Emi Winter, Minus Space
Emi Winter, Number 11, 2020, Oil on canvas, 60 x 48 inches, #EW25, Minus Space
Raise your hand if you were also unaware that New York’s art scene essentially shuts down every August?? Preparations for the first “normal” art season in over a year are well underway and I’ve been assured I wont be disappointed come September.
Im the meantime, i’m glad I caught this exhibition before the shut down!
Emi Winter's work caught my eye in the window of MINUS SPACE, located in the heart of DUMBO Brooklyn, and I was thrilled to discover I still had a few hours to view the rest of her newest collection. These paintings are strange, beautiful, thought provoking, and exquisitely simple. Each piece on display features an abstracted figure made up of only arms and legs, positioned in an acrobatic back bend with both hands playfully reaching for the opposite foot. In fact, the only detail that changes in any way from painting to painting, is the expanse of sky and landscape behind (her?).
As a whole, I found that this collection quite accurately depicts the feeling of solitude and monotony that have become such a normal part of life over the past year; where changing weather might be the only real break in an otherwise set routine. The playful and relaxed manner in which Winter’s elegant figures entertain themselves also hints toward the potential for isolation to provide inner peace, if approached with the right mindset. I can't help but adore the color pallet chosen for this collection; lemony yellows, subdued pinks, vivid blues and greens, that perfectly replicate the feeling of what I might describe as “happy Saturday afternoon boredom.”
The gallery has several small paintings on display as well. However, unlike the solitary and highly stylized figures of her larger works, these smaller pieces introduce roughly painted extremities as they interact with round objects at the focal-point of the composition. Expressive brush strokes and muted tones create an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue as Winter hones in on the point of contact between "limb" and object. The resulting effect is a collection of highly intimate scenes ranging in theme from tender and affectionate, to outright possessive.
While this exhibition at MINUS SPACE will be closing in just a few hours, I highly recommend checking out their website to view the collection and discover a bit more about Emi Winter.
https://www.minusspace.com/emi-winter
– Jessica Kennedy
