Exhibitions

November 3, 2022

Winter Mix

Group Exhibition – Robert Indiana, Susan Breen, Knox Martin, Terence Netter, Keith Haring, LA2, Rupert Jasen Smith, and Kenji Nakayama

November – December 2022

Woodward Gallery

The holidays are here! As dry, autumn leaves grace the New York City pavement and daylight grows dim, the seasons change. Woodward Gallery’s current group exhibition, Winter Mix, explores this seasonal transition in the form of artistic expression. Gallery Director, John Woodward, curates work from Artists Robert Indiana, Susan Breen, Knox Martin, Terence Netter, Keith Haring, LA2, Rupert Jasen Smith, and Kenji Nakayama. This selection tells the classic, yet exciting, tale of the natural transformation from Fall to Winter.

As the days become shorter and more frigid in climate, emotional warmth is expressed, artistically. These artists utilize primary colors (red, yellow, blue), sharp or curving shapes, and recognizable images, such as Robert Indiana’s “LOVE,” Keith Haring’s dancing figure, and Susan Breen’s icy snowflake. Themes such as love, passion, religion, and celebration unite these diverse works of art, illustrating what “mixes” together to form the season. Through Winter darkness, these Artists offer illumination. 

This exhibition is presented at Woodward Gallery in our street-level windows 24/7, by private appointment, and as an online exhibition on our website (WoodwardGallery.net), Artsy.net, and Widewalls.ch. Happy holidays!

 

  • A PDF of the Press Release can be downloaded here.
September 8, 2022
Thriller Logo

MATT SIREN

Matt Siren: Thriller

September – October 2022

Woodward Gallery

Press Release

For well over a decade, Matt Siren brought piercing, high-contrast artwork from the streets of New York City to the walls of Woodward Gallery. This Fall, the Artist’s first solo exhibition at Woodward Gallery, Matt Siren: Thriller, explores his creative evolution. Matt Siren’s collection of characters is widely-recognized and respected from the American East and West Coasts to European cities, such as London and Paris. By fusing thick-lined graphic content, sharp comic book illustrations, and playful storytelling into his art, Matt Siren’s work thrills. This exhibition highlights the Artist’s most iconic characters, who stir up imagination, and seduce. Vintage screenprints on metal signs and current hand-painted wood-block assemblages are featured together in a two-part exhibition at Woodward Gallery. Prepare for a wild ride of past, present, and future storytelling —unique to Matt Siren— transcending street and fine art.

Since 2008, the beautiful face of Matt Siren’s Ghost Girl has appeared on urban walls, became a set of vinyl toy collectibles, decorated reality television beach homes, was discussed on CBS News, was worn by the fashion world, and was even transformed into a 7.6-acre corn maze. This hard-edge, female icon with dark hair pulled to the side by a flower, harkens back to Matt Siren’s youthful love of gaming— particularly, his nostalgia for the arcade game, Ms. Pac-Man. Ghost Girl stares directly at her voyeur’s eyes, hypnotizing the viewer to follow her. The powerful silhouette of Ghost Girl is set in a variety of colors as a representation of diversity and feminism; she could represent anyone, no matter their background, size, sexual orientation, race, or ethnicity. Her universal image has become Matt Siren’s signature symbol. All women are intended to be represented in Ghost Girl’s robust and striking spirit.  

Matt Siren’s Death Face is one face of a character called a Quintesson from the 1980s cartoon, The Transformers. The fictional robo-alien race of Quintesson has 5 faces. As fans of The Transformers franchise know, the specific season where the Quintesson characters appear is filled with dark psychological undertones. Their graphic design style and deep meaning inspire Siren’s own creative twist on these characters.

Siren’s vintage Pin-ups represent the Artist’s respect for the female form and its vigor. Through his deep appreciation for women, their physical strength, and ability to be resilient in the face of pain and conflict, Matt Siren’s Pin-ups are not intended to objectify women through the problematic lens of the male gaze, but rather, to alter it to focus on feminist power through sexuality. The erotic Burlesque in the Living Room series teases the viewer to engage with Matt Siren’s event advertisements discussing performer Gigi La Femme. Specifically, Siren inverts the commercial dialogue so the female characters may utilize their femininity to regain control of the male gaze that fails to define them. 

Metaphorically and symbolically, Matt Siren’s Skull represents a wartime spirit of going into battle with a vengeance. The Skull represents a sense of condemnation and a warning of impending death. However, death, as a metaphor, can also signify the end of an era— or a new beginning. Matt Siren’s Skulls are presented, not as figures of existential doom, but rather, as comical or ironic manifestations of serious caution. 

