Exhibition

"Working Space"

May 29 - June 16, 2012
Reception: Wednesday, May 30, 5 -7pm

School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Working Space”, an exhibition of paintings by current students and recent alumni featuring works that comment on 20th Century Modernist abstraction. Curated by Richard Brooks, assistant director of Student Galleries, the exhibition will be on view May 29 – June 16 at the Westside Gallery, 133/141 West 21st Street, New York City.

Autumn-Grace Dougherty’s sewn fabric paintings reference both the tradition of quilt piecing and Modernist abstract painting. The artist combines old clothing and fabric remnants into improvisational patterns, creating rigorous geometric collages which also pay homage to familial relationships. Dougherty is a student in the MFA Fine Arts Department.

Eric Graham’s intimate oil paintings depict overlooked interior spaces, such as walls with shadows, door frames and corners of rooms. By reducing his minimalist compositions to only the most essential lines and planes, Graham explores the melancholy and mystery in domestic interiors devoid of human presence. Graham is a student in the MFA Fine Arts Department.

The urban grid is a constant theme in Amelia Midori Miller’s abstract paintings. Populated with angular, protruding geometric shapes executed in subtle tones and muted palette, the artist’s deceptively simple compositions evoke contemporary cityscapes. Miller is a 2012 graduate of the MFA Fine Arts Department.

Patrick Shoemaker brings a pronounced organic sensibility to his vibrantly colored oil paintings. Landscape references abound in his biomorphic compositions that combine improvisation with direct observation. Shoemaker is a student in the MFA Fine Arts Department.

The Westside Gallery, located at 133/141 West 21st Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, is open Monday through Friday, 9am to 7pm, and Saturday, 10am to 6pm; closed on Sundays and public holidays. The gallery is accessible by wheelchair. For more information, please call 212.592.2145