Category: Claire Oliver Gallery

‘Gio Swaby, I Will Blossom Anyway’ to Open at Claire Oliver Gallery during Frieze Week

Claire Oliver Gallery, Frieze Week, Harlem

 

 

 

Gio Swaby, Together We Bloom 3, 2023, 64. 52 in., Cotton fabric and thread sewn on muslin. Image courtesy Claire Oliver Gallery.

Claire Oliver Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new work by artist Gio Swaby, I Will Blossom Anyway. The exhibition features life-scale textile works including six self-portraits and a grid work of nine silhouettes. This new series explores the concept of dual identities and the cognizance of “other” experienced by immigrants living in a foreign culture. Through detailed sewn line drawing and quilting, Swaby conveys intimacy and beauty in the humanity and imperfection of her subjects. The artist displays the back sides of her canvases to the viewer as the finished work to showcase the knots and loose threads, which signify the sitter’s ongoing journey of life.  In I Will Blossom Anyway, Swaby turns this reflection and loving gaze inward, an introspective view of her own journey.  The works will be on view in Harlem May 19 – July 29, 2023.

Continue reading “‘Gio Swaby, I Will Blossom Anyway’ to Open at Claire Oliver Gallery during Frieze Week” →

Simone Elizabeth Saunders: Unearthing Unicorns at Claire Oliver Gallery in March, 2023

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem, Textiles

 

 

 

Simone Elizabeth Saunders, Release in Darkness, 2022, Unearthing. Image courtesy Claire Oliver Gallery

Claire Oliver Gallery will open its doors to Unearthing Unicorns, the debut solo exhibition by artist Simone Elizabeth Saunders. Unearthing Unicorns showcases large-scale textile artworks that explore the iconography of the famed high Renaissance era Unicorn Tapestries and Art Nouveau advertising through a contemporary Black feminist lens. The artist’s sweeping art historical reframing is rendered in vibrant polychrome hand-tufted textiles that both reference the prized woven tapestries of the Renaissance as well as the more contemporary feminist craft movement of the later 20th century. Unearthing Unicorns will be on view in Harlem March 17 – May 13, 2023.

Continue reading “Simone Elizabeth Saunders: Unearthing Unicorns at Claire Oliver Gallery in March, 2023” →

Claire Oliver Gallery Announces Solo Exhibition ‘Remains’ by Adebunmi Gbadebo in January, 2023

Claire Oliver Gallery

 

 

 

Jane/Mother of H. Lee/Died Feb 15 1909/ Age 85 yrs/ Gone To Fairer Land/ of Pleasure & Love/ To Join The Bright Band of Angels Above, True Blue Plantation Cemetery soil, human hair from Cheryl Person & Tierra H., wood fired, 2021 10 x 20 in

Claire Oliver Gallery is pleased to announce the solo exhibition Remains by artist Adebunmi Gbadebo.  On view January 13 – March 11, 2023, the exhibition continues Gbadebo’s years-long exploration of her ancestral origins centered on the plantation on which her forbearers were enslaved and currently buried, called True Blue in Fort Motte, South Carolina.  Gbadebo’s interrogation of this lineage through her work encompasses her signature multi-media paper works crafted from indigo, rice paper, cotton, and human hair, and new ceramic works fabricated from the soil in which her enslaved ancestors were buried. These will be displayed alongside historical artifacts salvaged from antebellum architectural fragments from sites built on the labor of her forebears.  The multi-media exhibition will debut at Claire Oliver Gallery before traveling to the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis throughout 2023-24.

Continue reading “Claire Oliver Gallery Announces Solo Exhibition ‘Remains’ by Adebunmi Gbadebo in January, 2023” →

Join Claire Oliver Gallery with the Opening of Judith Schaechter: Make/Believe on October 21st

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem

 

 

 

Judith Schaechter, Here I Come, 2022 , stained glass lightbox, 24×40 in. Image courtesy of the Gallery.

Claire Oliver Gallery is pleased to announce MAKE/BELIEVE a new exhibition by artist Judith Schaechter.  MAKE/BELIEVE  features six new stained glass artworks presented in lightboxes, installed as a debut exhibition in the gallery’s second floor space.  Schaechter employs a centuries-old process of staining and enameling glass and contemporary innovations she has pioneered with engraving and layering panes to produce her epically narrative and brilliantly polychrome artworks.  The works in MAKE/BELIEVE reflect myriad current events over the past few years from the pandemic to the BLM movement in Schaechter’s characteristically elliptical imagery that is deeply narrative while indirect in its references.  For MAKE/BELIEVE, Schaechter has also designed a custom wallpaper that will be installed throughout the exhibition.  MAKE/BELIEVE marks the artist’s eighth solo presentation at the gallery and will be on view October 21 – December 17, 2022.

