An Abundance of Universes: The Sky’s The Limit

October 27, 2021

Have you ever wondered if there are other realities or universes existing parallel to the world as we currently know it? When your mind drifts, does it wander to the possibilities that lie behind the vast expanse of the cosmos? "The Sky’s The Limit" conveys that anything and everything is possible — and more, through a riveting and nuanced multi-artist exhibition displayed from October 19th through November 28th at Brooklyn’s TW Fine Art.

The exhibit features multiple works by Alberto Pazzi, Roger Allan Cleaves, Carles Garcia O’Dowd, and Spencer Chalk-Levy. Although the four artists bring different inspirations and creations to the table, they were all concurrently triumphant in crafting work that tells their own narrative about the world as seen through varied lenses.

Interview by Kayla Curtis-Evans
Photos Courtesy of Lindsey Media and TW Fine Art

There is much to say about the pieces shown in this effervescently animated and wide-ranging exhibit, but the work truly does speak for itself. Traverse the many created worlds and perceptions through reading office’s exclusive interview with the artists below.

What influences your specific approach to world-building and the scenes you create in your work?

Alberto Pazzi — I’m deeply inspired by depictions of landscapes in vintage cartoons, carefully adorned in shades of pink and green. My objects, too, take on a somewhat exceptional and otherworldly nature. I aim to create worlds that are mysterious, sexy, and fun. In these alternate dimensions, there are creatures who, like us, possess their own unique inner and outer worlds. Within them — and us — are the emotions universal to the human experience.

Carles Garcia O’Dowd — Growing up as a queer nerdy kid on a conservative island, comics, videogames, cartoons, and manga became the perfect escapism. I would daydream about fictional worlds and relentlessly fill in sketchbooks to materialize them as drawings. As I grew up, art history, social issues, and pop culture references would shape me as an artist, and my practice started solidifying a universe of its own: The Rise and Fall of Eden. It is a mythical cosmogony with populations, gods, corporations, creation myths, and cycles of splendor and collapse. I'm captivated by complexity and how everything is connected. Eden serves as a structure — a stage where I can cast my actors to perform a narrative. My fictional world serves as a way to make sense of reality. As I grew, art history, social issues, and pop culture nurtured this alternate world. I'm obsessed with complexity and the way everything is connected. By creating a fictional universe, I can make sense of the world around me.

Roger Cleaves — The main things I think about in my approach to world-building are narrative, methods of abstract figuration, the current social climate, and art history. Many ideas begin in my sketchbook when I am thinking about the main character. In my sketchbook, I like to take the characters through a walk in a possible storyboard. Oftentimes they start off doing very mundane things, but eventually, they run into a confrontation in the artistic form of my mind — meshing together invented problems, moments from my life, and the great history of painting that relates to current ideas I find interesting.

Spencer Chalk-Levy — In my work, world-building happens very organically, if not subconsciously. One series is taken from real-life experiences — specifically coworkers — somewhat from a past life, and the other series I used imagined soldiers dealing with a turbulent city representing where I was at the time.

In what ways does this exhibit showcase your artistic strengths?

AP — The physicality of painting is something I’ve really come to respect and love. With each hour of practice, I get a little closer to painting the perfect line. I was encouraged to play with scale for this exhibition; making paintings as large as sixty inches was a challenge at first. But once the figures came to life, the entire production process became very exhilarating. It gave me a boost of confidence knowing that I’m approaching a style that is distinctly my own and something that makes me feel comfortable, both in terms of my role as the artist as well as a viewer of my own work.

