at 5:30 PM on Friday, April 23rd via Zoom (link here) followed by an opening reception from 6-9 PM at the gallery’s location on 56 Bogart Street in Brooklyn, NY.
Meza-DesPlas’ current artworks are centered upon the act of marching: it is the simplest use of the physical body as a political force. Researching the history of women-led marches, Meza-DesPlas considers the role of the individual within a demonstration. Vast numbers of clamorous bodies in motion translate to a robust show of strength and determination; however, eventually, the individual goes home to their daily existence. When the protest is over, the pussy hats put away, signs disposed of and costumes packed up – is political activism embraced as an ongoing individual practice?
Figurative artworks, with minimized or nonexistent facial features, convey the individual subsumed by the larger group. Compositionally, these feminine bodies reflect the varying tempos and pauses of a demonstration thus illustrating the visual structure of marching. Meza-DesPlas’ nude figures exude vulnerability yet defiance; furthermore, they allude to art historical images of partially nude women representing political ideology. In the words of Beyoncé: ‘Okay, ladies, now let’s get in formation.’
Hand-sewn fiber works are featured in this exhibition. Meza-DesPlas’ embroidery of hair speaks to material culture, its relationship to identity and the sociological meaning of hair. A self-taught fiber artist, she approaches the process of stitching hair from a drawing perspective. Watercolors and a new video piece round out the exhibition. Bleeding watercolors are stained and layered to create figurative forms; the textural application of color conveys fleshy blemishes. "These United States", a video piece, begins with a montage: drawings emphasizing the faces of silenced women. A voice-over narration of an evocative mantra accompanies the imagery followed by three stanzas of poetry performed by the artist.
Latina artist Rosemary Meza-DesPlas currently resides in Farmington, New Mexico. She has a MFA from Maryland Institute, College of Art (Hoffberger School of Painting) and a BFA from the University of North Texas. Her artwork has been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Articles about her artwork have appeared in several publications including the Huffington Post, Interview Magazine, and Wall Street International. Meza-DesPlas parallels the themes in her visual artwork with poetry and spoken word performances. Upcoming, in 2022, her artwork will be featured in the exhibition (curated by Karen Gutfreund) Agency: Feminist Art and Power at the Museum of Sonoma County in California.
March 14, 2021
4:30 - 6 PM EST
"The Illusion that Light Travels" Closing Reception at Amos Eno Gallery
Closing Reception with the artist present for solo show by artist Jose-Ricardo Presman
Sunday, March 14th from 4 PM
In-person at Amos Eno Gallery
56 Bogart Street
Please RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/413555796614524/
Free and open to the public
Amos Eno Gallery invites you to our final event for "The Illusion that Light Travels": New works by José-Ricardo Presman. The gallery will be open from 12-6 pm Sunday, culminating in a closing event featuring refreshments on Sunday, March 14th from 4:30-6 PM at the gallery space. Guests will be encouraged to keep masked when not enjoying refreshments, and to remain socially distanced throughout the event in line with municipal guidelines.
José-Ricardo Presman was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and received his MFA from Pratt Institute. He has exhibited in numerous solo shows at Amos Eno Gallery in New York and in various group shows throughout the US and Canada.
January 22, 2021
Virtual Reception, Heidi Neff: "The Long Goodbye"
Virtual Reception from 6:30 PM EST on Friday, 1/22 via this Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87350010998
Free and open to the public.
Join artist Heidi Neff as she discusses her process creating "The Long Goodbye": leading up to the election, Neff decided to make one frame-by-frame animation every day beginning on Election Day and ending on Inauguration Day itself. It is by nature a personal diary reflecting on all of the possible outcomes - and resulting worries – of this time period. Like the several months preceding it, there was plenty of madness to spare on a daily basis. Neff shares the YouTube premiere of this completed work as part of this virtual reception, followed by a Q&A with Amos Eno gallery director Audra Lambert. Please join us for the half hour long program and feel free to ask the artist questions at the conclusion of the virtual opening!
This exhibition also features limited edition prints available for purchase. An Artsy link will be added here once these works are live and available for sale (once the exhibition is open.)
Zoom Link for Virtual Reception, "The Long Goodbye": https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87350010998
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December 19, 2020
Virtual Exhibition Tours, "Where'er His Silent Beams Intrude" Small Works Group Show
Two Virtual Tours Available:
-
Tour #1 Begins 2:00 PM EST
-
Tour #2 Begins 4:00 PM EST
Part of Virtual Bushwick Open Studios 2020
Amos Eno Gallery is pleased to offer a virtual tour of this small works group show, "Where'er His Silent Beams Intrude." Referencing "The Inward Morning" by Henry David Thoreau, the exhibit contemplates on the transcendence of silence and stillness as a catalyst for hope.
Artists will discuss their work on view during these virtual tours with curator Audra Lambert: attending artists include Nishiki Sugawara-Beda, Irja Boden, Kahori Kamiya, Kathy Loev Putnam, Robert McCann, Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, Sam Jones and Jessica Tawczynski.