Pulling from our archives, Ghost Girl and Burlesque in the Living Room limited edition prints will be made available at Woodward Gallery, on a first-come-first-serve basis, for the duration of the exhibition. Woodward Gallery invites all to the exciting realm of Matt Siren: Thriller. A full-color, digital catalog is available on our website. This exhibition is presented at Woodward Gallery in our street-level windows 24/7, by private appointment, and as an online exhibition and Viewing Room on Artsy.net. Come one, come all!

 

Matt Siren - 5¢ Boogie Man - 2022
Matt Siren - Ghost Girl "Black" -2008
Matt Siren - Wasabasco Burlesque - 2008
Matt Siren - Burlesque In The Living Room - 2008
Matt Siren - Wasabassco Presents Burlesque Living Room - 2008
Matt Siren - Ghost Girl "Pinky" - 2008
Matt Siren - Burlesque Striptease - 2008
Matt Siren - Mistress - 2010
Matt Siren - Ghost Girl "Sue" - 2008
Matt Siren - Death Face: i am riding YOU - 2008
Matt Siren - Death Face: i am RIDING you - 2008
Matt Siren - Ghost Girl "Inky" -2008
Matt Siren - Ghost Girl "Blinky" - 2008
Matt Siren - Death Face: I am riding you - 2008
Matt Siren - Death Face: i AM riding you - 2008
Matt Siren - Ghost Girl "Negative" -2008
Matt Siren - Skeletoro - 2010
Matt Siren - Peace Angel - 2022
Matt Siren - Wasabassco Presents Burlesque in the Living Room - 2008
Matt Siren - Burlesque Striptease - 2008
Matt Siren - Burlesque in the Living Room - 2008
Matt Siren - Ghost Girl Black - 2008
Matt Siren - Blinky - 2008
Matt Siren - Pinky - 2008
Matt Siren - Inky - 2008
Matt Siren - Sue - 2008
Matt Siren - Ghost Girl Negative - 2008
June 28, 2022

SABINA FORBES II 

HEAT WAVE

July – August 2022

Woodward Gallery

Press Release

 

 

It is about to heat up in New York City this summer at Woodward Gallery! Hot, vibrant colors sizzle urban cityscapes in artist Sabina Forbes II’s premier solo exhibition entitled, HEAT WAVE. Forbes ignites her canvases with patterns, textures, and brilliant fluorescent hues as she imagines the urban skyline brought to life by the hard-working hands that build the towers and by the people dwelling within their concrete walls. Her dynamic style of neon painting is a pulsating, sweltering celebration of color, channeling the collective spirit which vibrates around us and emanates from all creations. Ultimately, this electric body of work evokes the endurance of hope, even when the world seems hellish.

 

Visual heat emanates from Forbes’ reconceived landmarks made of textural two-dimensional fluorescent paint on canvas. Blocks, bricks, and even shapes that resemble roads all come together to highlight the unavoidable unification of people in a busy urban community. Although a metropolis may feel alienating, Forbes’ precise brush strokes and lined layers of paint invite the exploration of communal, urban stability. These inspired architectural structures simmer with their own light and joyful energy.

 

“The best is yet to come” was a sentiment that Forbes’s grandfather, Malcolm Forbes, often expressed throughout her childhood and one which became an inspirational force behind her art. Each of Forbes’ paintings is a manner of portraiture whether from the singularity of the individual form, an element of nature, or the perceived sterile neutrality of a building punctuating a city skyline. Walking around the city to explore this vitality, Forbes taps into the overall human spirit through flaming color, intricate patterns, and dynamic textures animating her notable building structures.

 

Watch the heat index climb this July and August and witness Forbes’ refreshing, original works from the Woodward Gallery street-level exhibition windows at 132A Eldridge Street, NYC, in the digital catalog on WoodwardGallery.net (see issuu catalog above) and also presented on Artsy.net.
April 11, 2022

HIRO ICHIKAWA / 市川 裕径 (1959 – 2017)

A Place of Calm / 穏やかな場所

April – June 2022

Woodward Gallery

Honoring the late Japanese-American artist, Hiro Ichikawa, with the first solo exhibition at Woodward Gallery since his passing in 2017. All are welcome to experience Ichikawa’s serene land and waterscapes, where calm and beauty live in harmony with nature. Woodward Gallery presents a selection of paintings in “A Place of Calm”, by Artist Hiro Ichikawa (1959-2017), as a brief refuge during this time of international terror and its resulting global unrest. This overview of Ichikawa’s gentle, organic abstractions quenches the need for peaceful contemplation. 

