Sculptures by Carole Eisner/Paintings by Liane Ricci

In celebration of the public exhibition on the Broadway Malls of sculptures by SEFA artist Carole Eisner (click here for more information), we are presenting an exhibition of Eisner's small sculptures, along with recent oil paintings by abstract California-based artist Liane Ricci.

September 17 - November 6, 2009

Thursday, September 17, 6-8 pm We are pleased to announce the opening of the fall exhibition In The Abstract, featuring eight paintings by Liane Ricci and five small sculptures by Carole Eisner.

In The Abstract coincides with Carole Eisner on Broadway, the major exhibition of nine monumental steel sculptures on the Broadway malls from 64th to 166th streets, co-organized with the Broadway Mall Association and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, on view from September 9-December 8, 2009

Please join us for the Broadway Malls RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY - Monday, September 14, 10 am, Dante Park, Broadway at 64th Street

Carole Eisner's indoor sculptures, averaging two to three feet tall, are made from a welded collage of drops and cut-out steel pieces from the same series of scrap she found in a Connecticut industrial scrap yard. Moon Fish, for example, is fabricated with the cut out pieces or "drops" from the steel plate that forms Flower Power, as if one sculpture were the negative of the other's positive. Eisner's small pieces are not maquettes for larger ones, but works in their own right. Using the same methodology she applies to her larger sculptures, Eisner does not sketch before fabrication. "I find two or three scraps that seems to want to be together and then develop the piece from there," Eisner says.

This selection of small works was most recently exhibited at the Chateau de Fontaine-Henry in Calvados, France in 2007. Currently, her monumental sculptures are in group exhibitions in downtown Albany, the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden, West Palm Beach, FL and at Syracuse University, NY, among other sites.

This is Liane Ricci's second major exhibition at SEFA. Ricci was first featured in the Gallery's inaugural exhibition in June 2006, which highlighted her series of abstracts on paper called the "I Series". With titles such as I'm Afraid of Fish, I Feel Vulnerable and I'm in Love with This Moment, each painting was the expression of an internal psychological moment. Since creating the "I Series", Ricci has relocated from Brooklyn, NY, to Culver City, CA, where she now lives and works. "I continue to draw from my experiences working in textile design, costume and fashion, and am also interested in exploring Art Deco, Art Nouveau and modern grafitti styles in my paintings," says Ricci.

This new body of work is also heavily influenced by the coastal rhythms and imagery of the seaside, executed with vintage Vespa colors of baby blue, coral pink and celadon. In her representation of waves, seashells and the unique flora and fauna of the west coast, she moves away from the purely abstract, amorphous works of the past and celebrates the bright palette and flamboyance of a retro Hollywood, with all its glitz and glam. Ricci's paintings have been exhibited in group shows at the George Billis Gallery, LA, and Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, NY, and Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto. She has also been featured in various international art fairs.