Gallery I
March 30 – April 24, 2021
Heidi Kumao
Real and Imagined: Narrative Fabric Works and Animations
Ceres Gallery is pleased to present Heidi Kumao’s solo exhibition, “Real and Imagined: Narrative Fabric Works and Animations.” Using fabric cutouts and machine and hand stitching on industrial felt, Kumao translates the emotional and psychological aspects of relationships into accessible visual narratives. Intentionally minimal, each piece gives physical form to conversations, traumatic incidents, or power imbalances using recognizable objects such as chairs, roots, ladders, or spotlights. Making connections between the personal (her experiences with the pandemic, intimate relationships, and her parents’ deaths) and the political, she merges and connects her stories with stories from the public sphere and the #MeToo movement. Events are captured midstream, suspended in time like a felt film still.
The animations depict narrow slices of time carved out from a lifetime of memories living as a woman. As if in a dream state, female characters re-enact isolated moments, tasks, events, and conversations as a way of scrutinizing their own lived experience: “Is this how it happened? Am I remembering this right?”
Threads pulled taut, tangled thread, stitching, and the forces of gravity and friction visualize the unseen forces experienced by women in different stages of life. Each piece illustrates the unspoken power dynamics of doctor’s visits, one-on-one conversations, the workplace, home, and the public sphere by freezing or replaying moments of vulnerability and precariousness.
This work is inspired, in part, by the courage and testimony of women like Christine Blasey Ford and others in the #MeToo movement who publicly report assault or harassment. The title, “Real AND Imagined,” is a direct reference to how a woman’s testimony is received. Her account is accepted as truthful by many, and simultaneously dismissed as IMAGINARY by the court of public opinion: “She must have imagined it. Her memory is wrong. He was just joking.”
Artist will be present at gallery: Tues. March 30, 4-6 pm,
Thurs. April 1, 6-8 pm & Sat. April 24, 3-5 pm
Gallery II
March 30 – 24, 2021
Linda Kunik
Emulsion Transfer on Dibond and Archival Pigment Prints
Ceres Gallery is pleased to present STRATA; an exploration of the continuum of civilizations through a juxtaposition of images of contemporary hi-rises and ancient architectural ruins.
Perception and contrast have always been at the core of Kunik’s work. Whether it was painting her interpretation of the glaciers melting and the psychological correspondence to people’s lives being tragically affected, or the close-up and sensual photographs of heirloom tomatoes from her four-year gardening project, which also fed a community of artists.
The land and the environment have always been a source from which Kunik’s ideas develop and realize themselves. STRATA is a natural evolution, which investigates the parallels between the ancient cliff dwellings of the Anasazi and Pueblo Indians of Mesa Verde, Colorado, and the hi-rise residential and commercial buildings of current-day Denver, Colorado. What follows is an exploration of a timeline of the arts and architecture in America; to compare and contrast the buildings of past to today. To realize this timeline, the process of photography and Kunik’s own unique version of an emulsion process were used.
The public is invited to see STRATA during gallery hours.
Appointments are recommended but not required.
Artist will be present at gallery: Tues. March 30, 4-6 pm,
Thurs. April 1, 6-8 pm & Sat. April 24, 3-5 pm
Ceres Gallery is following all COVID19 requirements.
Masks are required at all times.
We suggest you call before visiting.
212.947.6100.
We are equipped with everything to make your visit safe.