Riverside Gallery presents Intertwining, a group exhibition of works by Erica Geralds, Gustavo Rojas, and Kang, Ung (Kang, Ungboo), from January 17th to February 1st, 2024. The opening reception will be held on January 20th, Saturday, from 4 to 6 PM.

Intertwining is the process or the phenomenon of separate elements merging, joining, and weaving together to create a synthetic material or outcome. It can also be argued that the tendency towards deconstructing and reconstructing a subject in the forms of art that involve abstraction, including Impressionism and Cubism, exhibit intertwining of the visual elements of form and color. In the works by Monet, the colors break up into pleasing brush strokes and merge together again as a larger vision capturing light and movement within the transitory moment of time. In the works by Picasso and Braque, which were inspired by the discovery of special and general relativity by Einstein and of quantum mechanics, space and time bend and merge, giving birth to a subject that is simultaneously fragmented and combined. Within the context of Contemporary Art, we observe the works of Eva Hesse, who pioneered the Postminimal style of art utilizing latex, fiberglass, and plastics. In her works, too, the various materials and forms of objects weave and collage together to create instances of new meaning and interpretation, which can be said to be feminine without feminist statement. (Postminimalism could be distinguished from Minimalism by “its ‘mirth and jokiness,’ its ‘unmistakable whiff of eroticism,’ and its ‘nonmechanical repetition.’”)

In the group exhibition, we have the intertwining of threads of silky fluid acrylic colors by Erika Geralds, including the warm and cool hues, the bright and dark values, and the intense and muted levels of saturation. We also see in the works of Gustavo Rojas the fragmentation of form and their re-combining to open up multiple interpretations of what is happening in the image. Lastly, we find Kang, Ung, experimenting with the language of abstraction involving the juxtaposition of shapes and colors, which compete to break up one another and seek dominance over the narrative of the painting. It is only through the breaking up of the surface of reality with abstraction that the artists in the exhibition unearth the hidden dimensions and meanings that are interweaving and intertwining with one another.

About the artists/their works:

Erica Geralds received her BFA in Fine Arts from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2013. During her studies at FIT, she experimented with pouring acrylic inks and other mediums, creating a process and a style based on the fluid movement of colors and textures that would allow her to discover the sensation of clarity as she completes the work. Also a lover of textiles, Geralds merged the gap between textiles and painting by mirroring a painting upon its initial completion, allowing for symmetry and organic shapes traditionally associated with wallpapering and other areas of textile.

Gustavo Rojas is an American painter, sculptor, printmaker, and digital artist, born in Bogota, Colombia, who studied at the National University in Bogota and Graphic Design at the SENA Institute. Rojas came to New York at the age of 22 and also studied at the Art Students League of NY and the Printmaking Workshop. Rojas has had numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the US, Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, including the Newark Museum, the Biggs Museum of American Art, the Bergen Museum of Arts and Science, Museo Rayo, Museo de Arte Actual, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, and the Centro Colombo Americano.

Kang, Ung (Kang, Ungboo), utilizes the abstract vocabulary of weaving, penetration, and scattering of forms to stimulate the viewer’s consciousness and sensation of time. For Kang, art is a manifestation and expression of consciousness and is inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s example of escaping fixed ways of seeing and producing, to think with substance. Time is another important element to his work, as the art requires immense input of time and energy to result in an artwork that would withstand the test of time. Kang expresses the passage of time as simple lines. He has previously had a solo exhibition in 2017 titled, “Kairos and Spero” at the Riverside Gallery and “Solo Invitation Exhibition” at the Kim Bo Seung Art Center in 2019, as well as participating in various art fairs and group exhibitions.