CO — In this show, we are showing pieces from three series’ done at different times. Each one connects to the world of Eden as its chapter, prequel, or spin-off. The first is "No es tu media Naranja, es tu Exprimidor,” a series about how destructive romantic love can become, triggered by a painful heartbreak. In Spanish popular culture, your soulmate is called your ‘Media Naranja’ or ‘other half orange.’ The title of this series translates to, ‘They are not your other half; they are your juicer.’ The second is “Metamorphosis,” inspired by resource mining, whale hunting, and plastic surgery, this series seeks to portray the cycles of ‘rise and fall’ that human civilizations seem to keep perpetuating. It stars two of my most beloved characters: the Topoids and the Yoyos. The third is “Neony.” My most recent pieces are scenes of a post-climate collapse in New York City, where celebrities have become goddesses, old infrastructure repurposed, and gentrification is still rampant, making its way through a drowned metropolis. This series’ inspiration stems from sci-fi dystopias, speculative fiction, and the techie-promises of a hyper commodified future. It explores the contradictions, fears, and confusion about the future in a post-factual climate-changing reality. I'm thrilled with TW's curation of each piece, following a non-chronological display. I think this exhibit shows my drawing skills in a very raw and bold way — drawings are pinned to the wall, naked — visitors can see every dot, every shakey line, and mark that my hand left on the paper.

RC — This exhibition brings together paintings that display my methods of abstract figuration, my love of balancing chaos, and my appreciation for interesting character design. One of my biggest strengths is my ability to speak to a wide range of viewers. I feel the imagery has a cool presence, as defined in Dinerstein's book, The Origins of Cool in Postwar America. I think my paintings are interesting enough to grab the viewer’s attention through color and creativity. I love the balancing act between shapes and color, texture and flatness, tradition, and the absence of it. I think the seasoned art historian can identify all the games I play with Modernism and how that ties into the thoughts of one who is creating from an Afrofuturistic perspective. My strength is the ability to create work that is dynamic in presence but rewards the viewer for spending time with the piece on multiple sittings. I think every painting in the show does a great job of displaying my range.

SCL — Everything for me starts in the sketchbook. I use it as a visual journal — with pages of lists and ideas for bigger works as finished drawings.

What are the main emblems or mediums that you utilized in your work that is featured in “Sky’s the Limit”?

AP — Some of my most prevalent influences are ancient illustrations of plants, cartoons, poster art, and, as of late, Japanese wooden toys. I introduced those figurative elements into the paintings to further elucidate the complex and varied nature of my own aesthetic preferences without losing the magic of a minimalist approach. My work is very flat so to speak — contours dissolve into large swashes of pink, red, green, and yellow. Although my work may not utilize the techniques of trompe-l’oeil, I seek to depict intimate spaces that invite viewers to step into a room within the larger universe that my colorful characters inhabit.

CO — The work I'm showing in this exhibition is all exclusively ink on paper, my method of choice since I was a child — a total of 36 small format ink drawings created between 2015 and 2021. After lots of preparatory drawings in my sketchbook, I make a final pencil sketch that I then ink using dip pens, technical pens, and paintbrushes in the manner of traditional underground comic art. A large number of the pieces feature two recurring characters I mentioned before. Topoids represent workers, minorities, and the apollonian side of humans. Whereas Yoyos represent consumers, the middle class, and our dionysian side. Furthermore, there are nods to contemporary pop celebrities, a tribute to Milton Glazer's ‘I Love NY’ logo, and a story of abuse that a dear friend told me right before relocating to New York.

RC — This exhibition features my oil paintings which are built using a very traditional glazing process. The initial stage of these works is a monotone underpainting layer and I stay there for weeks until I feel the table is set and ready for the entrees and meal. I slowly build up the color and end with any final garnishes that I feel complete the image. I like the idea of using the history of painting to create contemporary abstractions.

SCL — The works in “Sky’s the Limit” are all works on paper. The drawings start with a pen. I usually love those clock pens that you see in every office. Then I use either watered down acrylic colors or a selected palette of colored pencils. They both give very different moods to the drawings.

What emotion or message do you want people to leave with after seeing your work?

AP — Hopefully it can motivate someone to pursue an artistic endeavor and dive into the world inside of them. Distorted realities and different views are very important to keep the soul and originality of art fresh and inspiring.

CO — I hope that viewers of the work have fun and get lost in the details that tie the pieces together. And that in the process, my characters and situations will take them somewhere new or make them think of something they weren't expecting. I encourage people to come with a friend. It's always a delight to see folks having conversations about what is going on in each scene.

RC — "Forget Me Nots Land" is a created world and story, and I want the viewer to be filled with intrigue. I want them to walk away knowing that each work is a small unique piece of a puzzle and that the story reveals more of itself with each exhibition. Hopefully, in a brief moment, they see the power of Afrofuturism and its ability to speak about a wide range of topics that transcend the box that has historically defined the contributions of African American artists. In the next moment, I want them to think only about how invigorated they are about the future of painting.

