January 7 - 28, 2016

Recent Work: Mike Filan, Mitch Lewis, and Judy Glasser
Saved: Recycled Artist Books by Irmari Nacht
On The Wall: Azita Ghafouri

Carter Burden Gallery presents three new exhibitions: Recent Work in the east gallery featuring Mike Filan, Judy Glasser and Mitchell Lewis, Saved: Recycled Artist Books in the west gallery featuring Irmari Nacht and On the Wall featuring Azita Ghafouri. The reception will be held January 7, 2016 from 6 – 8 PM. The exhibition runs from January 7th through 28th at 548 West 28th Street in New York City. The Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, 11am-5pm, Saturday 11am-6pm.

Mike Filan

In Recent Work, Mike Filan presents recent abstract paintings on canvas for his second show at Carter Burden Gallery. By not using brushes, Filan pushes the enamel paint and spray paint to create a new visual vocabulary of vertical drips and splashes. Filan thrusts Jackson Pollack’s abstract expressionism into the present day with visual waterfalls of bright candy colors. The layers of paint build complex surfaces that create a visual push and pull. The physical movement of the paint frozen on the surface of the canvas suggests the inevitable weight of gravity. Filan states, “Within the context of abstraction, I am constantly inventing a new vocabulary that employs gesture, form and notation. The intensity of color is used as a mystical guide that leads me through the creation process.”

Judy Glasser

In Recent Work, Judy Glasser presents recent abstract wooden sculptures for her first show at Carter Burden Gallery. Each of Glasser’s organic albeit geometric sculptures are monochromatic disparate pieces of cut wood. The artist has reassembled the shapes of wood from work that was previously taken apart. The evidence of the original configurations is visible in the scars, rips, and gouges on the wood that resulted from prying off the glued and nailed shapes. Glasser states that the “marks retained the outlines of the original composition. The outlines became a secondary composition within the paintings.”

Mitchell Lewis

In Recent Work, Mitchell Lewis presents recent abstract paintings for his second show at Carter Burden Gallery. Lewis’s paintings are comprised of colorful organic forms that are framed with red borders. Lewis paints intuitively, seeking inspiration from the forms that emerge. In this body of work, New Beginnings, Lewis perceives narratives derived from biblical texts and Old Testament folklore. He seeks spiritual insights to provide normality and proper balance in the human psyche. New Beginnings records that balance.

Irmari Nacht

In Saved: Recycled Artist Books, Irmari Nacht presents sculptural work for her first show at Carter Burden Gallery. Nacht transforms books, that otherwise might be discarded, into artwork. Nacht reuses every piece of the original book in the final sculpture. She paints, distresses, cuts, and creates curling slivers out of original form. The final forms often represent tree-like shapes that reference the original organic materials from which the book was made. Nacht states, "I am very interested in recycling and look at discards as a wonderful opportunity to create something new. We are all affected by changes in the environment and are beginning to realize the need to recycle to protect our future. I hope my books will increase awareness of these changes and will get people thinking about recycling, reusing, and repurposing."

Azita Ghafouri

Azita Ghafouri’s large-scale installation will be featured in the gallery space On the Wall. The artist is presenting four recent large paintings on silk and cotton surfaces that were created for this exhibition. The yellow and dark blue paint-marks stand out against the white background. The energetic brushstrokes invite the viewer to follow the gestures and imagine the journey.

Azita Ghafouri was born in Iran to Russian parents. She received her masters in urban planning and architecture from Tehran University. Ghafouri has balanced her professional work as an architect with her passion for painting for over four decades. She has exhibited her work widely throughout the United States and internationally. Exhibition highlights include: Azad Gallery in 1971, 1972, 1973; Takht-Jamshid Gallery in Tehran in 1975; Goethe Institute in 1976; Numpkin Gallery in San Diego in 1979; and the Museum of Balboa Park in San Diego in 1980.