Hiro Ichikawa’s oil paintings are created on birch panels, with thinly-applied paint and glazes, beautifully blending natural wood grain with the colorful composition. Dots create designs reminiscent of traditional kimono patterns, referencing his family’s business in Japan. Compositions, alive with gentle brush strokes and earth tones, emphasize a soothing, Zen-inspired appreciation of our world. Ichikawa’s timeless art does not compete with nature; instead, these abstractions come directly from it. 

Mr. Ichikawa has created his own ethereal scenes, inspired by land, the night sky, satellite images showing the Earth’s topography, human migration paths, and the spiritual functionality of human bodies. This presentation of Ichikawa’s work is awash with a variety of luminescent colors, resulting from the artist’s technique of applying clusters of tiny dots on his canvas.

Ichikawa once explained, “Literally translated, san-sui, means mountain and water, but, in Japanese art, san-sui represents the creation of an imaginary landscape that doesn’t exist in the physical realm. After applying colors and tones as randomly as possible, a vague feeling of illusional space appears on a surface of a painting. In order to make the sense of a space more concrete, I look for winding paths like streams of water in the scene.”

Hiro Ichikawa’s painting titles gently hint at the scene he envisions. For example: the work called, “Drift”, refers to the sensation of floating; “Timbre”, as in, music; and “Periapsis”, as in, space. The dots and designs are a perceived life-form that wind through the topography of wooden grain. Each piece is hand-framed by the Artist as a window into his mind’s eye. This body of work manifests a non-threatening, non-menacing art sanctuary. 

True to his passion, Hiro volunteered, locally, for Scenic Hudson, as a trail steward, protecting the Earth he loved so much. Every week, he offered his time by hiking and maintaining their many trails through the Hudson Highlands. Ichikawa also organized and managed a printmaking (etching) group at the Garrison Art Center, NY.

Born in Osaka, Japan, Hiro Ichikawa studied painting and drawing at Suidobata Art Academy. After moving to the United States in 1980, he graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA. Ichikawa’s art has been featured in numerous national, international, solo, and group exhibitions at both galleries and museums, alike. His paintings are now in the permanent collection of Okawa Museum of Art, located in the City of Kiryū, where Hiro lived and worked before coming to New York. 

Kiryū, Japan is known for its lovely green hills, mountains, and two rivers, which flow through the city, providing early inspiration to the Artist in his youth. Relocating to Beacon, the scenic mountain and river views in Hudson Valley, New York, region further influenced his vision to paint untroubled, peaceful work.

There are several ways to join us for Hiro Ichikawa’s “A Place of Calm” Solo Exhibition; the paintings will be available to view 24/7 in the Woodward Gallery street-level windows (in-person or by private appointment), through a digital catalog on our website, on Artsy.net, and presented in an Artsy Viewing Room.
January 20, 2022



New In 22: 
Jose Baez, Susan Breen, Cosbe, RH DOAZ, Tommy Flynn, Sabina Forbes II, Val Kilmer, Moody, Margaret Morrison, Alex Racine, JM Rizzi, Daniel Rosenbaum, Matt Siren, DM Weeks
January- March 2022
Woodward Gallery, NYC

 

 

 

Happy New Year! Woodward Gallery welcomes 2022 with fresh, never-before-seen works of art by artists: Jose Baez, Susan Breen, Cosbe, RH DOAZ, Tommy Flynn, Sabina Forbes II, Val Kilmer, Moody, Margaret Morrison, Alex Racine, JM Rizzi, Daniel Rosenbaum, Matt Siren, and DM Weeks. Despite being isolated once again in 2021, these artists were busy creating on canvas, metal, wood, acrylic, and more. The year, 2022, in the Chinese zodiac, is represented by the Tiger, a symbol of strength, power, and bravery; a sentiment fully realized by this body of work.

 

 

Woodward Gallery’s exhibition, New in 22 features bursts of bright colors, fuller compositions, and a leap of courage for each artist. This dynamic group exhibition depicts the roaring emotional pressure that current political, social, and environmental factors force upon each artist. After over two years of painful sacrifice, various expressive mediums, such as painting, sculpture, jewelry, and photography, speak to the core of each artist in this current moment. A blend of Abstract, Figurative and Street art, large and small paintings, as well as bright and dark colors all unite to face change and celebrate the challenge of carrying on. Pounce on this opportunity to visit Woodward Gallery from January to March 2022 for a fierce exhibition of artistic might.

