Elena Barenghi:
The Golden Rule
On view September 7 – October 1, 2023
Friday, Sept. 8, from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 16, from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Elena Barenghi, The Golden Rule # 1, Acrylic on wood board,18 x 24 in.
Elena Barenghi, The Golden Rule # 1, Acrylic on wood board,18 x 24 in.
Amos Eno Gallery, a non-profit artist collective in Bushwick, Brooklyn, is pleased to present Elena Barenghi: The Golden Rule, on view September 7 to October 1, 2023. An opening reception will be held on Friday, September 8, 2023, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 56 Bogart Street.
The Golden Rule, Elena Barenghi's solo exhibition, features abstract paintings that reveal the omnipresence of geometric patterns, designs, and structures that permeate the natural world. The artist examines the perfection and imperfection present in nature, where every element is part of a harmonious interplay of shapes and colors that foster a visual symphony. Her compositions evoke healing energy from Mother Earth.
Through her series The Golden Rule, Barenghi explores the sacred archetypes of geometry, which unveil the inherent vibrational resonances within each form. The golden background becomes the space for the forms to emerge either from the corners that expand over the surface, or with a specific geometric shape that balances the composition. A distinctive element in this series is the circle which often appears as an element that interrupts the flow of a wide layer, as the central focal point of the painting, or as a repetitive pattern that provides rhythm to the images.
In The Golden Rule #3, the reddish-brown circle evokes a moment of pause between the black and blue shapes that expand from the edges and the pink line that seems to slip across the left side of the painting. In The Golden Rule #1, a circle centered on the upper part of the work dialogues with a bulging round blue shape that protrudes from the edge of the lower part of the piece. It seems that both elements were separated by a turquoise blue band and another pink one, the same color as the upper circle that crosses the image horizontally.
The golden rule, which alludes to the essence of the architecture of the universe, is found through the gold color being the central element as the genesis and culmination of each painting. This choice reflects the historical significance of gold in constructing sacred structures like temples, mosques, and monuments and in creating religious art and iconography using "divine” proportions. Within Barenghi's compositions, gold is the foundation, breathing life into the other colors. It represents the essence of the golden rule, encompassing harmony, equilibrium, and the vitality of existence. Much like the circle – symbolizing both the beginning and the end – the sun is perpetually depicted as a circle in her art.
In other paintings like #71, the color palette dominates the composition and evokes a deeper sense of form and proportion. The blue surface contrasts with the pink circle on the top. A thick gray-green layer creates a horizon reinforced by another sinuous copper-colored line followed by a bulging gray-green line on the central bottom of the image, creating a sensation of energetic swaying. Each creation becomes a conduit for memory and emotion, transcending the confines of time and space to elicit profound responses within the viewer.
Elena Barenghi acknowledges that colors vibrate at certain frequencies, breathing life into every composition. In The Golden Rule, her works become a visual sanctuary where viewers can immerse themselves in the flowing energy of creation. Although the medium itself may appear static, the shapes within the artworks are in constant motion — a reminder of the transformative power of perpetual motion.
About Elena Barenghi
Born in Switzerland, Elena Barenghi is a wanderer by nature. A poet, singer, model, fashion designer, interior designer, and artist. She has studied at the Istituto Spinelli per l’ Arte e il Restauro in Florence, Italy; the New School; and Parsons School of Design. Over the years, her artistic career has included painting, photography and drawing, as well as a book of poems, "Il Sogno Dell ‘Unicorno” with Stampalternativa," published in English, French and Italian, and an album entitled Giorì with Amiata Records. She now lives between New York and Noto, Italy,where she has just completed a mural, inspired by the history of Noto and commissioned by the municipality.
For more information, please contact Gallery Director Ellen Sturm Niz at amosenogallery@gmail.com.
.jpg)
Saturday, Sept. 16, from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Amos Eno Gallery is pleased to present a special dance performance by Spark Movement Collective on September 16, 2023, at 6 p.m., followed by a Q&A. The 17-minute duet, performed by dancers Michelle Thompson Ulerich and Lydia Soueidan, was choreographed by Spark's artistic director Michelle Thompson Ulerich in response to the The Golden Rule, a solo exhibition by artist Elena Barenghi, on view at the gallery from September 7 to October 1. Get tickets here.
Inspired by nature and the beautiful balance present in the natural world, Barenghi's work uses colors and shapes to achieve a simple yet powerful harmony. Similarly, in Ulerich's choreography, which will be performed against a backdrop of Barenghi's paintings and site-specific mural installation at Amos Eno Gallery, the dance will emerge from the wall almost as if the dancers are being born out of the mural. The movement language will tie to the visuals and explore the cycles of nature and life. A ritualistic style will be incorporated as a way to honor and celebrate the birth of the mural and the birth of all things.
Special thanks to the
Consulate General of Switzerland in New York for their sponsorship of this event.
Spark Movement Collective is a New York-based independent, contemporary dance company with a mission to create an accessible dance experience for audience members, dancers, and choreographers alike. Spark captures the discrete elements of dance to deliver performances comprised of athletic yet fluid choreography and a brand of signature honesty intrinsic in the execution of pieces. This approach is bound together with a narrative that results in fresh, innovative, and meaningful pieces that uniquely connect with both audience members and the community at large.
Michelle Thompson Ulerich is currently an adjunct professor at SUNY Purchase, and the Artistic Director of Spark Movement Collective. She received her training from San Francisco Ballet, and danced for 14 years with Ballet Austin. She performed in works by Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Ulysses Dove, Stephen Mills, Sidra Bell, Greg Dolbashian, Nelly Van Bommel, Amy Seiwert, James Gregg, Gina Patterson, Thang Dao, and more. Also during her time in Texas she earned her undergraduate degree from St. Edward’s University, and began her choreographic career with an emphasis on site specific and immersive dance experiences. She is a freelance choreographer in New York, and has recently shown work at Ace Hotel in Brooklyn, Mark O’Donnell Theater, Green Space, Dixon Place, Mercury Lounge, and the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon, NY. She has recently been commissioned by CounterPointe, CreateArt, Kingsland Wildflower Festival, and SUNY Purchase. She also creates for film and music video projects. She teaches yoga, and is a mother of two.
Lydia Soueidan is a multidisciplinary artist whose mediums consist of movement, dance, makeup artistry and creative direction. Originally from Williamsburg, Virginia, Lydia moved to New York City at the young age of 15 to pursue a passion for the arts. Since graduating from the Joffrey Ballet School Jazz & Contemporary program, Lydia has been freelance performing, choreographing and creative directing for companies and independent artists such as Guilty Pleasures Cabaret, EBDance, Open Dance Ensemble and Robert Redick Dance Collective. Lydia has directed music videos for local Brooklyn artists such as MorphLand and Justine Grove. Lydia’s classes and choreography have an emphasis on freedom and nurturing of the creative spirit. In the past few months Lydia has been producing her own shows and working to create a network of the new generation of professionals merging dance with live music and the visual arts with her collective BOUND. Lydia is honored to be performing in work with Michelle Thompson Ulerich, inspired by the world so eloquently created in Elena Barenghi’s The Golden Rule.
Instagram: @lydiasoueidan.
About Amos Eno Gallery
Amos Eno Gallery has been a fixture in the New York art scene since 1974 when it opened in Soho. It has moved with changing arts neighborhoods over the years to land at its current space at 56 Bogart St. in Brooklyn, across from the Morgan Ave. L train stop. The gallery is open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. and is run by a small community of professional artists, both from New York City and across the country, and a part-time director.
For more information, please contact Gallery Director Ellen Sturm Niz at amosenogallery@gmail.com.