Nathalie Kalbach: "If These Walls Could Talk"
“If These Walls Could Talk," by Nathalie Kalbach
Mixed Media Portraits of Jersey City's Storied Buildings.
An Intimate Portrait of Jersey City Through Painted Architecture; Curated by Anne Novado & Eleazar Sanchez.
Jersey City, NJ – NOVADO GALLERY is pleased to announce “If These Walls Could Talk," a solo exhibition by Jersey City–based artist Nathalie Kalbach, running from September 6 -28, 2025. The exhibition presents a striking series of works that reveal the hidden personality, stories, and emotion embedded within the city’s historic architecture.
Departing from her previous mixed-media practice, Kalbach’s newest body of work embraces the purity and intensity of painting to explore the intimate character of Jersey City’s buildings. Each canvas becomes a quiet conversation between structure and history with a visual narrative where weathered brick, iron gates, and ornate cornices are transformed into “cantastorie”.
“These paintings are not just about architecture,” They are about presence… about the lives, histories, and voices that linger inside the walls” Kalbach sees each building as a portrait waiting to be painted.”
Rendered with expressive brushwork and a refined sense of detail, Kalbach’s paintings invite us to consider the built environment not as backdrop, but as living witness. Homes, storefronts, and brownstones are portrayed with sensitivity and respect, celebrating their endurance, mystery, and individuality. Many of the subjects are rooted in the artist’s own neighborhood, offering a deeply personal tribute to the evolving face of Jersey City.
Internationally known for her work in the fields of mixed media and art education, Kalbach here turns inward, offering a quieter, more contemplative form of storytelling through paint. “If These Walls Could Talk” marks a significant shift in her artistic journey and a powerful homage to place, memory, and identity.
-E.S.
• Artist Talk: 7pm September 12, live music by Twisted Martini*. Held in coordination with JCFridays a free city-wide arts festival by Arthouse Productions. Info link: JCFridays
• Exhibition Dates: September 6 - 28, 2025
*Twisted Martini styles haunting originals and “twisted” covers with vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin and upright bass, creating a Manouche jazz meets pop folk vibe – or in other words, airport lounge on steroids. Members include Elena Zazanis (lead vocals), Zach Green (guitar, vocals), Ryan Fried (mandolin), Jim Kalbach (bass)
"The Butler Way", 24" x 12", mixed media on canvas
The Butler Brothers Warehouse was where 'the Butler Way', of retail (as the company called it) was born - pioneering practices like window displays and clearance sales that shaped American commerce. This E-shaped industrial brick giant distributed goods to 66,000 merchants nationwide before reinventing itself into its current form as a place people call home.
"Downtown Dynamo," 24' x 36", mixed media on canvas
Jersey City's Powerhouse energized the Hudson Tunnels (now PATH) from 1908-1929, transforming the city by enabling the first reliable transportation to NYC beyond ferryboat travel. This Industrial Romanesque Revival marvel was architect John Oakman's greatest challenge, and citizens regarded it as highly as other City Beautiful buildings of its time. Although abandoned for almost 100 years, with boarded windows, the Powerhouse continues to radiate energy - a reminder of its potential to once again energize the community.
"The Invitation", 14" x 11", mixed media on canvas
This is where it starts - not with grand gestures or formal introductions, but with the simple act of stopping, really looking, and opening yourself up to what's always been there waiting. The ornate railings, the worn steps, the colors that have weathered decades of seasons - they're all part of an ongoing conversation about who lived here, who loved here, who called this place home. You just have to be willing to hear it. Stand here long enough, and the walls start talking.