 

 

Please visit New in 22  in person at Woodward Gallery’s street level exhibition windows 24/7; online on WoodwardGallery.net, on Artsy.net, and the virtual Artsy Viewing Room. Physical catalogues are available to order here. 

November 9, 2021

Patrick Christie & Tommy Flynn:
Every Meal Has A Memory
November – December 2021
Woodward Gallery, NYC

 

Woodward Gallery presents “Every Meal Has A Memory” this holiday season. Celebrating a new approach to still-life images of food, Australian Illustrator Patrick Christie, and New York Photographer Tommy Flynn, allow us to consider how our meals make us feel. Memories of food are shaped by the context, the company, the situation, and the emotions involved. For Christie and Flynn, this exhibition ponders how food is prepared and presented to indulge all of our senses.

 

Patrick Christie draws still-life artwork straight from his imagination, using a very-fine dipping pen and ink well, applied to beautiful French paper. This centuries- old technique delivers elaborately detailed drawings, each taking Christie up to 200 hours to complete. His placement of lines must be precise, or the entire composition could fail from a single misplaced dab of ink! Christie welcomes the viewer into his nostalgic feast of good times and shared memories.

 

Tommy Flynn’s original photographic “Sliced Open” series, illuminates the inner beauty of the foods we know. To create the exacted cross sections of fruit and vegetables, Flynn uses extremely sharp Togiharu Cobalt Damascus and Takamura knives, a Mamiya 645 Pro film camera with a 120mm Macro lens, and then shoots on 120 Fuji Velvia film for accuracy. His romantic photographs of ordinary, daily produce deliver a colorful, fresh, culinary experience. Flynn’s memorable subjects bring us back to the familiar tastes which continue to impact our palate, time and time again. By recalling our enjoyment with these nutritious ingredients, Flynn transports each viewer to a place of comfort and joy.

 

Please visit in person at Woodward Gallery’s street level exhibition windows 24/7; online on WoodwardGallery.net, on Artsy.net, and step into the virtual Artsy Viewing Room.

 
October 20, 2021
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Richard Hambleton
October Cats
October 2021
Woodward Gallery, NYC

 

Woodward Gallery is celebrating artist, Richard Hambleton (1952-2017), throughout October, with original paintings and a series of black cats, which were originally published during the artist’s life. Hambleton’s Cat Stack portfolio, realized fifteen years ago, will briefly be on-view this Halloween season. Hambleton had mainly self-published his print editions, though he worked directly with Woodward Gallery to accomplish this special series.

 

The black cat has long been a symbol of darkness and defiance. Richard Hambleton was, himself, a night animal, secretly placing his memorable, shadowy silhouette-figures on urban walls. His conceptual nature encouraged a response to his public figures. Richard’s shadow cats are an extension of that interest and a commentary on existence. He identified with the feral black cat, who elusively moved about the city streets at night. Richard respected cats, existing quietly and independently, but also remaining protective and fierce when provoked. He harnessed the feline spirit in his paintings by articulating the animal’s different stances. Richard Hambleton had interest in other animals too, for example, sketching the strong bodies of horses bucking or running, all throughout his career.

 

The Cat Stack series, completed in 2006, consists of a single, arched, shadow cat, landing onto a stack of books. This suite represents how a fortunate, yet startled, black cat finds itself captured in the artist’s studio, after wondering the streets. By elevating the black cat on a tower of books, Richard aimed to show how the creature has reached a higher state of being. A vertical paint stroke symbolizes a magic wand, referencing witchcraft. The feline’s shadowy silhouette is presented against red, gold, and silver on Rives BFK paper. Red was one of Richard’s favorite colors, alluding to love and blood. Forever hoping to achieve the sublime in his Beautiful Paintings, silver and gold leaf provided the richness Richard desired. These specific tones were chosen by Hambleton to juxtapose the black cat and the brightly colored background, illustrating the cat as something to be feared and a symbol of mysterious beauty.

 

The work is on view 24/7 in our street level exhibition windows this October only.

September 4, 2021
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Observing 9/11:
Breen, Bridges & Corn
September 2021
Woodward Gallery, NYC

 

On this 20th Anniversary, Woodward Gallery observes 9/11 with an exhibition of prescient works of art created just prior to the horrific attack that took nearly 3000 lives, devastated families, and changed the American collective psyche forever.

 

Gregory Corn’s sculptural Sacrifice is a metal assemblage reminiscent of the twin towers. Susan Breen’s Convergence depicts robed figures witnessing ominous clouds on a horizon. Marilyn Bridges’ aerial photograph captures the Twin Towers (WTC and Central Park looking South) before their destruction. These artists appear to have been tuned into some pending devastation and documented their visions in advance of the tragic events.

