Gallery Reviews 1.16.25
hey girl hey, I finally got my degree
Hi Everyone!
I hope you’re all enjoying the New Year and that your holidays were restful and joyful despite America’s current political climate and the impending oligarchical state of the nation. All that aside, here’s what I caught in Chelsea last week for galleries.
I went by Chelsea last Thursday evening; there was an overwhelming number of openings happening. Here’s the list courtesy of ThirstyGallerina on Instagram.
Compared to Chelsea’s twenty-eight, Tribeca had only seven openings, we’ll make it over there one day soon, but for now we’ll stick to Chelsea because of the sheer volume of openings.
From the twenty-seven I was able to narrow it down to these select few, here are the galleries I checked out:
Out of the exhibitions I visited, Tuere Nicole Lawton’s “Have our Hands Ever Left the Soil?” at Picture Theory, and Esteban Jefferson’s “Brooklyn Banks” at 303 Gallery, caught my eye.
Tuere Nicole Lawton’s “Have our hands ever left the soil?”
This was Lawton’s debut solo show; the works left me with impressions of femininity, girlhood, community, and flora. My initial take of her work was bodily and corporeal; the flesh of the flowers and nudity of the girls she depicts is natural in a paradisiacal manner; it lends itself to a paradise of connections and asks the question of individual identities. In the work I’ve included above, the girl’s anatomy clings to humanity, but the color and glisten of their skin showcase otherwise. Red ants overrun the figures, but their expressions remain joyful and beam outward toward the viewer. The work encourages us to rethink and reengage with the idea of transformation through community and the interconnected web that binds us, much like a root system.
The show runs from January 16th to February 14th, 2025.
Esteban Jefferson’s Brooklyn Banks
"Brooklyn Banks" is Jefferson's second solo show with 303 Gallery; it is aptly titled as it depicts the space underneath the Manhattan end of the Brooklyn Bridge. Brooklyn Banks is a plaza that gained popularity for the skater community from the mid-1980s onward before any skateparks were built in NYC. The qualities which made it unusable to the general public created the perfect space for skaters. The site became a hub for its community when its existence was at risk; once in 2020, due to the city's began to remove all the bricks in an adjacent area, fearing their topography would be changed, their community gathered over 53,000 signatures over three years. Jefferson's work showcases the individuals within the community; his works' titles include the names of figures in the work. It gives viewers insight into the daily lives of the inhabitants of the Brooklyn Banks.
Visually, the work bared its bones for its viewers. Oftentimes, grid lines were left, and backgrounds were still washed from their conceptual stages. Skin and graffiti were the only elements consistently rendered. Composing tightly finished elements with loose initial mapping phases creates a visually dynamic space. Jefferson anchored the viewers' gaze with the thoughtful arrangement of these phases. My eyes explored the canvas endlessly as I took in his process, community, and the stories these works portray. The show represents skater culture, community, and the cumulation and continuation of legacy.
The show will on view from January 16th to February 22nd, 2025