SCL — In one series, I want the viewers to see through the eyes of fictional ‘Bataillon 102’ characters, a period in my life that was dark and mysterious and expressed itself into an almost animated city. On the other hand, I wanted to show the beauty and fullness in the ‘in-between’ moments as well as the beauty in the banal in the other series.

Art

Pamela Sneed’s Speaking Tongue opens at Dashwood Projects

November 15, 2024

Pamela Sneed’s latest exhibition, Speaking Tongue, will be on view at Dashwood Projects from November 20 to December 21. The show features twenty watercolor and ink paintings inspired by her recent trip to Kenya, where she was deeply moved by the elegance of giraffes, the landscapes, and the energy of Nairobi.

Blending her background as a poet and visual artist, Sneed’s work reflects on themes of identity, nature, and connection. Her paintings capture the beauty and spirit of the animals she encountered, alongside reflections on her own experiences as part of the African diaspora.

This exhibition marks Sneed’s first solo show with Dashwood Projects and will be accompanied by a new book, also titled Speaking Tongue, to be released in December.

By Enzo Holdt
Artworks by Pamela Sneed

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Tiebreaker - Alvin Armstrong

November 15, 2024

There is a moment of silence right before the play. Just before the racket strikes the ball as it hangs weightless in the air, breathless and charged. It’s the fleeting yet decisive instant that can alter the course of the match, determining who wins and who loses.

Alvin Armstrong depicts this crucial moment in his new exhibition Tiebreaker, symbolizing the risks and rewards of competition. It’s an implication of something else at stake, where athletes push not only their bodies, but their spirits to the absolute limit.

The dynamic figures embody the strength, grace, and agility juxtaposed by the vibrant color palette evoking not just the joy of competition but the charged energy of the court.

Tiebreaker is opening Thursday, November 16th at Anna Zorina Gallery.

By Rea Brayshaw
Artworks by Alvin Armstrong

Art

The Things People Are Ashamed To Take Photos Of: The Photography and Films of Yuhan Cheng

Yuhan’s latest exhibition of photo and video work titled 窗子外 Outside the Window, Inside the Tank 鱼缸里 takes its namesake from what could’ve been a mundane encounter. A month after moving to New York City from Chengdu, China, they stumbled across an abandoned fish tank left curbside. It reminded them of “the rotating fish in a tank that faded into the background of their mother’s home in Chengdu”, a thread connecting childhood familiarity that transformed into a symbol of greater significance in adulthood. A tank is a world within a world; a microcosm secluded from the broader chaos of the outside. Since then Yuhan has captured the other kinds of “fish tanks” closest to them in their photography and short films. Not literal ones necessarily– but intimate confined spaces in Chengdu and NYC where time stands still.

In the midst of taking snapshots of loved ones, Yuhan decided to turn their tender but examining lens on themselves. They realized shooting self-portraits unraveled a deeper understanding of their own nonbinary gender and queer sexuality. Yuhan admits in one of their short films “I hide from looking at my own body.” Yet, in the seclusion of their room which doubles as a dark room, Yuhan began to develop their first nude photos chronicling the subtle wounds; bitten cuticles, bruises, and scrapes they’ve accumulated involuntarily, once again documenting the things people choose to hide.

窗子外 Outside the Window, Inside the Tank 鱼缸里, debuted at FAR-NEAR Studio Hours a gallery in Chinatown focused on expanding the art world's view of Asia and Asian artists curated by Lulu Yao Gioiello. The event merged Yuhan’s works from the past three years, including 70 photographs, three short documentaries, and one installation. There was something uncanny about the gallery’s atmosphere – from the dollar store teal green curtains obscuring every window to the clusters of framed photos mimicking how photos of relatives are displayed in one’s childhood home, to the darkened lighting that was both disorienting and cozy. All these details were meticulously chosen to imitate the rooms depicted in Yuhan’s films and photography. In other words, the audience was invited to Yuhan’s “fishtank”, to share the odd balance of comfort and unease of being known intimately. We talked to Yuhan at Cafe Reggio to understand how their latest body of work came into being.

