MOMENTS IN TIME

04/06 - 04/14
The Art Vacancy
The Next Gen: Jordan Williams
222 Bowery, New York, NY 10012

The Art Vacancy (TAV) is pleased to present its third The Next Gen (TNG) program, The Next Gen: Jordan Williams. TNG is an initiative created to offer emerging artists the opportunity and resources to present a solo exhibition in collaboration with TAV.

Jordan Williams (b. 1995) is a Jamaican visual artist, originally from the United Kingdom. He purchased his first DSLR in early 2017 and it didn’t take him long to grow a large collection of photographs and videos. He found he has a profound fascination for people — thousands of separate lives, each telling separate stories, all from different parts of Asia in which he had explored. His cinematic and photographic work has been significantly influenced by his appreciation for Asian practices. Currently based in Beijing, he immerses himself in the Chinese culture, capturing the daily lives of individuals, their distinctive routines, and celebrated lifestyles.

Williams’ inaugural solo exhibition, Moments in Time, embodies the subtle beauty that exists within subcultures often overlooked and unacknowledged, while encapsulating the unique nature of human behavior and what moves us. 

ORIGINS

03/16 - 03/31
The Art Vacancy
222 Bowery, New York, NY 10012

The Art Vacancy (TAV) is pleased to present Origins, its first all-women group exhibition.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Origins is a multidisciplinary show exploring what it means to be a woman. Presenting the work of seven women artists, the visual language with which each artist communicates has been shaped by her lived experiences and layered identities.

TAV invites viewers to celebrate the diversity of their artistry, as well as the ways they embrace the multidimensionality of their own womanhood.

Too frequently and for too long society has been hearing answers, not derived from authentic experience, but rather through distilled perception. These narratives that have told our lives have warped the lens with which we see ourselves. Our experiences are as broad as they are nuanced. It’s these nuances that disrupt the pattern social constructs have delegated. By sharing these experiences, by telling our stories, we believe it will debase the paradigm of what it means to be a woman, and purify our ability to see ourselves.

Participating artists and origins are: Christina Lucia Giuffrida (b. 1990; Australia), Lizzy Lunday (b. 1992; Virginia), Ohmiamore (b. 1990, Ecuador), Christa Pratt (b. 1992; New York), Elizabeth Wirija (b. 1994; Indonesia), Natasha Wright (b. 1987; New Zealand), Alina Zamanova (b. 1993; Ukraine).

MEASURES

09/15 - 09/16
The Art Vacancy
Beyond Studios NYC, 272 Seigel Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206

 The Art Vacancy “TAV” is pleased to present its second annual group exhibition, Measures, curated by Sáng Huynh. Measures explores change as both inevitable and constant. Some change is immediate and cataclysmic, some comes slowly and almost imperceptibly. Change is the engine of creation and innovation. In this vein, The Art Vacancy exhibits the works of artists through all phases of their career as it explores notions of vulnerability, growth, and progression.

The linear notion of time encourages one to focus on moments as static points in the past, present, and future. Art often falls entrapped to the same mentality; stuck as a representation of the moment it’s completed. Conversely, each piece contains a life span within it, embodying all the experiences an artist has known before its conception. Measures aims to showcase this dimension of growth by exhibiting at least two works of art from each artist: one from their past, and the other, more present. This juxtaposition is meant to encourage viewers to visualize the space in between - the transitionary phase of becoming. Measures will show fourty-eight pieces of work from twenty artists of varying backgrounds and mediums.

The focus of an artwork, or an exhibition, is rightly often on the work itself. Measures intends to bend this focus back onto the artist; to have the inconsistent and transformative nature of their lives clearly and unmistakably represented in their works. Viewers are reminded that art is an artist’s life’s work, and consequently, the work of life. Each piece tells a story of growth: standing on the shoulders of the work before it, and burrowed as a seed for work to come. Measures asks the viewer to embark on their own journey through reflection on the works presented, and to look within. Change may be welcomed or poignant when one focuses on moments in isolation. Measures dispels this finite perception of time, and rather calls viewers to revere all moments of fruition as outgrowths of an ever-evolving process.

Participating artists and origins are: Panteha Abrareshi (b. 1999; Montreal, Quebec), Torey Akers (b. 1989; New York, NY), Ioana Alexandra Niculescu-Aron (b. 1994; Bucharest, Romania), LaTonia Allen (b. 1987; Pheonix, Arizona), Diane Barthélemy (b. 1993; Bordeaux, France), Kris Baum (b. 1957; Wilrijk, Belgium), Joshua Dean (b. 1976; Chicago, Illinois), Crystal Frias (b. 1995; Brooklyn, NY), Andrew Herzog (b. 1990; Philadelphia, PA), Johanna Lietha (b. 1986; Zürich, Switzerland), Tom Levy (b.1987; Reading, England), Luu Meng (b. 1982; Taipei, Taiwan), Justin Price (b. 1978; Los Gatos, CA), Anna Mlasowsky (b. 1984; Bautzen, Germany), Chloé Mossesian (b. 1992; Paris, France), Silvia Sanna (b. 1986; Sardini, Italy), Matthew Sprung (b. 1991; New York, NY), Jo Valandry (b. 1960; Rapid City, South Dakota) with Cheryl Halsey (b. 1952; Springfield, South Dakota), Alina Zamonva (b. 1993; Kyiv, Ukraine)

SALT AND WATER

05/08 - 05/09
The Art Vacancy
The Next Gen: Catarina Mantero
1501 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11221

The Art Vacancy is pleased to present its second installment of The Next Gen. The exhibition will feature: Catarina Mantero.

