A Quintet of East Hampton and New York based artists will be exhibiting vibrant, eclectic, empathetic work at Ashawagh Hall this weekend with the opening June 17 from 5-8: Gabriele Raacke, Nancy Fried, Virva Hinnemo, Martha Stotzky, and Christina Schlesinger.
Gabriele Raacke’s reverse abstract paintings on glass enable her to visualize her encounters and experiences as an immigrant – the scent of spring, a bright scrap of afternoon light in a beloved long forgotten piazza – into coherence, connecting different times and other worlds for others to see and feel.
Nancy Fried’s terra cotta and bronze sculptures are her visual journals. The elegant white clay pieces exhibited here depict outstretched arms wrapped in thorned vines. The open palms of the hands indicate forbearance, acceptance, strength. Her hope has always been that the viewer can bring their own story into what they are seeing and experiencing in her work. Nancy’s sculptures are in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Virva Hinnemo’ s large abstract paintings are grounded in observation and her perception of the real world. Her paintings, whether on paper, cardboard, canvas or linen, are always a process of discovery: fresh, surprising, inventive and bold. Each foray into the studio leads to seeing more deeply and insights to share with viewers. Virva’s work was included along with Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, and Helen Frankenthaler in “Affinities for Abstraction” at the Parrish Art Museum last summer.
Martha Stotzky’s clay and wax sculptures are abstract forms reminiscent of amulets or votive objects, with references to human, plant and animal forms. With only traces of traditional iconography or representation, the essence and meaning of these objects come from their shape, color, and texture.
Christina Schlesinger will exhibit large canvases from her Birch and Dorothy series. Her birch paintings derive from the beloved birch forests of her native New England and reveal birches as forms of women’s torsos. The Dorothy series depicts the jaunty and spirited heroine of the Oz books on her adventures and misadventures. Christina’s background in mural painting elevates these works