Initially, I was exploring my friends’ identities through the lens, but slowly, it became a tool to confront and understand my own queerness and gender identity.

Ora Margolis— Were any memories/childhood experiences you had in Chengdu important to how you've developed as an artist?

Yuhan Cheng— Growing up in Chengdu, especially in a military household, shaped and gave me a source of contention how I understood my identity. There was always a sense of conflict when it came to my body and feeling like I didn’t quite fit the expectations around me. This tension has been a driving force in my practice, pushing me to explore identity and belonging in my work.

Tell us a bit about your latest exhibition Outside the Window, Inside the Tank at Far. What headspace were you in when taking these photos?

YC— Outside the Window, Inside the Tank is about the fluidity of self; our bodies, our environments, and our identities. The idea of water as both a symbol of confinement and freedom is central to the photos and film that comprise the exhibit. This fluidity much like how I see my experience moving between Chengdu and New York, where similar feelings follow me no matter where I am. Water mirrors the body, the frame, and the room, which are all containers of the self.

Previously, you’ve said you wanted the exhibition space to look "like your room". How did you make that happen and why is your NYC room important to you?

YC— My room in NYC is an extension of my identity. It’s where I feel vulnerable and where I explore myself most openly. It’s a manifestation of my sense of self. I recreated certain elements in the exhibition—the green sheer curtains, the dollar store shower curtain with bubbles, and the center installation depicted a self-portrait deteriorating in water, reminiscent of a fish in a tank. This room, like any other room or container, magnifies the tension of self-exploration.

Has your idea or comfort with your gender identity and /sexuality changed since you’ve delved into photography?

YC— Yes. The process of photography and filming has been a mirror to my own understanding of self. Initially, I was exploring my friends’ identities through the lens, but slowly, it became a tool to confront and understand my own queerness and gender identity. The process of photographing my queer friends and then myself allowed me to come to terms with who I am.

How did you and Lulu Yao of FAR-NEAR Studio meet, and what makes her a good collaborator?

YC— We first connected when I reached out with my series Princess of Funan River. Lulu understood the struggles and complexities in the work and she invited me to expand on those ideas with her. Our collaboration has worked because Lulu truly resonates with the themes I’m drawn to, like fluidity, transformation, and the intimacy of navigating belonging.

After completing Fish Tank and Remnants of an Amateur Film, what kind of movie do you want to make next?

YC— Right now, I’m more focused on writing. I need to understand what I want to say before making another film. Writing helps me find clarity;it’s a crucial part of my process.

What kind of camera do you use and why?

YC— I use a Canon AE-1. I started with it and I still love it. It's small, spontaneous, easy to use, and light. It allows me to capture moments naturally without overthinking.

What's your biggest fear?

YC— Being disconnected from my sense of self, from others, and from the things I love.

When do you feel most like yourself?

YC— It’s during those fleeting moments when I complete a project. That feeling fades quickly, leaving me searching for the next project to reconnect with that sense of fulfillment.

How do you want people to feel when they interact with your art?

YC— I want them to feel whatever resonates with them. I don’t want to prescribe the experience; it should feel right for each person.

Your work focuses on the close knit communities that surround you or various metaphorical “fish tanks”. What communities do you feel closest to?
YC— The queer artist community, both in Chengdu and NYC, has been a source of comfort and understanding for me. There’s something about shared struggles and shared creative language that feels like home.

What's the biggest difference between living life as a queer artist in NYC and in Chengdu?

YC— In both NYC and Chengdu, I’m learning more about myself. NYC offers a sense of freedom, while Chengdu is home, a place of comfort and history. Neither place defines me but both are significant parts of my path.

What are your next moves/goals?

YC— I want to continue exploring both film and photography, expanding my narrative style and experimenting across mediums. During my show, I found new ways of seeing my photographs such as by adding a window screen between frames or letting a self-portrait fade and grow mold in water. These approaches allowed me to see my work not just as 2D images but as 3D objects.

I want to keep pushing the boundaries of how photo and film can interact, and I’m also interested in trying photojournalism. My focus remains on collaborating across mediums and continuing to accumulate experiences that I can translate into sincere honest work.