Catarina Mantero, b. 1988 in Lisbon, is a New York-based artist who, through her youth in Portugal, developed a deep connection to the ocean. After graduating with a degree in communication and marketing, she soon realized her true passion was painting. Committed to pursuing her love for the arts, she enrolled in the Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade de Lisboa in 2012 to study painting. This was followed by an MFA at the New York Academy of Art.

Mantero is fascinated by the fluidity and mystery of the human predicament. Throughout her artistic journey she has been deeply committed to the exploration of the infinite possibilities of paint, its texture, its application, and how these aspects combine and define an image and what that image means to an audience. Through the construction of transparent layers interspersed with personal iconographies, she builds up her surfaces – and their stories – as if playing with water. Mantero looks for answers in the water, and in moments of her experience that transcend time and are never at rest, like water. Mantero brings forth allegorical compositions motivated by ideas of mortality, spirituality, and sexuality. Her work tantalizes the viewer, it continually invites questioning but never completely reveals itself, much as submerged objects, despite being distorted, are indelibly themselves.

In the past two years Mantero has been granted two Academy Scholar awards, one Golden Foundation Award, and a teaching residency at Escuela de Diseño (affiliated with Parsons) in Altos de Chavon, Dominican Republic. She has been included in numerous international group shows, including Take Home a Nude at Sothebys NYC and Art lab.munich in Germany. Her work has also been featured in Time Out Magazine and Purple Fashion Magazine. The Next Gen: Catarina Mantero will be her first solo exhibition.

JOHN YUYI

02/21 - 02/25
The Art Vacancy
The Next Gen: John Yuyi
SITE 57 Gallery, 57 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

The Art Vacancy is pleased to present its very first installment of The Next Gen. The Next Gen offers emerging artists the opportunity and resources to present a solo exhibition in collaboration with TAV. The show, will feature: John Yuyi.

John Yuyi (b. 1991) is a Taiwanese artist heavily influenced by her interest and experience in modeling, photography, and fashion design. As a child in Taipei, she would often sketch and paint with water colors. After graduating from Shih Chien University with a degree in fashion design, Yuyi launched her own swimwear collection and interned with internationally renowned artist and designer, Jason Wu.

Her body of work sits at the intersection of youth culture, fame, and biting social commentary. Yuyi exploits the iconography of mass culture by projecting images onto the human form, grappling with ideas of self and the economics of identity. Her process typically involves very few materials, often exhibiting the nude form altered by temporary tattoos of her own creation. She describes her work as playful, unexpected, and curious.

Yuyi’s clients and collaborators include GUCCI, The New York Times, and Carven. She has received press recognition from i-D, NYLON, Harper’s BAZAAR, and VOGUE. Her work has been exhibited in group shows in New York, Paris, Taipei, and Sydney. The Next Gen: John Yuyi, will be her first solo exhibition.

Curated by Sáng Huynh.

PASSION VS PRAGMATISM

09/16 - 09/17
The Art Vacancy
Studio 301, 301 Ten Eyck Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206

Passion vs. Pragmatism examines the similarities and differences in the lived experience of artists faced with the unending struggle of balance— balancing their creative impulses with the pressures to adhere to conventionality, to make do with the ordinary and the expected. The show examines the constant trials between artists’ id and their ego— the dreamer and the realist.

For our artists, this search for equilibrium is readily apparent in their work through the use of vibrant colors and subtle textures, lightness and darkness, the manipulation of shape and form, and space and balance. Our show brings together fifteen remarkable artists who epitomize the grit and resilience of the modern day creative.

“We are artists who are faced with the inundating struggle of balance. We want the space to embrace our creative impulses, but we feel the pressure to adhere to conventionality for us to survive. A constant battle between our id and our ego— the dreamer and the realist.”

THE ART VACANCY

BACKGROUND

The Art Vacancy is a women-founded art organization, based in New York, that supports artists across all disciplines. Founded in March 2017 by Sáng Huynh and Lindsey Puccio, TAV aims to encourage creatives by shaping unique opportunities for them to expand their craft and network of resources.

As a group of artists ourselves, we felt disheartened by a reoccurring disconnect we’d see between curators and artists. We saw that for our artist peers, opportunities to showcase their work were either very exclusive, and guarded by an elite niche, or inconsiderate pop-up shows where the art simply serves as a backdrop to a party, yielding them little recognition or potential to sell. We felt a balance of access and excellence could be struck; where artists would not be vetted based on institutionalized limitations shaped by a dominate culture, but rather their dedication to the craft, and their ambition to be impactful.

We chose to start an organization that was for artists, by artists because we believe the strongest advocates for a culture are its own.

MISSION

Across time and place, artists have interacted with the world in unique ways. Their potential for greatness lies in their ability to reshape another’s thinking, be it an individual or society at large. We reject the notion that great artists prosper in isolation. Rather, we believe that a strong community is the cornerstone of progress. For this reason, TAV provides consistent spaces for artists to connect and reflect on the work they do through exhibitions and mentorship. Art does not exist in a vacuum, and an artist does not thrive by happenstance. We utilize our exhibitions as platforms to communicate this truth.

“We are an inclusive art community— we support artists across all disciplines, from all backgrounds.”

— Sáng Huynh, Founder