THriving

Chellis Baird, Prema Murthy, Rachel Rubenstein, Noga Yudkovik-Etzioni.

On view through December 17th, 2022

FORMah is pleased to present - for the inaugural exhibition of its first gallery space - Thriving, a group show featuring works by Chellis Baird, Prema Murthy, Rachel Rubenstein, and Noga Yudkovik-Etzioni. This exhibition is demonstrative of FORMah’s mission to provide a platform for female-identifying artists. The four artists’ work, distinct in materiality and technical approaches, share a sense of introspection and optimism.

The works presented in Thriving possess a delicate balance of tension and release, conveyed through precise lines, contemplative and sparing use of color, and a fluidity of movement. The creation of artwork is an act of catharsis, an absorption and processing of life’s experiences into physical form. Thriving exhibits works that express reflection, resilience, and spiritual growth.

Chellis Baird received her BFA in textiles from Rhode Island School of Design and studied studio art at the Art Students League in New York City. Baird’s first solo museum exhibition, TETHERED, was held at the Myrtle Beach Art Museum in South Carolina from September 7 - December 19, 2021. Most recently, the artist was awarded a 2022 fellowship at the National Arts Club. Born in Spartanburg, SC, Baird now lives and works in New York City.

Prema Murthy is an American artist based in New York. She works in painting, drawing, prints, video, installation, and digital media to explore the boundaries between embodiment and abstraction. She received a BA in Art History and Women’s Studies from the University of Texas, Austin and an MFA from Goldsmith's College, London. She has exhibited in numerous shows nationally and internationally including PS1/MoMA Contemporary Art Center, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, the Reina Sofia Museum-Madrid, the Generali Foundation-Vienna, and the India Habitat Center-New Delhi. Her work has been written about in the New York Times, Art Asia Pacific Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and Artforum. Murthy’s works are in several public and private collections including the Charugundla Collection, the Queens Museum of Art, the Neuberger Berman Collection, and multiple works being recently added to the TD Bank collection.

Rachel Rubenstein is an abstract painter who attended Pepperdine University and received a BA in Art History and Organizational Communication. Her mixed media creations feature paint palette collage, painted strips of canvas, and ripped canvas that have been pulled apart and brought back to life. Rachel's work is housed in several private collections throughout the USA. Since late 2018, she has been working from her studio at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, NJ.

Noga Yudkovik-Etzioni is an Israeli artist based in Israel. Noga holds BFA - Bezalel Academy for Art and Design, Jerusalem, Israel (1991) and MFA - Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, Netherlands (1995). She took part in multiple solo and group exhibitions in Israel and Netherlands. During her career she won multiple Awards and Recognitions, such as: Cite' International Des Arts Scholarship, Paris (2017); The Department of Art, Cultural Bureau, Tel Aviv-Yaffo Municipality in conjuntion with the Joshua; Rabinovich Foundation for Art, Tel Aviv (2016); Rabinovich Foundation Scholarship, Tel Aviv, Israel (2003); Scholarship for Excellence, Bezalel Academy for Art and Design, Jerusalem, Israel (‘90); Sharett Scholarship, The American-Israel Cultural Foundation (‘89). Over the years Noga exhibited at ‘Tel Aviv Biennale Crafts&Design 2020’, MUZA Erez Israel Museum Tel-Aviv, The Haifa Museum, The Jaffa Museum, Eretz Israel Museum, The Negev Museum, Ilana Goor Museum, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design.

Learn more about the artists