Hudson Yards Gallery hosted the opening reception of their ‘street art exhibition’ this past month. Featuring several talented artists, the exhibition, curated by James Weber and Savior Elmundo, pays homage to mixed media aesthetic and fractalized discourses of real-world truths and self-discovery.
First, I was particularly drawn to Whitney Anne Marie’s large-scale piece of two lions roaring wildly at one another. Skillfully employing line, color and texture to bridge what is felt and what is endured in the life as a female, she recalls “attempting to tap into power struggle between gender roles, whether you’re female or male.”
“I play both mom and dad” single mom who must find a balance between being nurturing and giving them love and attention. I also must discipline them and be strong too, so I often struggle and ask myself: I constantly wonder: Am I doing enough? Am I doing it right? Are they going to grow up to be ok?”
Noting her ‘personal connection’ to this piece, the male gaze remains unfocused. He is looking to the side and not staring directly in her eyes, while she is directly looking at him. Quite telling in a world where women are constantly multi-tasking and trying to strike a balance among all aspects of life, Whitney Ann experiments with the boundaries between chaos and calm, most poignantly amid the backdrop of motherhood.
A second piece that stood out is “NoSquiat”. A mixed media collage made with spray paint, marbles and gilded overlay, “it’s about the destruction of an artist” notes artist Optimonyc.
Thirdly, the gothic romantic visions by Melissa Schainker hypnotize any passerby. Evidently fond of the subconscious mind, she masterfully combines surrealism and realism. Her piece “Blight” captures how so many people and artists who were pushed to the side during pandemic, when the city was falling apart, are now helping to rebuilding the city.
“It’s about the moment of pause and recreation of the city, and how we’re moving it to the next level.”
Moreover, her adjacent piece “Jitterbug”, made from acrylic, spray-paint and oil is an attempt to mimic the doors of businesses on which people were posted up their murals during pandemic. “I’m trying to show the layers of complexity of what we were going through emotionally…The hand is there to show how we’re coming out of all that.” Meant to show the ‘grittiness’ of resurrecting from chaos, the undeniable element of darkness unmistakably propels viewers to recall and reminisce about what can be both lost and saved during amid apocalypses.
Finally, what’s better than a snarly octopus chandelier traced with Christmas lights to bless attendees from above? Will Woodrow’s “Octopus” and “Ms. Pac man” sculptures composed from cement, fiberglass, metal, canvas and more, allude to his background as a commercial tradesman. Equipped with structural engineering capabilities, including geometry, 3D printing, digital design, technology, he is particularly fond of aquatic entities and environments.
The octopus is based on a “prototype of a much smaller piece in which I had just used the tentacles and made a calamari type creature.” Apparently, he also created an underwater mermaid that lives at the bottom of an aquarium, and is working on a nostalgia series with another artist involving 80’s characters and toys.
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