Nature, Abstracted: A Group Show Inspired by Gerhard Richter

Description

The inherent logic of the natural world has long captivated scientists, philosophers and creatives. Among those to fall prey to this fascination is Gerhard Richter, who returns frequently to the pure perfection and innate intelligence found in the flow of water, growth of plants and structure of the earth. This is evident in two pieces by the famed German talent on display as part of Nature, Abstracted, a group show featuring 11 artists, assembled by New York-based curator and advisor Sean Zhang. 

With his squeegee-built canvases, Richter hoped to channel the logic of geological formations. The same tactile effect might be discerned in Yoan Capote’s renderings of the sea, punctuated with hand-wrought fish hooks that speak for the collective dreams and risks of migration. Or in pieces by Jennifer Guidi, who embeds granules of sand into oil and acrylic linen in the cosmic glow of “Ace of Wands” (2020).

Naturally, landscapes feature in this celebration of natural beauty – from Ena Swansea’s nostalgic large-scale canvases of a wintery Central Park lake, to José Parlá’s striking sunsets – enlivening the most cliched of subjects with flair and pathos in “Ciclos: Luminalscape” (2024, pictured above).