Striving After Wind at Chapter NY

Artists: Robin Bittenbender, Patty Chang, Troy Lamarr Chew II, Milano Chow, Srijon Chowdhury, Gina Fischli, Dalton Gata, Margaret Harrison, Jeanette Mundt, Larissa De Jesús Negron, Brandon Ndife, Farah Al Qasimi

Exhibition title: Striving After Wind

Venue: Chapter NY, New York, US

Date: February 20 – March 20, 2021

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artists and Chapter NY

Chapter NY is pleased to present Striving After Wind, a group exhibition featuring works by Robin Bittenbender, Patty Chang, Troy Lamarr Chew II, Milano Chow, Srijon Chowdhury, Gina Fischli, Dalton Gata, Margaret Harrison, Jeanette Mundt, Larissa De Jesús Negron, Brandon Ndife, and Farah Al Qasimi.

Striving After Wind derives inspiration from the art historical genre of still life painting known as Vanitas, which became widely recognized in Northern Europe in the 17^th century. Typical Vanitas paintings portrayed symbolic objects—such as, fruit, flowers, skulls, extinguished candles, and time pieces, among many others—that relayed narrative meaning. They were intended to convey moralistic messages and warn against overindulgence, reminding viewers of the transience of worldly pleasures and the inevitability of death.

In our current world molded by capitalist excess and environmental degradation, such works feel particularly prescient. Striving After Wind presents a selection of contemporary works that revive and expand this art historical style to reflect upon our current times. Ranging from traditional still life paintings, to sculptural assemblages, they explore notions of the icon, tropes of femininity, the banality of the everyday, fleeting memories, the passage of time, the temptations of our desires, and more. At times darkly humorous and eerily seductive, this exhibition reminds us that nothing lasts forever.

Striving After Wind, 2021, exhibition view, Chapter NY, New York

Brandon Ndife, Garden Variety, 2021, Birch, cast foam, AquaResin, earth pigment, urethane resin, electrical plug, enamel paint, corn husk, various plant matter, 35 × 19 × 20 inches (88.90 × 48.26 × 50.80 cm)

Dalton Gata, A Banana, A Coffee, And Then We Die, 2021, Acrylic on canvas, 30 × 38 inches (76.20 × 96.52 cm)

Farah Al Qasimi, A’s Reflection, 2019, Archival inkjet print, 40 × 29 inches (101.60 × 73.66 cm)

Gina Fischli, Olives and Alcohol, 2021, Glitter, glue, plywood, 13.8 × 9 cm (5 3/8 × 3 1/2 inches); Stalker, 2020, Glitter, glue, plywood, 15.6 × 8.5 cm (6 1/8 × 3 3/8 inches); Good figure, 2020, Glitter, glue, plywood, 13 × 7 cm (5 1/8 × 2 3/4 inches)

Gina Fischli, Next Day Delivery, 2020, Cigarettes, glue, ashtray, 9 × 9 × 9 cm (3 1/2 × 3 1/2 × 3 1/2 inches)

Jeanette Mundt, Outside She Looked OK, 2020, Oil on linen, 53 × 59 inches (134.62 × 149.86 cm)

Larissa De Jesús Negron, Losing Innocence, 2021, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 24 × 30 inches (60.96 × 76.20 cm)

Milano Chow, Clock with Sphinxes, 2021, Graphite, ink, Flashe, and photo transfer on paper, 12 × 8 5/8 inches (30.48 × 21.91 cm), 14 3/4 × 11 3/8 inches (37.47 × 28.89 cm) (framed)