FXFOWLE Presents: Ventana
FXFOWLE Presents Ventana, a new solo exhibition by American interdisciplinary artist Peter D. Gerakaris, currently on view in the FXFOWLE Gallery. A public opening reception for Ventana will be held on September 7, from 6 to 8 PM at FXFOWLE, 22 West 19th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY.
Ventana marks a bold departure from the artist’s maximalist mode of the last decade. Gerakaris wishes to distill both imagery and content to an essence, while leaving ample space for the viewer’s imagination. The series premiere of Ventana (meaning “window” in Spanish) excavates elements from art, architecture, and landscape while honoring the void. Ventana‘s motifs are presented as mixed-media works rooted in painting.
Moved by the notion that architecture serves as a genuine reflection of any civilization—and the follies and artifacts it leaves behind—the Ventana series can be regarded as a meditation on the convergence of nature and humanity within a whimsical organic network. As a nod to the many windows and gates designed by Antonio Gaudí, Ventana‘s flowing framework contains dualistic themes where lush nature and art history are pocketed. In this series, the artist explores the window as a membrane between interior and exterior; physical and metaphysical space. Playing with positive and negative forms like a musician who emphasizes the space between the notes, viewers are left to fill in the gaps between past, present, and future. Allusions to Bernini, Titian, and Piranesi, paired with energetic pops of color and a contemporary framework, propel this series into the future—a space where analog and digital converge.
Ventana pushes in and out of abstraction, allowing viewers to construct their own narratives among the changing rhythm of formats: rectangular paintings, circular paintings, works on paper, and an origami sculpture made from synthetic paper.
Co-curated by Deborah Davis and READart, the exhibition will be on view in the FXFOWLE Gallery through September 29, 2017, 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday (except major holidays), and by appointment (212-627-1700).
About the Artist
American interdisciplinary artist Peter D. Gerakaris earned a BFA from Cornell University in 2003 and an MFA from Hunter College in 2009 where he received the Tony Smith Prize. Gerakaris’ kaleidoscopic paintings, installations, and origami sculptures engage nature-culture themes and are showcased in various permanent institutional collections including the National Museum of Wildlife Art (Jackson, WY), the U.S. Department of State Art in Embassies Program in Libreville, Gabon (Africa), the Schomburg Center, the Waskowmium, the Warwick Hotel (Bahamas), and Citibank, in addition to a spectrum of private collections such as Patrick McMullan, William Lim, and Beth Rudin DeWoody.
