September 10-October 8, 2022

Surface Tension is proudly presented by Novado Gallery and curated by Ann Welles of Exhibit A, Corning, NY. This group exhibition features six artists: Jackie Pancari, Dan MIrer, Felice Koenig, Melissa Zarem, Samuel Guy, and David Dowler; whose work builds around the idea of bubbles, surface, and tension.

Jackie Pancari's glass pieces incorporate literal bubbles of blown glass in her optic investigations. Dan Mirer examines the physics of bubbles - the shapes formed as they bump up against one another both in his glass wall pieces and in his frenetic projected video recordings of microfluidics.

The surfaces of artists' materials face outward and offer a range of aesthetic pleasures, from 'painterly' to 'slick.' Felice Koenig's obsessively built-up acrylic dots are wonders. Glimpsing through or beneath the surface, be it optically as in Pancari's Hazy Series or by Melissa Zarem's mixing of mediums on paper, posit enticing complexities.

Samuel Guy's figurative paintings present emotional tensions. In "Looking Inward," a larger-than-life figure is compressed, pressed by the physical boundaries of the picture plane; the posture is almost fetal, and the eyes are clouded. In contrast, David Dowler's steel sculptures are only loosely figurative and blur the boundary between doodles and sculpture.

All six artists in this exhibition adeptly employ surfaces, tension, and even the physics of surface tension to create works that engage in various ways.

Open special September 11 hours: 11am-2pm

(VIP opening by invitation 4-6pm Saturday September 10)

More images coming soon!