Thierry Goldberg Gallery is pleased to present Earth and Ether, a three-person exhibition of abstract paintings by Nizhonniya Austin, Catie Dillon, and Alina Grabovsky. The exhibition opens on July 18th, with a reception from 6-8pm, and will run through August 16th, 2024.
The three artists contributing to Earth and Ether present a collection of works that use abstraction to reveal a more complex understanding of a rapidly evolving world. Engaging with themes of nature, transgression, and formal experimentation, they offer a fresh perspective on the interplay between the natural and the abstract.
Nizhonniya Austin’s paintings feature rhythmic repetitions, and tactile surfaces that evoke a sense of depth and spatial ambiguity. Drawing from her Diné and Tlingit heritage, her paintings allude to traditional Native design fused with her own exploratory abstraction, creating an ode to self-expression and discovery. Each piece invites viewers to uncover meaning within its layered, undulating paint, acting as a conduit for contemplation on artistic instinct. As the eye sweeps across her canvases, forms of animals and faces emerge and dissolve, guiding viewers on a personalized journey through space and subject.
Catie Dillon's subtle tones and tangled brushstrokes draw in the viewer’s eyes, inviting them to explore her intricate universe. Like sprawling tentacles, her long, curving strokes of paint swirl around the canvas, weaving through hazy, layered backgrounds. Each piece reveals subtle variations, urging the viewer to delve deeper into the complexity beneath the surface. Her work evokes a sense of calm and introspection, encouraging a slow, meditative appreciation. As viewers linger, they uncover hidden moments embedded within the swirling patterns.
In Alina Grabovsky's vivid universe, each piece tells a story brimming with emotion and mystery. Her paintings burst with energy, in an eruption of splatters and strokes that create emotive, bright, yet mysterious compositions. Dynamic brushwork and a sense of movement supplies viewers with an expressive depiction on which to project personal possibilities. At the same time, it deftly offers her subjects a cloak of anonymity and autonomy. This intricate balance between the known self and the unknown other in her work allows a deeper resonance, inviting endless interpretations while preserving a sense of enigmatic allure.
Nizhonniya Austin (Born 1990, in Juneau, Alaska) currently lives between Albuquerque, NM, and Los Angeles, CA. Her paintings were recently included in Exploding Native Inevitable, at the Bates College Museum of Art, Lewiston, Maine. She was also included in exhibitions at Farahnheight Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Rainosek Gallery, Albuquerque, NM; and MCAU Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Austin was featured in the March 2024 issue of ArtForum, and in High Country News. She recently played a version of herself in the Showtime series The Curse.
Catie Dillon (b. 1996, Pittsburgh, PA) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Dillon holds BFA in Drawing and Painting from Pennsylvania State University and is pursuing an MFA in Painting from Hunter College. She has participated in exhibitions at the Deana Evans Projects, New York, NY; McDonough Museum of Art,Youngstown, OH; and Woskob Family Gallery, State College, OH, among others.
Alina Grabovsky (b. 1987, Kyiv, Ukraine) lives and works in Vienna, Austria. Grabovsky holds a BFA in Painting from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria, and an MFA from Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe, Germany. Her work was included in exhibitions at Picture Theory Gallery, New York; Dark City, Vienna; messing schwarz, Vienna; Haus der Wiener Kaufmannschaft, Vienna; Stiftung Künstlerdorf Schöppingen, Germany; and Marcus Ritter, Leipzig; among others.