Hamptons Fine Art Fair 2023

Agora Gallery

Agora Gallery was established by the late Miki Stiles, MFA, to provide opportunities to artists entering the global art market. Ms. Stiles was a visionary who founded the gallery on the principle that all artists benefit from having their artwork promoted by a professional gallery. Located in the heart of the famous Chelsea art district, Agora Gallery occupies the ground floor of 530 West 25th Street. The gallery is frequented by art lovers looking to find and buy original artwork.

From the Director

Dear Art Collectors,

My name is Sabrina Gilbertson and I am the Director of Agora Gallery. We offer a diverse range of original contemporary art from around the world in a variety of styles and price points, providing collectors, decorators, and designers the opportunity to purchase or lease a curated collection of art pieces. We also welcome practicing artists worldwide to inquire about our representation and

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promotional services. Please reach out to us if you are interested in collaborating with us as an artist, art collector, or art lover.

We look forward to working with you!

Sabrina Gilbertson Director Sabrina@Agora-Gallery.com

Artwork: Saugatuck Lilies

Mark Schiff

Agora Gallery

Hamptons Fine Art Fair 2023

William Atkinson

Mela Cooke

Danny Johananoff

Zura Gugulashvili

Mark Schiff

Katja van den Bogaert

Ellen Globokar

Rebecca Stenn

William Atkinson

Contemporary artist William Atkinson has been active in the art world for over a decade. Atkinson’s work first took the form of street art in Los Angeles, where he worked under the pseudonym ‘Insurgency Inc.’ As his artwork migrated into the gallery setting, the artist began labeling the paintings with his given name, William Atkinson. While the artist continues to utilize elements from street art, such as symbolism and familiar imagery in artworks, his current work focuses predominantly on personal expression rather than an anonymous cultural critique.

Atkinson’s multi-media works combine imagery from his day-to-day life with imagery from pop culture and street art, which are assembled into collaged pieces. Atkinson applies dynamic brush strokes and lines in a gestural mode to contrast the graphic imagery and leaves his makings exposed and unedited. The lack of shading, and inclusion of negative space allows for a focus on both form and symbolism. The diverse range of materials, source imagery, and the artist’s re-contextualization of figures and text prompt all viewers to consider new paths and perspectives of critical thought.

Controlled Chaos, Anarchy & Higher Education, 2015

Mixed media on canvas 29” x 35”

$3400

All Noise Fades, 2022

Mixed media on canvas

60” x 48”

$8500

Referential Treatment, 2019

Mixed media on canvas

48” x 30”

$5250

Mela Cooke

Many of Mela Cooke’s sculptures have a cryptic but satisfying balance: they possess the gravity and beauty of the human form, but a somehow corresponding playfulness often dances over the piece as well. Though she also sculpts animal and still life objects, her bronze sculptures are mostly human figures in their organic situations: in repose, swimming, playing rugby, on a scooter, shooting an arrow, or a couple in embrace. Her main inspiration is capturing and expressing the breadth of people’s everyday experience.

Cooke’s focus on and expert knowledge of anatomy stems from her 25 years working in physical therapy in her hometown of Brisbane, Australia. Trained in both bronze sculpture and marble, Cooke enjoys the tactile experience of the initial forming for the metal casting. The sensuousness and negotiability of clay allow her to put motion and emotion into her pieces. She also capitalizes on the three-dimensional privilege of negative space.

Cooke has created many public works and commissions around the state of Queensland. She has served as both president and vice-president of Sculptors Queensland. Her pieces are in private collections worldwide and are featured in both the Galleria Azur (Berlin) and the Van Gogh Gallery (Madrid).

Swim Squad

Bronze

Mother: 15” x 8” x 12” Child : 10” x 5” x 10”

$10800

Danny Johananoff

In the realm of photography, Danny Johananoff stands out as an artist who has embraced the impermanent and the ephemeral. His abstract and blurry photographic style, offers a unique perspective on the world around us. By capturing fleeting moments in a distinctive way, Johananoff’s work encourages viewers to engage with their emotions and reflect on their own experiences.

