Booth C12
May 17th – 21st
FOMRAH is excited to offer THRIVING: part II featuring works by Chellis Baird, Prema Murthy, Rachel Rubenstein, and Noga Yudkovik-Etzioni. Building on the themes of introspection and optimism from the first exhibition, which took place Nov’22 at our gallery space, the second installment of Thriving delves deeper into the artists’ experiences and showcases their resilience and spiritual growth through their art. The works in this exhibition continue to showcase the artists’ distinct materiality and technical approaches, while maintaining a sense of balance between tension and release. The images are representative, some of the works are in progress. “THRIVING: part II” offers an integration and deep connection between the gallery space and the art fair booth, and highlights FORMah’s mission to provide a platform for female/identifying artists.
Chellis Baird’s work is centered around texture, which is explored through touch and the layering of elements. After giving birth in ‘20, the artist used art as a way to reclaim her body, rebuild her physical strength, rediscover herself as a new mother and artist. Baird’s current series, Epilogue, building on her past artworks and the textural language. Epilogue artworks have a definitive ending, adopting a minimalist surrealistic approach, stripping things down to a minimal level. The series is influenced by Louise Nevelson’s puzzle-like compositions and by the organic and geometric elements in Harmony Hammond’s work. The artist sees the artworks as self-portraits, exploring her emotional states and the concept of moving forward.
Artworks by Prema Murthy are part of her ongoing series Eternal I- monochrome black or white paintings that reveal timeless, hidden structures of unseen inner worlds.Small in size yet impactful in presence, geometrical diagrams rendered in oil on canvas convey a psychic circuitry that runs through mind and cosmos -as forms of energy expanding into higher dimensions.Messages of geometry and light move through artist while she sleeps. They appear in her mind’s eye as I wake in the early morning before dawn.She records the mathematics of line and shape before they fade.Not immediate by nature, these messages take time, maybe lifetimes, to decode.
Rachel Rubenstein’s artwork explores the empowering potential of change through a combination of repeating patterns and precise mark-making. Rubenstein’s art centers on the idea of transformation as a liberating force.These works are blend ofabstraction and color field techniques, and they possess a powerful emotional impact. The viewer can observe the contrast between the rough, textured areas of the paintings and the smooth, consistent color & hue, creating a sense of tension on the surface.
Noga Yudkovik-Etzioni’s works on paper are a reflection of her interest in the tension between form, language, and narrative. Yudkovik-Etzioni works with a variety of materials and often mixes them together to create new hybrids or to disguise one material as another.She builds sculptural spare parts and creates works that are modular and can be adapted to different spaces. Improvisation, acting, and rhythm are important tools in her creative process.Yudkovik-Etzioni’s work often deals with local and national themes, particularly from her perspective as a native of Kibbutz Kfar-Giladi.
