ExhibitionsLull

Lull Installation View

Lull Installation View

Lull Installation View

Gallery 495 is proud to present Lull, a group exhibition curated by Willy Somma, of artists exploring useful objects, inspired by abstraction that invites respite. Participating artists: Victoria Bartlett, Francesca Di-Mattio, Zhivago Duncan, Sylvia Estes, Neal Hollinger, Kiernan Kinsella, Alyssa McClenaghan, Tyrone Mitchell, Joan Oliver, Aurora Pellizzi, Brett Miller, Tschabalala Self, Kate Steciw, Katie Stout,Caroline Woolard.

A chubby green throne by Brett Miller abdicates power, a munificent leader declaring itself nothing if not supportive. Miller is a Hudson-based designer who has established his studio under the name Jackrabbit. An apt reference for his pieces, which hold a charming, whimsical, and energetic quality.

“For me, I would describe my work as intuitive. But I don’t know, other people might describe it differently. My work is all about feel, both emotional and physical.” - Brett Miller

Baroque cushions with a collage of fabrics, trussed up by wrought iron scaffolding, architectural grids, wide-legged and Rubenesque, the artist Tschabalala Self’s chaises provide a bountiful dock for landing. Materially and formally linked to the figurative works she is known for, Self’s
sculpture-chairs don’t just suggest a body in repose; they gorgeously demand it.

“To be seated is relatively simple,” she says, “but it can also be political.” - Tschabalala Self

Katie Stout’s statuesque domestic structures sport familiar, feminine forms. Stout’s practice is dedicated to reimagining traditional design, using classic materials to create non-traditional forms, pushing the boundaries of convention at every turn and corner.

“I’m just obsessed with making things for the home. Recently, I’ve been looking at a lot of decorative art and ornament, and I think it’s partially because it kind of repulses me. I’ve always been drawn to things that are a little gross.” - Katie Stout

The assembled collection of artworks — whether reflecting, illuminating, or accommodating — engage with our sentient human container, inviting us to enact this simple act of resistance; to exist for our own pleasure. With these works, the artists assert this basic human right, offering an
opportunity to lull, pause, rest, and be bodily, present.

Hanging sculptural forms by Sylvia Estes glide above us, contemplating their view; apostrophes, parentheses, and ellipses, gently illuminated. A wooden rocker by Caroline Woolard is posited as a queer haven, a safe space to sway and dream. Aurora Pellizzi’s wall works trace the outline of a
swimmer reaching into the deep, suspended. And with his charred stools carved from reclaimed wood, Kiernan Kinsella asks us in the language of trees to be still.

It’s this sentiment of spaciousness and reprieve that our current climate — fraught by violence and division — lacks. In their intent to please, brighten, comfort, and thrill, these artists bring us closer to
the intoxication of plentitude, absurdity, and delight. Rococo pink with elaborate curves and ornamental flourishes, Francesca DiMattio’s objects shimmer and purr, vying for our attention, our obsession, even. Alyssa McClenaghan’s disembodied hands, dangling languidly from chartreuse
velvet towel racks, couldn't care less. Neal Hollinger’s wall pieces nonchalantly blow smoke rings while Zhivago Duncan’s dopey caricatures are ignorantly blissed out, floating with cookie cutter grins over batik canvases, cartoonishly happy.

Who can afford to be indifferent in these times? Apathy is an asset. Complacency is capital. Pomposity is prosperity. Who decrees our worth? Restitution is riches. Self-love is success. Fortune favors the foolish.

Photo montages by Kate Steciw of deconstructed vessels captivate with their fallen beauty amidst Victoria Bartlett’s skeletal anatomy was renewed as a chair, poised with open arms, while Laurie Olinder’s plump poufs embellished with a fantastical Eden of plants, tendrils, and blossoms appear to soften our fall. Joan Oliver weaves an entire galaxy onto textiles, pastel abstractions follow each other onto another swatch, another composition, another world. Sprouting sideways from the gallery wall and blooming objects from its limbs, Tyrone Mitchell’s assemblage announces itself as
a fake, albeit charming, diversion.

With this wide array of artists working in varying mediums with diverse objectives, we seek to amuse, bemuse, relax, entice, and lull you. Join us for a laugh, a smoke, a nap. Non-action reaction capitulation glee joy nostalgia regret. Let’s take a moment to pause here and gather what we need
for whatever comes next.