June 6 – July 3, 2019

Suspended States: Nieves Saah & Jacqueline Shatz

Paper Works: Elisabeth Jacobsen & Susan Skoorka

On the Wall: Sea Wall: Beth Barry

Opening Reception: Thursday, June 6th from 6 – 8 PM

Carter Burden Gallery presents three new exhibitions: Suspended States in the East Gallery featuring Nieves Saah and Jacqueline Shatz; Paper Works in the West gallery featuring Elisabeth Jacobsen and Susan Skoorka; and On the Wall featuring the installation Sea Wall by Beth Barry. The reception will be held June 6th, 2019 from 6 - 8 p.m. The exhibition runs from June 6 through July 3, 2019 at 548 West 28thStreet in New York City. The gallery hours are Tuesday - Friday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. 

Beth Barry

In Sea Wall, a site-specific installation in the experimental public space On the Wall, Beth Barry presents a series of forty 8 x 10 inch panels that create one unified piece. The series is an exploration of when two elements merge, the edge where land meets water. Barry states, “Landscapes are fragments of time - moments of movement. The shapes and light are instances that fade as soon as they appear... This series is an exploration of experiences one has in those moments. The palette is limited to enhance the synchrony between the panels. They all fit together in the idiosyncratic way of nature.”

Elisabeth Jacobsen

In the exhibition Paper Works artist Elisabeth Jacobsen presents recent sculptures inspired by the ever-evolving landscape of New York City, more specifically her Chelsea neighborhood. Jacobsen elaborates, “Undeniably we live in a metropolis that is forever building an innovative city with the delineations of forms that provide wonder and stimulate imagination. Their reflective surfaces play off the geometry of the surrounding structures and influence the environment's mood and tone.” Utilizing cardboard to explore the emergence of the ongoing constructions, Jacobsen’s use of this rudimentary material juxtaposes the complexity of the structures. 

Nieves Saah

Suspended States features recent works by painter Nieves Saah. The rich color palette of Saah’s paintings reflect not only her life in Spain, a country with a vast, colorful art history, but also her extensive travels in South America, other parts of Europe, and the Middle East. Her compositions are complex and usually consist of contrasting colors. She creates the imagery by stacking colors next to each other then taking away what she feels is unnecessary and moving “the paint to where whimsy and a lifetime of skill dictates.” Saah’s paintings are emotional and often express stories of her own life and dreams.

Jacquline Shatz

In Suspended States, Jacqueline Shatz presents pedestal and wall works, which fall somewhere between painting and sculpture, stillness and movement, figurative and abstract. The vibrant ceramic pieces are part of a continuing series of reimagined symbols from the past about forces of history and nature. Transformation, anthropomorphism, and myth are implied themes throughout Shatz’ work. She states, “My wall sculptures involve suspended states of being and the permeable nature of time. The images of swimming, floating and "about to" gestures imply anticipation, hesitancy, anxiety or relief from anxiety. I did not set out to express specific emotions – they emerged from the selection of the figures and the creation of the pieces themselves. The meanings are hidden like the meanings in dreams.”

Susan Skoorka

Susan Skoorka presents dynamic collages in the exhibition Paper Works. After designing for years on a computer, Skoorka felt the undeniable pull of creating with her hands. These works are created with beautifully textured cut colored paper that are impeccably layered to create energetic and graphic compositions. Skoorka states, “I love working with color, textures, paper and scissors, creating shapes, shifting them around and arranging them in exciting ways. My cut paper inspiration comes from Henri Matisse, Joseph Albers, Kurt Schwitters and Ivan Chermayeff.” A selection of her Paper Worksdesigns will be translated into hand knotted wool rugs.

Installation Views