Continue reading “Join Claire Oliver Gallery with the Opening of Judith Schaechter: Make/Believe on October 21st” →

‘In a Time of Panthers: Early Photographs’ ~ Book Signing for Jeffrey Henson Scales at Claire Oliver Gallery on September 28th

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem, Photography

 

 

 

Image courtesy Claire Oliver Gallery

Few photographers had the insider access Oakland native Jeffrey Henson Scales did around the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s. Capturing intimate portraits and protest images of the organization and its leaders in a time of societal upheaval, Scales’s archive lay dormant and forgotten for 40 some years. Then in 2018, when his mother died and the contents of the family home were sorted, the negatives were discovered.

Join Jeffrey Henson Scales for a celebration of his book and book signing of “In A Time of Panthers”, early photographs by Jeffrey Henson Scales, to be held on September 28th at Claire Oliver Gallery.

Continue reading “‘In a Time of Panthers: Early Photographs’ ~ Book Signing for Jeffrey Henson Scales at Claire Oliver Gallery on September 28th” →

‘Robert Peterson: When You See Them, You See Me’ to Open at Claire Oliver Gallery

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem

 

 

 

Robert Peterson, American Muscle, 2022, oil on canvas, diptych 60×80 in. Image courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery

Claire Oliver Gallery is pleased to announce When You See Them, You See Me, the debut solo exhibition by artist Robert Peterson. Featuring 13 life-scale oil on canvas figurative paintings, Peterson aims to capture time through his art, highlighting Black family life as joyous, loving, and balanced. So often Black men and women are unfairly stereotyped, and fractured family dynamics are what the media and popular culture choose to highlight. Peterson looks at his work as an opportunity to flip the narrative and shed light on the strength, resilience, and gentleness of the Black community that is hardly ever showcased.

Continue reading “‘Robert Peterson: When You See Them, You See Me’ to Open at Claire Oliver Gallery” →

Stan Squirewell Debuts at Claire Oliver Gallery with the Exhibition ‘Who That Is?’

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem

 

 

 

Stan Squirewell ~ exhibition ‘Who That Is? at Claire Oliver Gallery. Installation view.

Claire Oliver Gallery announces inaugural exhibition Who That Is? by artist Stan Squirewell, marking the artists’ debut at the gallery, on view March 25 – June 11, 2022.   Through a ritualized process, Squirewell’s work examines who curates and controls the narratives that become accepted as history; from what perspective is history written, whose stories are told, and whose are neglected? Featuring more than 15 new works by the Louisville based artist, Who That Is? showcases works from Squirewell’s series While Shepherds Kept Their Watching, the creation of which is a summation of the multimedia artists’ practices of painting, photography, sculpture, and performance.

Continue reading “Stan Squirewell Debuts at Claire Oliver Gallery with the Exhibition ‘Who That Is?’” →

A Contemporary Black Matriarchal Lineage in Printmaking to Open at Claire Oliver Gallery

Black History Month, Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem

 

 

Ann Johnson, Octoroon (Constance), intaglio, found objects, 10 x 11 x 10 in, 2021

In perfect timing for Black History Month, Claire Oliver Gallery will open its doors to the New York debut exhibition A Contemporary Black Matriarchal Lineage in Printmaking features 21 works by nine contemporary Black women printmakers.  Curated by two artists, founder of Texas-based nonprofit Black Women of Print, Tanekeya Word and member Delita Martin, the exhibition explores the depth and breadth of printmaking through the lens of Black women and their myriad narratives.

