For those in New York, don't miss the final days of ManMade by Nature at UNIX Gallery, a dynamic group exhibition featuring artists Yorgo Alexopoulos, Jonny Detiger, Norbert Brunner, Vanessa Harden, Stephanie Hirsch, Jessica Lichtenstein, Zheng Lu, Jason Middlebrook, Tatyana Murray, Jonathan Paul, and Christian Voigt, on view through October 26, 2019 at the gallery’s 513 West 26th Street location.
ManMade By Nature introduces eleven diverse artists who rethink the presentation of nature through the lens of technology by employing innovative materials and working with advanced processes. Conceived as a way to both highlight and reconcile a natural world confronted by dramatic ecological changes, each artist showcases work that activates the space with an artistic demonstration underpinned by environmental calls to action.
The show is curated by Natasha Schlesinger, an award-winning art historian and art advisor who has worked in the art field for over 25 years. Before she founded her tech platform ArtMuse, Schlesinger was a specialist in European Furniture and Decorative arts at Christie’s auction house in New York in addition she co-founded the international consulting firm, Meridienne LLC. Scheslinger studied Decorative Arts at the Bard Graduate Center.
Here Barnebys talks to curator Natasha Schlesinger about her inspiration for the show and UNIX Gallery founder Daniela Mercuri about what's next for the gallery:
Barnebys: The artworks of ManMade by Nature showcase environmental issues in dialogue with art and technology. How did you choose the theme for the exhibit and the specific artists to include?
Natasha Schlesinger: It is a subject matter that is very important for me and one that I believe we should all be focusing on more. We find ourselves in a state of existential crisis with respect to the environment so a subject touched upon by my show is absolutely relevant and necessary. I am also interested in technology and the possibility that it can save us and not destroy us. So I start with art as artists put a mirror to our state of being and can offer creative solutions to the problems. I chose artists who experiment with new mediums and materials outside of traditional ones such as painting. Some of the artists I have also worked with before, while others I have loved from the sidelines.
What are some of your favorite works in the show and why?
NS: I love the fantastical nature of Jessica Lichtenstein’s work which she has expanded upon and created a larger than life wallpaper image of for the show upon which we placed her acrylic tondos, Windows, into the woman-made natural fantasy of her landscapes.
I also love the incredible way that Jason Middlebrook takes actual tree trunks and cross sections out of their natural environment and into the gallery and paints modern abstract forms on top of the planks and wall pieces. Truly ManMade by nature. They are simply brilliant!
Is there anything a visitor to the exhibit should know before coming or be sure not to miss?
NS: Do not miss Tatyana Murray’s magical Trees of Light or Norbert Brunner’s layered mirrored objects that have hidden word affirmations inside the images. And really don’t miss what you need to listen to: the sound work called Birdies by Jonny Detiger.
What do you look for in artists and artworks to represent at UNIX Gallery?
Daniela Mercuri: We look for artists who push the envelope… they are challenging, provocative, energizing and endlessly creative. Their energy is infectious and they offer a new perspective to the viewer.
What is next for you and UNIX Gallery?
DM: UNIX Gallery hopes to become more focused on presenting AI artworks and engaging in that space.
