At Home with Domicile at Fountain House Gallery

Title Wall, Domicile (works from left to right:Miguel Colón “Three Vignettes” (2018) ; Boo Lynn Walsh,”Bain Joyeux” (Joyous Bath) (2017); Laura Anne Walker, “South Western Hospitality” (2018) and Walker, “Spring Showers Bring May Flowers,” (2018).

Fountain House Gallery, located in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood is currently presenting a group show entitled Domicile. Curated by Audra Lambert, the show features work by approximately 40 artists whose paintings, sculptures, photographs, and mixed media works convey themes revolving around domestic life. These include interior scenes in living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens alongside depictions of cities or towns where the artists grew up, flanking images of prized possessions and portrayals of loved ones. For instance, Boo Lynn Walsh’s installation entitled Home Is Where the Heart Is consists of a small table covered in a quilt embroidered with both square and circular designs with names of loved ones stitched into the corners. Surrounding the table are various photographs and a book of Mother Goose while on the table itself is an open suitcase with black and white family photos including that of two children in the center, a box of crayons, stuffed animals, and an open book of “Raggedy Ann Stories.” Walsh also has a painting in the show entitled Bain Joyeux (Joyous Bath) that has a very relaxed feeling.

Domicile (works from left to right, beginning with mirror to plinth and across: Ariella Kadosh works from Nest by AK series (2018); Saverio Penza “Bread Basket” and “Blueberry Basket” (2018); Bernadette Corcoran “A Storm in my Backyard No. 2” (2018); Bryan Michael Green Cigar Box Dioramas 1&2 (2013); Glenn Goldstein “Side of House” (1982).

Other notable installations include those by Alyson Vega including a small-scale installation entitled The Princess Bed featuring a bed holding a stack of mattresses inspired by the classic children’s fairytale, The Princess and the Pea.

One love that many of these artists share is that of felines, and at least one cat can be seen in many of the paintings. Artworks in this vein include two similar paintings entitled At Home by Elizabeth Borisov and Winter Dream by Catherine Borisov: two artists who are actually twins! At Home depicts a couple relaxing on their terrace with the woman sitting in a chair with a grey cat in her lap while Winter Dream depicts a family sitting at their dining room table with a decorated Christmas tree and snow that can be seen out the windows. The mother sits in a chair knitting a ball of yarn as her son plays with the grey kitten lying on a small rug.

Front Room Installation view, Domicile, featuring center installation by Bou Lynn Walsh, “Home is Where the Heart is” (2018).

Also of note is Welcome to My World, Come on in by Linda Bienstock which is a collage made from acrylic and felt depicting a woman relaxing on a lounge chair in her living room next to her coffee table as her black and white cat is sprawled out on her couch against the wall. To the left of the couch is a bookshelf and a painting hanging on the wall.

One work capturing fleeting notions of innocence is Infant Garden by Louise Kavadllo featuring painted in pastel colors. As the name suggests, the piece illustrates a baby resting in a crib placed in a garden replete with various types of flowers, butterflies, and a bunny rabbit. Also of interest is a black and white drawing by Gail Shamchenko entitled Boy in His Playhouse depicting a pre-teen or teenage boy by himself in a house composed of various shapes and patterns, perhaps representing the fact the boy is living in a type of fantasy realm.

Back Room Installation view, Domicile, featuring works by Max McInnis, Alyson Vega, Angela Rogers, Camille Eskell, Debra Nevin, Davida Adedjouma and Olivia Jane Huffman.

Fountain House Gallery supports artists working through mental illness, and this exhibit features works selected from an open call of artists from the Fountain House community, alongside contemporary works by artists Camille Eskell, Max McInnis and Olivia Jane Huffman. Domicile is on view at Fountain House Gallery, 702 Ninth Ave. through Oct. 24. The gallery is open Tue.-Sat. from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Good Fences Make Intricate Neighbors: The Border and Galerie Protege Team Up To Wide Acclaim

Through eras of American culture, from Robert Frost to Little House on the Prairie to Home Improvement, neighbors have always played an important role in the American psyche. Now, an innovative group exhibition hosted in two parts between Manhattan and Brooklyn (neighboring boroughs in New York City) gives us insights into the creative world of artists by peeking at their work over the fence, so to speak. Intricate Neighbors I & Intricate Neighbors II, the two components of this group exhibition, draw from the impact that neighboring countries exert on each other by viewing artworks by artists from North America, South Korea, Pakistan and other locales.

The works in this exhibition, created by artists the world over, include paintings, sculpture, drawing and new media. Both locations are set up to depict an outdoor setting as though entering a neighbor’s backyard with the floor covered in artificial grass and vines mixed with purple and other kinds of colorful flowers. The Border gallery exhibit, on view through June 10, complements the portion on view at Galerie Protege through June 17, Intricate Neighbors II: allowing insights into the aesthetic of the exhibit as a two-part yet unified whole.

Intricate Neighbors II installation view at Galerie Protege (courtesy Galerie Protege)

Intricate Neighbors I contains a stunning painting, “Dinner”, by Korean artist Ara Cho. The work features an outline of a nude woman’s body kneeling underneath a dining room table as grass grows beneath her. Her neck and head are transformed into a flower pot rising up onto the table, pink and blue flowers emerging from its soil. An overhead kitchen lamp bathes the flowers in light, while another nude figure – denoted only by its visible legs – is seated at the table with a knife and fork in hand. Another Korean artist, Hyon Gyon, displays the artwork “My 1990s”, featuring assemblages of acrylic paint, artificial flowers, and fabrics on canvas that burst open with color and energy.

Intricate Neighbors II includes another oil and fabric painting by Cho, “The Colorful Lunch”. Similar to “Dinner”, Cho delves into an imaginary fantasy world including such figures as a human body with a horse’s head attached. This reverse centaur hybrid wears a dark blue suit, sitting on the grass supported by his elbow, with his other hand pointing out an imaginary person. A headless nude female figure sits across from him as plants sprout from her neck. Above her is a rainbow, and a dark cloud made from fabric, the only three-dimensional element of the piece. Surreal and jarring the work combines to exude a disorienting effect.

Intricate Neighbors I installation view, The Border (56 Bogart – image courtesy The Border)

“Basic Pulley Theory” by Denise Treizman also makes an impression. The work consists of a rope hanging from the ceiling with colorful ceramic tires on either end. One end is meant to be heavier than the other as it drags to the ground leaving the other hanging end suspended up in the air.

Notably, a short video by Bolo (a duo consisting of artists Qinza Najm and Saks Afridi) makes an appearance. Titled “Carousel”, the work features a 3-D animated “dictator” character with voice narrations by actor Charlie Chaplin from his 1940 film The Great Dictator reciting phrases such as “humanity is lost and has been replaced by machines” and “we must replace cleverness with kindness.”

Intricate Neighbors I is on view through June 10 at The Border, 56 Bogart St., Brooklyn, NY. The project space is open on weekends from 1-6 p.m. and by appointment during the week. Intricate Neighbors II is on view at Galerie Protégé, 197 9th Avenue, New York, NY, through Jun. 17. The gallery is open Mon.-Sat. from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.