Continue reading “A Contemporary Black Matriarchal Lineage in Printmaking to Open at Claire Oliver Gallery” →

Leonardo Benzant: Across Seven Ruins & Redemptions Somo Kamarioka to Open at Claire Oliver Gallery

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem

 

 

 

Artist, Leonardo Benzant: That which weaves all of time Together. Image courtesy Claire Oliver Gallery

Claire Oliver Gallery will open its doors to the spectacular work of Leonardo Benzant in his first solo presentation with the gallery. Featuring six new multi-media works, including four large scale mixed media sculptures and two paintings on paper, Across Seven Ruins & Redemptions Somo Kamarioka is an extension of the artist’s multi-year exploration of his conception of the Urban Shaman, which Benzant deploys a wide variety of media and found objects to create dynamic hanging beaded structures inspired by the Yoruba and Kongo community and the beaded regalia of African material culture.  The exhibition will be open to the public November 11 to January 22, 2022.

Continue reading “Leonardo Benzant: Across Seven Ruins & Redemptions Somo Kamarioka to Open at Claire Oliver Gallery” →

Claire Oliver Gallery Presents Photographs of Black Panthers by Jeffrey Henson Scales

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem, Photography

 

 

 

#9) George Gaines (Baby D) Captain of the Black Panther Party Marin County branch, speaking at the United Front Against Fascism (UFAF) was an anti-fascist conference organized by the Black Panther Party and held in Oakland, CA, from July 18 to 21, 1969. From, “The Lost Negatives,” photographs by Jeffrey Henson Scales. Credit: Jeffrey Henson Scales

Claire Oliver Gallery is pleased to announce the gallery’s debut solo exhibition by photographer Jeffrey Henson Scales, In A Time of Panthers: The Lost Negatives. The exhibition features 20 photographs from the 1960s including Scales’ earliest forays as a photographer during the electrifying summer of 1967 when at age 13 with his paternal grandmother he toured the Midwest to see relatives. As a Black teenager, he saw the poverty and oppression of Northern Black communities and when he returned to Oakland, CA became immersed in photographing the milieu of the Black Panther movement in Northern California.  The images chart the emergence of his awakening as a documentary photographer as well as a Black man in a pivotal moment in the 20th century that echoes today’s Black Lives Matter movement.  In a Time of Panthers: The Lost Negatives is on view September 16 – October 29, 2021 at Claire Oliver Gallery in Harlem.

Continue reading “Claire Oliver Gallery Presents Photographs of Black Panthers by Jeffrey Henson Scales” →

Gio Swaby: Both Sides of the Sun, a Love Letter to Black Women, at Claire Oliver Gallery

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem

 

 

 


Gio Swaby, Love Letters 5 (detail), fabric and thread stitched onto canvas, 3ft x 7ft, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery.

Claire Oliver Gallery is proud to announce the Gallery’s debut solo exhibition of Bahamian artist Gio Swaby. Both Sides of the Sun is comprised of more than 20 new works that range from life-scale line works, created entirely from thread without the aid of pre-drawn sketches, to small-scale intimate mixed-media textile portraits.  Swaby’s work seeks to underscore joy and resilience while showcasing the beauty in imperfection and individuality as a counterpoint to the often-politicized Black body.

Continue reading “Gio Swaby: Both Sides of the Sun, a Love Letter to Black Women, at Claire Oliver Gallery” →

‘Love Letters for Harlem,’ a Photography Exhibition to Benefit The Harlem Community Relief Fund at Claire Oliver Gallery

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem, Kamoinge Photographers, Photography

 

 

Ruben Natal-San Miguel Negesti, Dye sublimation photograph on aluminum white matte finish, 2019; 24 x 24 inches/61 x 61 cm; 13 edition of 3 @ 24 x 24. Image courtesy of the gallery

Claire Oliver Gallery is pleased to present Love Letters for Harlem, an exhibition of photographs by John Pinderhughes, Ruben Natal SanMiguel, Jeffrey Henson Scales and Shawn Walker. Love Letters for Harlem showcases the talents of these four Harlem-based photographers and their work that celebrates the lives and culture of Harlem. A portion of the proceeds from this exhibition will benefit Harlem Community Relief Fund, an initiative of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce (GHCC), who in concert with Harlem Week, ReThink Food NY, NY State Assemblywoman Inez Dickens, CCNY, NAACP are working together to combat food insecurity in Harlem.

