Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Opening Night: Mary Iverson and Stephanie Buer at Thinkspace Gallery

On Saturday, Thinkspace Gallery celebrated the opening of "After", a collaborative exhibition by Mary Iverson and Stephanie Buer.  As a singular statement, their new work explores a certain "afterlife" of desolate urban and rural landscapes.  Where Stephanie Buer (previously covered here) suggests the passing of time through colorful graffiti on crumbling walls, Mary Iverson interjects peaceful mountainscapes with exciting abstract shapes.

On Saturday, Thinkspace Gallery celebrated the opening of “After”, a collaborative exhibition by Mary Iverson and Stephanie Buer.  As a singular statement, their new work explores a certain “afterlife” of desolate urban and rural landscapes.  Where Stephanie Buer (previously covered here) suggests the passing of time through colorful graffiti on crumbling walls, Mary Iverson interjects peaceful mountainscapes with exciting abstract shapes.

Stephanie Buer with her work on opening night.

Both add visual excitement to the work through the bold colors that also celebrates their respective environments. Depending on how you look at it, their narrative also tells a sad story. Iverson’s rainbow of shipping containers tumble through a variety of scenes. She seems to raise an environmental concern; that even the most remote places on Earth are eventually affected by industry. Through the absence of human life, these abandoned places persevere as the world goes on without us.  In the adjacent gallery, Glenn Arthur matches their graphic aesthetic with his latest series, “Oppulent Anomalies”.  He places side-show “freaks”, old time subjects of mockery, in luxurious costumes so they can be newly admired.  “After” by Mary Iverson and Stephanie Buer is on view at Thinkspace Gallery through September 6th, 2014.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Since moving from New York city to the countryside in Hudson, artist Jason Middlebrook has found himself in a constant contact with nature. His striking "plank series" is informed by his surroundings; vividly painted abstract designs on natural pieces of cut wood like maple and birch, sourced from a local mill. Though his use of straight lines and angles, drawn with a geometric precision, may not be naturally occurring, they are inspired by the subtle nuances found in his materials.
A child of a bustling city of contrast and colors, Rodrigo Branco's affinity for abstraction may come as no surprise. But his blurred portraits of local people in São Paulo, created using patches of colors and expressive strokes, are actual representations of what the artist used to see as a little kid. Raised in the southern outskirts of the city, Branco had a severe vision impairment that was left untreated for years.
Mikko Lagerstedt is a self-taught landscape photographer passionate about capturing the natural wonders of his home country, Finland. He first became interested in shooting these incredible vistas when driving to a relative's cabin in the countryside one summer. "After a rainy day, the sun started shining, and the fog was rising in the fields," writes the artist in his statement. "I just had to stop and watch this beautiful moment and then I realized that I want to start capturing these kinds of moments." Ever since then, Lagerstedt has spent his time capturing Finland's glittering night skies and pristine forests, using his expert editing skills to bring out the otherworldly qualities of these real-life settings. His work makes us want to book plane tickets to Finland already.
Italian artist Carlo Fantin (featured here) uses the Catholic imagery from his devout upbringing as a metaphor for contemporary rituals. In particular, his hand-cut paper works address our unrelenting use of social media, where he likens bloggers and the media to shepherds whom we follow like a flock of sheep. His current exhibition, "U Have 2 Name Him Jesus #Annunciation" at Mercury 20 in Oakland, CA continues this play on religious iconography.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List