Subject Object

Vija Celmins, Lisa Giordano, Gavin Gleeson, Matvey Levenstein, Hafsa Nouman, Marguerite Piard, Danny Sobor, Allegra Toran, Yuwei Tu Palo Gallery (New York) is delighted to present our latest exhibition, Subject Object, a group show featuring artworks by nine artists. Curated by gallery founder Paul Henkel, Subject Object aims to explore the complex topic of ambiguity in art. The exhibition explores the flux between subjectivity and objectivity that humans are in a constant state of as discussed by existentialists Simone de Beauvoir (Ethics of Ambiguity 1947) and Maurice Merleau-Ponty (Phenomenology of Perception, 1945).The works of these nine artists are arranged to explore the contradictory state of being both the perceiver and the perceived, making our understanding of reality unfixed and ambiguous. “Ambiguity is essential to human existence, and everything we live or think always has several senses.” - Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception, Donald Landes Translation From painting to mixed media, the exhibition brings together artists who work with ambiguity not as something to resolve, but as something to sit with, ultimately using it to open up new ways of seeing and understanding. This is a central idea of De Beauvoir’s in which learning to live with ambiguity isn’t just part of life, but also at the heart of art. Throughout art history, artists have tested the depths and tension of this experience, and allowed works to exist with a flexibility in their interpretation. Each artist in this exhibition has approached the genre from a different perspective, yet each can be found to embrace this fluid state. “Since we do not succeed in fleeing it, let us therefore try to look the truth in the face. Let us try to assume our fundamental ambiguity." —Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity, Part 1, Frechtman Translation Literary critic William Empson (Seven Types of Ambiguity, 1930) argues that the less certain and more unknowable a work of creativity is, the closer it comes to the height of art. In Subject Object, Vija Celmin’s works present flat, undefined sections of earth devoid of scale or horizon - leading the viewer to question relation, position, and purpose. Whereas the works of Hafsa Nouman layers pigment and materials to create reflective abstract pieces that blur the viewers relationship and role in the interpretation of the artwork. The ethereal is a topic that Allegra Toran takes on in the arena of ambiguity rendering landscapes and spaces from memory, with the haze and colour work of each piece leading one to question the validity and reality of each snapshot. Marguerite Piard on the other hand, tackles the complex lines of gaze and desire in regard to the female form, often cropping the body up close and finding space for observation while avoiding objectification. The body continues to be a place of exploration for Yuwei Tu, who reduces the form in wax, oil, and drawing until we arrive at artworks that are almost shadows of a subject. In the oil paintings of Danny Sobor, Matvey Levenstein and Lisa Giordano, each artist demonstrates a fundamental engagement with the concept of image. Sobor recreates unknown images found in internet archives in a meticulous obscurity filled with questions. Levenstein too uses source imagery, but it is taken from his own snapshots. Working from these reference images, Levenstein reworks the moment with a controlled palette and hazy rendering that results in artworks exploring the very idea of image and reality. Giordano takes on an almost essentialist approach, painting subjects into their most essential elements until only what feels necessary remains. No work of art can be an exact expression of reality, and the artworks that make this their goal end up as illustration. Subject Object embraces ambiguity, creating a space where meaning can move, shift, and enrich.

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