Zoom Link for Tours:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/2662622699?pwd=M09IWHJzOHI0MktSMUV6ODBCUjhidz09
April 18, 2021
4-6 PM EST
"Irja Boden: Fractured Light" Closing Reception at Amos Eno Gallery
Closing Reception of "Fractured Light" with the artist Irja Boden present
Sunday, April 18th from 4 PM
In-person at Amos Eno Gallery
56 Bogart Street
Free and open to the public
Amos Eno Gallery invites guests to the final event celebrating, "Fractured Light": an exhibition of new ceramics by Hudson Valley-based artist Irja Bodén. This is Irja's first solo exhibit with the gallery, and the show's title is in reference to Leonard Cohen's song Anthem, which declares, “There is a crack . . . in everything; that's how the light gets in.” These works emphasize a particular dimension of ceramics: as clay hardens, it gets fragile. Clay in that way echoes our society; as it hardens, it gets fragile and brittle, but it is within its cracks where a hopeful light may shine through.
Bodén uses stacking as a method of spatial organizing The stacks run between three to forty-five inches, richly textured, wheel-thrown and hand-built. Many of the works contain unique loose objects precariously perched upon larger vessels to express that within balance inheres precariousness. Some are layered richly with glaze, others are made in alternative firings of raku. Bodén's work alludes to the natural world and domestic interiors. Ceramics are an unpredictable material and it is largely out of one's hands how it will appear after firing. But it is the unpredictability which keeps her interested in the material, as it echoes life and because clay, like our bodies, retains memories of how it has been treated. It is not unusual for her to subject her works to multiple firings, since she enjoys experimentation with surface techniques.
Irja Bodén (b. Sweden) holds a BFA from SUNY Potsdam, magna cum laude, in visual arts and a BA in Social Science from Lund University, Sweden. Recipient of several grants, awards, and residencies, her work has been exhibited in the US and abroad. Bodén was awarded an 2021 Artist Resource Trust Fund from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. She was an artist in The Immigrant Artist Biennial 2020; Here Together!, NY. Bodén is currently based in New York's Hudson Valley.
February 19, 2021
5:30 PM EST
"The Illusion that Light Travels" Virtual Tour and Presentation
Exhibition Tour and Presentation for solo show by artist Jose-Ricardo Presman
Introduction by Audra Lambert
February 19, 2021 at 5:30 PM EST
Attend via this Zoom link:
Free and open to the public
Amos Eno Gallery presents The Illusion that Light Travels, an exhibition of new works by long-time gallery member and co-founder José-Ricardo Presman. A virtual exhibition tour and presentation will take place from 5:30 PM on Friday, Feb 19th via Zoom (link here) followed by an opening reception from 6-9 PM at the gallery's location at 56 Bogart Street in Brooklyn, NY. The artist’s presentation will cover themes such as how the creative mind coordinates with the rational mind in an artistic context.
José-Ricardo Presman was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and received his MFA from Pratt Institute. He has exhibited in numerous solo shows at Amos Eno Gallery in New York and in various group shows throughout the US and Canada.
January 15, 2021
Artists in Dialogue, "Where'er His Silent Beams Intrude"
Virtual Dialogue: 12:30 PM EST via Zoom
Friday, January 15, 2021 (exhibition closing weekend)
Join the artists of "Where'er His Silent Beams Intrude" for this exclusive artist dialogue in conversation with the curator Audra Lambert. The conversation will center on the practices of individual artists whose work is included in the exhibition, including details on their artistic process and themes that their work encompasses.
Free and open to the public.
Zoom Link for Virtual Discussion:
December 18, 2020
Virtual Opening Reception, "Where'er His Silent Beams Intrude" Small Works Group Show
Virtual Reception: 5:30 - 6:15 PM EST
In-Person Reception: 6:30 - 9 PM EST
Friday, December 18, 2020
Part of Virtual Bushwick Open Studios 2020
Amos Eno Gallery is pleased to present this group show of small works featuring artists Nishiki Sugawara-Beda, Irja Boden, Chris Esposito, Rosemary Meza-DesPlas, Sam Jones, Kahori Kamiya, Charleen Kavleski, Robert McCann, David Olivant, Mimi Oritsky, Kathy Loev Putnam, Philip Swan, Jessica Tawczynski and Aaron Wilder.
Zoom Link for Virtual Reception:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/2662622699?pwd=M09IWHJzOHI0MktSMUV6ODBCUjhidz09
2020-Previous Events:
November 13, 2020
Opening Reception, Hildegard Hsieh Holman "The Faces of Quarantine" and Andre Rubin, "Downfall: The Going Under"
Opening Reception: 6 - 8 pm
Friday, November 13, 2020
Amos Eno Gallery is pleased to present two concurrent exhibitions, Andre Rubin, Downfall: The Going Under and Hildegard Hsieh Holman: The Many Faces of Quarantine, two solo exhibitions presented in tandem with new works by artists Andre Rubin and Hildegard Hsieh Holman. This joint exhibition will run at Amos Eno Gallery from November 13 – December 13, 2020.
November 6, 2020
Significant Soil in Communities: Philip Swan and Angela Arrocha in Conversation
A Dialogue on Sustainability in Urban Environments
Friday, November 6th at 2 pm EST
Phil Swan, Artist and Member, Amos Eno Gallery in dialogue around his solo show, "Significant Soil", with Angela Arrocha, Artist and Member, Bushwick City Farms
Moderated by Audra Lambert, Director of Amos Eno Gallery
October 16, 2020
Opening of Philip Swan, "Significant Soil"
Opening Virtual Talk: 6 - 6:30 pm
Opening Reception in Gallery: 6:30 - 8 pm
Amos Eno Gallery is pleased to present Significant Soil, a solo exhibition of new works by artist Philip Swan. The opening reception takes place on Friday, October 16, 2020. In addition to the in-person opening reception on Friday, October 16th from 6:30-8 PM, a virtual tour will take place on the opening night with the artist Philip Swan.