New York, September 5, 2014 – Catinca Tabacaru Gallery is pleased to present its inaugural solo exhibition, Justin Orvis Steimer: have you ever wondered what a soul looks like? In what will also be the artist’s first solo gallery exhibition, Steimer will present a series of new large-scale works rendered on mid-twentieth century sail fragments and gifted materials, joined by a collection of small portraits on paper. The artist will be present for the duration of the exhibition to create the largest work in the show, while the gallery will be transformed to reflect Steimer’s studio, including hammocks, a tea setting, turntables, vinyl records, and friends.
Steimer (b. 1981, Colorado) paints primarily on salvaged materials ranging from linen to boat sails. These materials are cut and reassembled into canvases, augmented through careful stitching to retain clues of their origin. He then interprets the subject and surrounding space, translating their transcendental energy into an ever-evolving vocabulary of painted abstract forms. The first layer of painted shapes informs the next as Steimer connects and breaks down space – just as he creates and repurposes the materials that form his canvases – uniting the processes in a meditative act._ have you ever wondered what a soul looks like?_ Focuses heavily on “portraiture” rendered through the lens of this transcendental energy, a departure from his recent focus on space and time. A work depicting a woman – his largest portrait to date, while wild on its face, compels a highly structured and complex inner canvas that took Steimer two weeks to sew together. A self-portrait is formed from his childhood outfit worn at his mother’s wedding. Others depict his grandparents, street musicians, as well as a large work created in situ of the gallery-turned-studio. Visitors are invited to interact with Steimer during this painting process.
