Figuring the Floral

When

July 21 – December 1, 2019 All Day

Where

Glyndor Gallery

Price

Free

A flower’s life cycle of budding, blooming and pollinating, as well as its process of decay, strongly echoes the human condition. The exhibition Figuring the Floral features artists who apply this symbolism to their work—touching on race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, aging and other facets of identity. Reflecting on the site-specificity of these works exhibited amid the flourishing gardens of Wave Hill, Curator of Visual Arts Eileen Jeng Lynch notes how the exhibition is enhanced by the visible and tangible connections with flora on the grounds.

While floral imagery is often associated with decorative art and femininity, Figuring the Floral subverts these notions—rather, artists complicate such limiting interpretations by relating these natural forms to deeper reflections of self. This group exhibition brings together artists who create new symbolism, some using flowers to alter or obscure the human form and others working in more abstract or literal modes of depiction. The work includes collage, drawing, painting, photography, sculpture and an outdoor installation amidst the living foliage of the gardens.

Exhibiting artists: Derrick Adams, Nicole Awai, Bahar Behbahani, Christian Ruiz Berman, Sanford Biggers, Cecile Chong, Max Colby, Abigail DeVille, Valerie Hegarty, Christopher K. Ho and Kevin Zucker, Diana Lozano, Natalia Nakazawa, Ebony G. Patterson, Bundith Phunsombatlert, Lina Puerta, Simonette Quamina, David Rios Ferreira, Alexandria Smith, Katherine Toukhy, Lina Iris Viktor, William Villalongo and Saya Woolfalk.

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North Gallery Installation. From left to right: Saya Woolfalk, "Untitled #6" from the ChimaTEK series, 2015. Courtesy of the artist and Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York, NY. David Rios Ferreira, "Do things my own way darling", 2018. Courtesy of the artist. Sanford Biggers, "Quo Vadis?", 2019. Image courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY and Aspen, CO. Photo: Stefan Hagen.

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Middle Gallery Installation. From left to right: Cecile Chong, "EL DORADO - The New Forty Niners", 2019. Courtesy of the artist. Lina Puerta, "Broccoli Crop Workers (Farmworker Tapestries Series)", 2017. Courtesy of the artist. Saya Woolfalk, "Elements from a Cabinet of Anticipation", 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York, NY. Diana Sofia Lozano, "SubRosa", 2019. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Stefan Hagen.

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South Gallery Installation. Left to right: Derrick Adams, "Figure Walking into the Light 24", 2018. Courtesy of the artist. Abigail DeVille, "And the Migrants Kept Coming...", 2019. Courtesy of the artist. Nicole Awai, "Vista 9: Flashback – Now You See Me Pounce!", 2016. Courtesy of the artist and Lesley Heller Gallery, New York, NY. Alexandria Smith, "Procession to the Rooting Place", 2013. Courtesy of the artist and LMAKgallery. Photo: Stefan Hagen.

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Katherine Toukhy, "For Nadia Murad", 2018, Paper, acrylic, watercolor, 37 x 19 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Stefan Hagen.

Exhibition figuringthefloral JOHN BERENS 02 — Derrick Adams, "Figure Walking into the Light 24", 2018, acrylic paint, pencil, and fabric on paper, 24 x 18 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

Exhibition figuringthefloral 01 — Sanford Biggers, "Quo Vadis?", 2019, antique quilt, textiles, gold leaf, acrylic, spray paint, charcoal, 43 x 34 inches, 47 1/4 x 38 1/4 inches framed. Private Collection, NY. Courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York and Aspen. Photo Credit: Object Studies.

Exhibition figuringthefloral 03 — Lina Iris Viktor, "Second", 2017-18. Pure 24-karat gold, acrylic, Ink, gouache, copolymer resin, printed on cotton rag paper. 52 x 40 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim Gallery.

Figuring the Floral is organized by Eileen Jeng Lynch, Curator of Visual Arts, and Emily Alesandrini, Curatorial Fellow, with support from Jennifer McGregor, Senior Director of Arts, Education & Programs.