80 Washington Square East, NYU

Introverse: Allegory Today

December 14, 2022 – February 4, 2023

80WSE

Opening Wednesday, December 14th 6–8PM

Visitors must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 for entry and are encouraged to wear a mask.
 
Introverse: Allegory Today intimates the allegorical turn in current artistic practice characterized by the psychological interiorization, libidinal symbolism, and melancholic contemplation of contemporary life. Featuring 12 artists, the exhibition presents diffused figurations and extended metaphors that embody the spiritual and political complexities of our times, traversing individual interiorities to reflect on the immensity of the outer world.

With each work, the surplus of significations, narratives and affects implode to reveal radical uncertainty coupled with the will to persevere. These allegorical modes reference and estrange our current reality, offering forking paths towards negation and becoming.

Extending Walter Benjamin’s view of European Baroque and Benjamin Buchloh’s analysis of post-war collage and appropriation strategies, Introverse takes stock of emergent allegorical procedures that mediate our political and social reality, constituting different ways “to speak publicly with hidden meaning”.

with:
Peggy Chiang
Janiva Ellis
ektor garcia
Michael Joo
Cindy Ji Hye Kim
Kyung-Me
Guadalupe Maravilla
Libby Rothfeld   
Jacolby Satterwhite
Michael E. Smith
Sable Elyse Smith 
Stewart Uoo

Curated by 80WSE Curator Howie Chen and artist Alex Ito

Installation view of the exhibition featuring three artworks. On the left hand side there is a yellow rectangle mounted on the wall made of cardboard. It is covered in stamps of black ginko leaves. On the ground in the middle is a tile statue of the number 2. Behind the statue, mounted on the wall on the right is a white tire made of fiberglass with very light orange ginko leaves stamped on to it.
Gallery view of the exhibition featuring gallery one, and the hallway that leads into gallery two. On the ground, in the middle of the gallery before the hallway, is a tile sculpture of the number two. Behind the sculpture, is a white fiberglass tire. On the tire are light orange ginko leaf stamps. Leading into the hallway, into gallery two in the distance, there is a tile sculpture of the number 5.
Gallery view of the exhibition. In the middle, on the floor of the gallery is a tile sculpture of the number five. Behind it on the wall is a small drawing and next to the drawing is the hallway leading into gallery three.
Gallery installation view featuring two walls leading into two other gallery rooms. On the left wall, a mounted TV with a video still featuring bright colors and lights with dancing animated, computer animated images. On the right is a tannish wood sculpture featuring gourds and wood that spikes out around the center.
Gallery installation image of two walls leading into another gallery. On the two walls in the foreground, there are two sculptures mounted on the left and the right. On the left, is a tan sculpture made of gourds an natural materials, organized in a seemingly abstract way. The hay and grass-like materials poke out from around the gourd. On the right wall, from a profile view, is a similar tan wall sculpture mounted in the same materials. Leading into the back gallery is a hanging metal crocheted into mesh. It is black and below sits various ceramic pots arranged from smallest to largest, in various sizes.
Gallery installation view of two walls. On the left wall, there is a black sweatshirt hung up at the corner shoulders. On the right wall, hangs from the ceiling, a copper knit-mesh sculpture. It is suspended about two to three feet off the ground and hangs down from the ceiling at about 70 inches or six feet tall.
Gallery installation view of two walls and an object on a pedestal. On the left is a white frame with a small image in the center of a young white boy wearing an American Flag durag. On the left, on top of the pedestal sits a small rectangular, foil take out box with plastic lid. Next to it is a sculpture of a napkin with a faux piece of sushi on top of it.
Gallery installation image featuring a profile view of a hanging metal crocheted mesh sculpture. It is think and looks like a line from the side view. Below it sits a dark colored ceramic vase. In the background is a multi-colored, beige and purple work on the wall. It is shiny and reflects the gallery light. On the left wall is a small drawing that is illegible from the viewpoint of the camera.
Gallery installation view featuring a wire mesh rectangle hanging from the ceiling. Below it sits five separate ceramic pots in order from smallest to largest. Next to the hanging piece, on the back wall in the background is a figural painting of a figure with an Afro hairstyle. The figure wears a green shirt, although only the figures neck and head and a small portion of their shoulders are included in the image. On the right is a pedestal with what looks like a piece of blown glass. It is neutral in color, like a beige or grey.
Installation view of the exhibition featuring four works. The image shows three walls and the center of the room in which there is a hanging sculptural piece. On the left wall, there is a painting of a woman with an brown afro and green background. The image is up-close and only the figures head is shown. On the back wall, on a pedestal sits a abstract glass sculpture. On the right side there is a small tan wooden table with a diet coke can sitting atop it. In the center of the room, there is a hanging metal piece, from side view. It is black and hangs down above various ceramic pieces that are seated on the floor.
Photos by Carter Seddon