A New Sacred: Two-person Exhibition (Press Release Cycle XIV), Storage Gallery /  by Carolyn Oberst

Carolyn Oberst & Eden Seifu

March 14th - May 3rd, 2025

Storage
52 Walker Street
4th Floor
Tribeca, New York 10013

Checklist

Press Release

Storage is pleased to present A New Sacred, a two-person exhibition featuring the work of Carolyn Oberst (b. 1946) and Eden Seifu (b. 1996). Continuing the gallery’s focus on intergenerational dialogues, this iteration highlights two women who have reimagined the possibilities of Christian imagery, iconography, and notions of power. The show is on view from March 14 through May 3, 2025.

Since the 2nd century, artists have perpetually reinvented ways to display biblical imagery. The works in this exhibition are not a translation of text to image, but one in which universally-known hallmarks of Christianity are employed by artists to craft contemporary tableaus – more akin to the 19th century Symbolists’ visual metaphors. From different perspectives and with different intent, these two self-taught painters have harnessed this tradition to make work that is entrenched with political history. 

Dismayed by environmental degradation, Carolyn Oberst created the pieces in The Crosses We Bear from 1990 to 1994. Ethnically Jewish and secular, Oberst has said of the series, “I felt that separate from the religious association, the cross shape would connote both a sign of pain and suffering as well as a call to action.” Deforestation, oil spills, and endangered flora and fauna are rendered in careful detail. Burning the Tree of Life calls to mind the blazing bush that God used to speak to Moses, though the hills licked with flames in the background point to an uncontained wildfire. In Endangered Birds, Oberst imagines a flock of different tropical avians gathered harmoniously in the branches of a tree. “When looking for which species to depict, I tried to find examples that were so common looking one would not suspect they were endangered.” 

Eden Seifu’s singular aesthetic gathers and blends visual identities: from El Greco’s loose, elongated limbs to the characters of commedia dell'arte. Consistent throughout her practice is a sense of the sublime and sacred, often accompanied by Ethiopian Christian religious markers. A young angel is the focus of Two-Headed Cherub. Surrounded by sinewy wings, one face looks outward in awe while the other is filled with tears, like the iconic comedy and tragedy masks metonymous of the performing arts. In The Angel of Pilgrimage, the figure stands calmly in a swirling, abstract space. The surrounding evokes clouds with its airy brushstrokes but, instead of pure white, the artist has crafted a splendor of pastels. These two pieces recall the straightforward plane of pre-Giotto religious iconography, while other works like Acrobat warp the viewpoint in a way that echoes the covers of science fiction and fantasy pulp novels. Like the development of perspective during the Florentine Renaissance, her magpie approach to visual culture well represents the hyperspeed of our time.      

Group Exhibition: Press Release (Cycle XIII), Storage Gallery /  by Carolyn Oberst

November 9th - January 2025

Storage
52 Walker Street
4th Floor
Tribeca, New York 10013

Checklist

Press Release

Storage is pleased to present Press Release (Cycle XIII), a group exhibition featuring the works of Rick Lowe (b. 1961), Leasho Johnson (b. 1984), Jeff Way (b. 1942), Hugo McCloud (b. 1980), Michael Igwe (b. 1994), and Carolyn Oberst (b. 1946). Blending abstraction and figuration, this exhibition brings together a diverse assemblage of voices that collectively explore the multifaceted nature of identity, culture, and social observation. Press Release (Cycle XIII) will be on view from November 9th, 2024 through January 2025 at Storage.

The works in Press Release (Cycle XIII) engage with personal and shared experiences, offering a rich tapestry of perspectives that reflect the complexities of contemporary identity. Each artist employs a unique take on narrative, social critique, and material exploration. 

Rick Lowe’s interdisciplinary practice maps the connections between culture and community, revealing how these elements influence and inform one another. In tandem, Hugo McCloud’s focus on materiality challenges viewers to consider the intersections of class, race, and identity through the lens of the environment and economy, emphasizing how our surroundings shape our experiences.

Michael Igwe’s storytelling, deeply rooted in folklore, offers a framework through which to explore personal and communal identities. In contrast, Leasho Johnson’s sharp commentary on post-colonial culture prompts critical reflections on the visible and invisible aspects of identity formation.

Carolyn Oberst balances lived experiences with imagined worlds, encouraging reflection on the boundaries between reality and perception. Meanwhile, Jeff Way’s exploration of shamanism and meditation introduces a spiritual perspective, inviting contemplation on the relationship between the personal and the collective.

Together the artists of Press Release (Cycle XIII) create a rich conversation that not only underscores the diversity of contemporary identity but also invites viewers to engage with the inevitable questions arising from their interconnected narratives. The shared contexts of these varied backgrounds reveal universal themes that transcend geographical boundaries, emphasizing the mutual human experiences that connect us all.

Westwood Gallery presents Loft Law: Photographs by Joshua Charow /  by Carolyn Oberst

WESTWOOD GALLERY NYC presents Loft Law: Photographs by Joshua Charow, the first solo exhibition for New York-based documentary photographer and filmmaker Joshua Charow (b. 1998), curated by James Cavello. This is Charow’s premiere exhibition of his photographs and short documentary films on New York artists. The exhibition includes forty photographs by Charow and eighteen works of art by eleven of the artists featured in the photographs: Carmen Cicero, Loretta Dunkelman, Betsy Kaufman, Kimiko Fujimura, Joseph Marioni, Carolyn Oberst, Marsha Pels, Gilda Pervin, Steve Silver, Mike Sullivan, and Jeff Way. The exhibition will be on view May 16 – July 13, 2024.

Loft Law: The Last of New York City's Original Artist Lofts /  by Carolyn Oberst

Joshua Charow spent three years creating his first photography book titled 'Loft Law. The Last of New York City's Original Artist Lofts' about artists living under the protection of the Loft Law. The law, enacted in 1982 (Article 7-C of the Multiple Dwelling Law), granted protection and rent stabilization to thousands of artists who were living illegally in commercial and manufacturing zoned lofts in neighborhoods like Soho, Tribeca, and the Bowery after the manufacturing industry predominantly left Manhattan.

In 2021, he found a map of the remaining protected buildings, rang thousands of doorbells, and photographed and interviewed over 75 artists who are still living in these incredible lofts to this day. The photographs explore some of the most unique beautiful, and hidden artist studios across New York City. The book includes writing and personal stories from the incredible group of artists featured in the book.

Featured Artists: Ken Jacobs, Flo Jacobs, Loretta Dunkelman, Katherine Liberovskaya, Phill Niblock, Gerald Marks, Martine Mallary, Michael Sullivan, Carmen Cicero, Joseph Marioni, Carolyn Oberst, Jeff Way, Chuck DeLaney, Joe Haske, Kimiko Fujimura, Steve Silver, Noah Jemison, Sumayyah Samaha, Bob Petrucci, Claire Fergusson, Gilda Pervin, Curtis Mitchell, Ellen Christine, Marsha Pels, Betsy Kaufman, Jennifer Charles, JG Thirlwell, Alex Locadia, Winkel, Anne Mason remembering artist Frank Mason.

Book Credits: Photography & Text by Joshua Charow, Design by Alexander Paterson-Jones, Text Edited by Czar Van Gaal and Kala Herh

To purchase the book: https://www.amazon.com/Joshua-Charow-Citys-Original-Artist/dp/8862088159