On View in the Gallery: January 6 - February 7
Outdoor Opening Reception: Saturday, January 9, 3:00 - 6:00PM

440 Gallery is pleased to present The Great Mystery, new work by Ellen Chuse. For this exhibition, Chuse made acrylic paintings on paper that explore totemic female figures, particularly Venus and Athena. These generously sized, unframed, bold compositions resonate with female energies of fertility, abundance, and strength.

Chuse says, “In our current moment, women are feeling their power in all areas of life. While there is great turmoil, change is in the air. For this reason, it seems the perfect time to delve into the mystery of ancient symbols of womanhood- totems that reflect our power and strength.”

Since prehistoric times, women have held spiritual power - especially through the primally creative process of birth. In her new work, Chuse identifies Venus not only as a goddess of beauty, but she also looks to ancient times where Venus was primarily a fertility figure. These are powerful abstract paintings that engage the viewer on many levels. Exploring the emotional resonance of color is as important to the artist as the images she employs. In one piece, Athena, the warrior goddess, takes center stage. This work projects both forceful strength and watchful protectiveness in contrast to the Venus series, which explores a calmer, more interior emotional space.

These female totems project a level of symbolism that need not be identified to engage with; ultimately, each painting is a journey into the emotional relationship of color and form. In that sense, viewers familiar with Chuse’s work will see these pieces as another graceful progression in her powerful oeuvre.

This exhibition marks Ellen Chuse’s seventh solo show at 440 Gallery. A long time member of the Brooklyn artist community, she holds a BFA in Sculpture from the Philadelphia College of Art and received her MFA in Fine Arts from Queens College, CUNY. In 1972 she was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship to Italy in Sculpture and spent over a year in Florence. During the 1970s, she exhibited her sculptures in various galleries in New York, New Jersey, and Rome. She transitioned to 2D work in the 1980s and has since participated in numerous group exhibitions in New York City, including the Kentler International Drawing Space in Brooklyn and the Art on Paper Fair and Gallery MC in Manhattan. Ellen has shown regularly at 440 Gallery and has participated in the annual Gowanus Artists Studio Tour since 2000.

Work in “The Great Mystery” can be viewed and purchased on ARTSY

Project Space: “Field of Vision”

Artists Bendheim, Greenstein and Flanery present recent work for this exhibition. The content is not overtly about current events, although each artist has responded to the intensity of the times just by doing what they do best. The work ranges from sculptural wall pieces, to experimental collage/printmaking, to traditional watercolors. While they have profoundly different ways of working, what these artists have in common is the ability to create a world unto itself within each piece of art. These unique worlds—fields of vision—if you will, reflect the resiliency of each artist. Seeing their work together strengthens their singularity and suggests visual conversations.

Sunburst, Starburst and Autumn Sun are the titles of Fred Bendheim’s three new painted sculptural wall works. They are made from layers of shaped PVC boards and enamel paint. Although small in scale, they refer to grand cosmological events, and the abstract themes of space and expansiveness. They also have a meditative aspect, which gives them a dual function of pointing to worlds of inner and outer space.

“The three paintings I am showing were done during this past year, a year that was marked by upheaval and uncertainty. Painting has always been a solace for me, but never before have I leaned as much on making art in order to find a calmer state of mind. Since traveling became more limited, I needed to find locations closer to my home, and I rediscovered places I have always enjoyed, but not thoroughly investigated. Painting on location in nearby historic Green-Wood Cemetery as well as my neighborhood of Windsor Terrace allowed me to explore ‘my own backyard.’ As a reaction to time and place during this pandemic, I experienced a deep intensity during every plein-air painting session—one that then transferred to the paint and paper.” ~ Susan Greenstein

“I rely on my art practice as my sanctuary, it gives me the space to revisit old themes, or to play with new materials and ideas. These days I’m balancing and exploring the relationship of color and form with abstract spatial structure using paper and fabric.” ~ Gail Flanery

Work in “Field of Vision” can be viewed and purchased on ARTSY

16th Annual Small Works Show on ARTSY

December 15 - January 31

440 Gallery is proud to present the 16th Annual Small Works Show, a national juried collection of artwork that celebrates innovation and creativity on a small scale, in a range of media and styles. This year’s exhibition will be accessible exclusively online with Artsy from December 15, 2020 through January 31, 2021.

Our juror, Anäis Duplan, was impressed by the element of play that came across in many of the entries submitted to the gallery. “[There was] such a remarkable number of different approaches, different kinds of beauty to be found. I was drawn to many of the more frenetic, playful and richly-colored pieces. There were also many instances of portraiture that I found playful. Play was definitely an exciting, influencing motif when curating this show.”

Anäis Duplan is a trans* poet, curator and artist. Duplan is the founder of the Center for Afrofuturist Studies, an artist residency program for artists of color, based at Iowa City’s artist-run Public Space One. As an independent curator, he has facilitated curatorial projects in Chicago, Boston, Santa Fe, and Reykjavík. During 2017-2019, he was a Public Programs fellow at MoMA along with the Studio Museum in Harlem.

The artists selected for the show are:
Kristen Adamczyk, Denise Jones Adler, Christina Baril, Claire Blanchette, Reg Bloor, John Buron, Ronald Butler, Alison Carlo, Paola de la Calle, Lisa di Donato, Deanna Dorangrichia, Julia Forrest, Debra Friedkin, Yen Ha, William Howard, Marta Jaremko, David Kalal, Joe Klaus, Hosu Lee, Shane Lowder, Alec MacLeod, Daniel McDonald, Angie Nam, Charlotte Noruzi, Megan Nugroho and Harrison Bruhn, Brys Peralta, Deborah Perlman, Justin (JT) Phillips, Joseph Podlesnik, Bogdan Pudlo, Jim Richards, Morgane Richer La Flèche, Sarah Rockower, Norman Sarachek, Jean Scott, Amy Weil, Jeanne Wilkinson, Sarah Zahnstecher

Image: Morgane Richer La Flèche, your most vicious impulse, 2020