Continue reading “‘Love Letters for Harlem,’ a Photography Exhibition to Benefit The Harlem Community Relief Fund at Claire Oliver Gallery” →

Four Now: New Works by Bisa Butler, Adebunmi Gbadebo, Leonardo Benzant and Gio Swaby at Claire Oliver Gallery

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem

 

 

 

Bisa Butler, photograph by Gioncarolo Valentine, courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery

Claire Oliver Gallery is pleased to announce a group exhibition Four Now: New Works by Bisa Butler, Adebunmi Gbadebo, Leonardo Benzant and Gio Swaby.  The exhibition and a dynamic virtual program of talks and events is designed to telegraph the excitement and energy of Miami Art Week to the gallery’s Harlem headquarters.  The program includes a range of conversations between the artists and guest speakers including actor, artist and collector Hill Harper, James Beard Award-winning chef Bryant Terry, Nora Atkinson, the Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge for the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Dr. Tricia Laughlin Bloom, Newark Museum Curator of American Art. The exhibition will be on view by appointment December 1, 2020 – January 9, 2021 and virtual programming can be joined online at the gallery’s website.

Continue reading “Four Now: New Works by Bisa Butler, Adebunmi Gbadebo, Leonardo Benzant and Gio Swaby at Claire Oliver Gallery” →

Claire Oliver Gallery reopens with Solo Exhibition by Artist, Adebunmi Gbadebo

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem

 

 

 

Adebunmi Gbadebo, installation of True Blue series at the 2020 Dhaka Art Summit. Image courtesy Claire Oliver Gallery

Claire Oliver Gallery announced a reopening of the gallery with a solo exhibition by Adebunmi Gbadebo entitled A Dilemma of Inheritance.

The exhibition will showcase the artist’s True Blue series, which is comprised of more than 45 works that grapple with concepts surrounding heredity and the evolution of memory and forgetting focused on two former slave plantations in South Carolina, both named True Blue.

Continue reading “Claire Oliver Gallery reopens with Solo Exhibition by Artist, Adebunmi Gbadebo” →

Claire Oliver Gallery adds VR Experience with Inaugural Visit to Bisa Butler: Portraits at Katonah Museum of Art

Claire Oliver Gallery, Online Exhibition Viewing, Online Viewing Rooms

 

 

 

Our VR walk through Bisa Butler: Portraits at Katonah Museum of Art with Claire Oliver Gallery

Online Viewing Rooms have been a welcome and creative way for museums and galleries to connect with lovers of art throughout this difficult time. It has allowed us to visit many more exhibitions and view more artists than we would normally be able to. It has also allowed us to explore works of art out of town, out of state, as well as other countries.

Expanding on the gallery model, Claire Oliver Gallery announced a new addition to its website. Its inaugural VR Experience will take us to the Bisa Butler: Portraits Exhibition at the Katonah Museum of Art.

Continue reading “Claire Oliver Gallery adds VR Experience with Inaugural Visit to Bisa Butler: Portraits at Katonah Museum of Art” →

Bisa Butler: The Storm, the Whirlwind and the Earthquake at Claire Oliver Gallery ~ Viewing by Private Appointment

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem

 

 

 

Bisa Butler: “Zouave” (detail) quilted and appliquéd cotton, wool and chiffon 88 x 52 inches, 2020. Image courtesy Claire Oliver Gallery

Update ~ In response to the Coronavirus, the Claire Oliver Gallery will show the exhibit by private appointment only until further notice.

Claire Oliver Gallery opens its doors to the debut solo exhibition by artist Bisa Butler: The Storm, the Whirlwind and the Earthquake on view February 29 – April 25, 2020. Butler’s textile portraits of people of color are created from layers of brightly colored fabrics with a multiplicity of meanings.  Butler’s composite characters are inspired by historical photography; the resulting images are rendered life-sized with viewers often engaging the subjects eye to eye.

Continue reading “Bisa Butler: The Storm, the Whirlwind and the Earthquake at Claire Oliver Gallery ~ Viewing by Private Appointment” →

‘Judith Schaechter: Almost Better Angels’ to be Inaugural Exhibition in the New Claire Oliver Gallery Building in Harlem

Claire Oliver Gallery, Harlem

 

 

 

Judith Schaecter, ‘Murdered Animal, 2018, stained glass lightbox, 28″ x 28″, courtesy of the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery

The much anticipated inaugural exhibition in its new Harlem building, Claire Oliver Gallery will open its doors to Almost Better Angels featuring new works by Judith Schaechter on Saturday, January 18th.

Continue reading “‘Judith Schaechter: Almost Better Angels’ to be Inaugural Exhibition in the New Claire Oliver Gallery Building in Harlem” →