EXHIBITION IMAGES | PRESS RELEASE | ARTIST PAGE: HART
Halsey Mckay Gallery, located in East Hampton, New York is pleased to present its second show of the summer season. This two-person exhibition of works on paper by Joseph Hart and an installation of relief sculptures by Ruby Sky Stiler will be on view from Friday, June 10th to Monday, July 4th.
Through a presentation of new wall reliefs, Ruby Sky Stiler continues her investigation into ideals of art historical authority and accuracy–as well as modes of viewing. Stiler’s addition of a rail system for the work’s display emphasizes their object quality where they would otherwise strongly engage the language of painting. Categorization is elusive in this environment, as the relief’s operate somewhere between sculpture and painting. These compositions–which appear to be assembled from remnants of marble shards scavenged from the site of an ancient sculpture garden–are actually constructed from common materials such as foam, resin and spray paint. This usage of trompe l’oeil prompts the initial illusion of great physical weight, as well as the associations of a more elevated material and period of art history.
Similarly fascinated with the language and hierarchies of presentation, Joseph Hart utilizes visits to museums and reproductions from art history books as platforms for examining the mechanisms of display. Hart presents several works on paper that incorporate a variety of approaches, including painting, drawing, and cut paper-collage. He creates small moments that are alternatively calm and chaotic, that push, pull and produce other forms of tension, ultimately leading to awkward yet resolved configurations. His treatment is controlled at times and loose during others. This varied approach creates a diverse set of gestures that might suggest the shape of a tool or weapon, the contour of a figure or floral still life. While Stiler puts the pieces back together, Hart seems to dismantle them, creating delicate abstractions that make oblique references to compositional boundaries, incidental versus articulated mark making, and symbols of significance.
Originally from New Hampshire, Joseph Hart lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. In 1999, he received a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Hart’s works have been included in exhibitions at the Santa Monica Museum of Art, Bronx Museum of the Arts, International Print Center New York, as well as at Galerie Vidal Saint-Phalle, Paris, Klaus Von Nichtssangend Gallery, CRG Gallery, Alexander & Bonin, and David Krut Projects in New York.
Ruby Sky Stiler received her BFA from The Rhode Island School of Design and her MFA from Yale University in 2006. Recent exhibitions include, The Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland, OR; Derek Eller Gallery, New York; Callicoon Fine Arts, Callicoon, NY; Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens, NY; Sandroni Rey, Los Angeles; and Sunday Gallery, New York. Additionally, Stiler has an upcoming solo project at The Suburban, Chicago. The artist is represented by Nicelle Beuchene Gallery in New York.