 

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Woodward Gallery organized an exhibition reflecting on the lives lost, and a decade later collaborated with Dr. Sean Ahearn, the City of New York and the Center for the Advanced Research of Spatial Information (CARSI) of Hunter College-CUNY, for the exhibition “Charting Ground Zero”. This show provided an extensive aerial and ground overview of the World Trade Center site before and after September 11th, along with the site’s evolution over the first decade. It used the latest scientific advances in mapping technology and cartographic representation to document the transformation of the site. The mapping and spatial analysis technologies played a crucial role in helping the city assess damage, monitor the progress of recovery, and safely deploy personnel and equipment in the disaster zone. The full exhibition was donated to the 9/11 National Memorial Museum at Ground Zero.

 

Learn more and see the original television WPIX News feature:

https://woodwardgallery.net/news/charting-ground-zero-before-and-after-exhibition-on-wpix-morning-news/

https://woodwardgallery.net/exhibitions/charting-ground-zero-ten-years-after

Those we lost will remain always in our hearts.

 

Selected Press:
Bowery Boogie | Woodward Gallery Honors 9-11 Anniversary with Monthlong Exhibition

Pro-News-Report: Announcing-The-Latest-Show-from-The-Woodward-Gallery-Observing-9_11_-Breen-Bridges-–-Corn-September-2021

Upcoming Events – Art in America Guide

Woodward Gallery Honors 9-11 Anniversary with Monthlong Exhibition – NewsBreak

Woodward Gallery Honors 9_11 Anniversary with Monthlong Exhibition – Opera News

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June 10, 2021



Keith Haring (Vintage Signed Posters 1982-1989)
Artsy Online Exclusive Exhibition
July  – August, 2021
artsy viewing room
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Woodward Gallery is delighted to offer a time capsule of Artist Keith Haring (1958 -1990) from the lens of rare, hand signed, 1980s posters announcing his participation and love for popular culture. Each poster in this exhibition was published in Keith Haring: Posters edited by Jurgen Doring & Claus Von Der Osten, published by Prestel.

This selection stands as preserved moments in the history of Keith Haring’s ­­­­earliest solo exhibitions, AIDS activism and love for community. His images were intended to be available to all. Haring said that he wanted to take art, “off the pedestal. I’m giving it back to the people, for serious collectors and “for those who respond with complete honesty from deep down inside their hearts or their souls.”
Haring was energized to form an inclusive bond with those who saw his work. Woodward Gallery provides this special opportunity for those who always wanted to own a specific moment of the artist’s legacy.

Woodward Gallery is making this curated selection of Haring announcement works available for the ARTSY Online Exclusive Exhibition only.
May 11, 2021
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Moody
Direct Current
May – July 2021
at Woodward Gallery
artsy viewing room


In the shocking era of the 1980s, the streets were where art was made. There, on the blank, concrete canvases of New York City, street artist, Moody, developed his technique. Moody perfected his style alongside other street artists, back in a time when there were no legal spaces to show off their work, forcing many to operate in secrecy. After connecting with other street artists and, subsequently, earning their respect, Moody refined a successful studio practice, where he continues to create work today. This summer, Woodward Gallery presents Moody’s paintings in the all-new solo exhibition, Direct Current. This body of work, stems from his knowledge of electricity and circuitry, charging the outlet for human connectivity.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic struck Moody’s local community of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn particularly hard. Through this past year, painting brightened Moody’s artistic vision. In his detailed plans of electrical circuitry, the artist’s minimal line patterns felt soothing to paint; his geometric, abstract grids flow together on wooden surfaces. Moody completes each hand-painted work with a clear varnish coating as insulation for his wiring panel— a protection for the circuit’s current, connection, and energy.

 

Like the colors of traffic lights, Moody’s precisely-painted wires are signaled in cautionary red, chaotic black, walk-signal white, and then grounded in green. These grounding wires serve as an alternate path for current to run back to its source, preserving positive, renewable energy. In circuitry and in life, grounding reduces the risk of electrical overload. As in the human mind, numerous wires lead back to a conduit, which switches on and off throughout life.

 

This series of paintings considers interconnectivity to ease emotional shortages, illuminate positivity, and prevent isolation by bringing us together.

 

Please visit Moody’s Direct Current paintings in person at Woodward Gallery’s street level exhibition windows 24/7; online on WoodwardGallery.net, on Artsy.net, and step into the virtual Artsy Viewing Room.

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