In an age where clarity and sharpness are highly valued, Johananoff’s approach to photography offers a refreshing change. His work celebrates the beauty of the imperfect, the transient, and the intangible, reminding viewers that not everything must be in focus to convey meaning or evoke emotions. Utilizing intentional camera movement, selective focus, and other techniques, Johananoff creates images that straddle the line between reality and abstraction. His photographs often depict recognizable subjects, such as landscapes, cityscapes, wildlife and human figures, but present them in a way that challenges the viewer’s perception and invites them to look beyond the surface.

Johananoff’s approach to photography is not only an artistic choice but also a reflection of his personal philosophy. Life is full of fleeting moments, and our memories of these moments are often imperfect, with details fading over time. Through his images, Johananoff seeks to evoke a sense of nostalgia and encourage viewers to ponder their own experiences and the transient nature of memory.

Color plays a significant role in Johananoff’s photography. He carefully selects his color palette to enhance the mood of each image and create a visual harmony that draws the viewer in. From the warm, golden hues of a sunset to the cool, calming tones of a misty morning, color is a powerful tool for conveying emotions in Johananoff’s work. The process of creating his abstract and blurry photographs is an exercise in relinquishing control. By embracing the unpredictable nature of this style, Johananoff is able to explore the boundaries of his creativity and push the limits of conventional photography. This sense of exploration and experimentation fuels his passion for photography and keeps him continually inspired.

In the world of Danny Johananoff’s abstract and blurry photography you can experience the beauty of impermanence. In a world that often demands perfection, Johananoff’s work serves as a reminder to appreciate the fleeting and imperfect moments that make life rich and meaningful.

Horse Show, 2018

Archival pigment print on plexiglass

28” x 49.5”

$5675

Rodeo 1, 2021

Photo print under matte acrylic glass 24” x 36”

$5750

Rush 2, 2018

Photo print under matte acrylic glass 24” x 53”

$6850

Snatch the Goat 2, 2018

Photo print under matte acrylic glass 28” x 39”

$6200

Zura Gugulashvili

Georgian artist Zura Gugulashvili creates watercolor landscapes that filter the past, present, and perceptual in psychedelic explosions of color. Unconventionally, he uses a brush attached to a long wooden stick, which he dips in paint mixed with copious amounts of water. This technique produces broad, loose markings and a dappled, washed-out effect, which gives a sense of movement and expansion to his work. An industrial designer by trade, Gugulashvili felt the need to break off from the precision and regularity dictated by the profession. “It took me a long time to learn how to free my mind, push the specifics to the background and convey energy and charge in my work,” he explained. “My artwork does not come from the process of thinking. It just comes from my emotions.”

Through the lens of his sensibility, Gugulashvili elaborates historical memories–such as in Krtsanisy Poppies, a commemoration of the Battle of Krtsanisi, which saw the Georgians crushingly defeated by the Persian army, following Russia’s refusal to intervene–as well as current topics, including the pandemic in Doctor’s Hands and the threat of an ecological disaster in Apocalipsis. He equally addresses biblical themes as in Apple Tree, inspired by the Garden of Eden, and existential questions, as in Night on Earth, pondering over human life on our planet. “The purpose of my works is to arouse both positive and negative emotions in the viewer and, accordingly, to make people think and awaken the human in them.”

Spring, 2021

Watercolor on paper

34” x 48”

$3300

Infinity, 2021 Watercolor on paper

37.5” x 49”

$3800

Rain, 2022

Watercolor on paper

37.5” x 49”

$3800

Mark Schiff

Journeying around the world has ignited artist Mark Schiff’s creativity, which he reveals through his watercolor, acrylic, and oil compositions. “Traveling reminds me that I am part of a vast universe filled with extraordinary places and interesting people,” he says. “The adventure of travel gives me an expansive sense of freedom that often becomes the inspiration for many of my paintings.” His travels have taken him to diverse locations, and he explains that each journey heightens his capacity to embrace a wide spectrum of emotions that serve his creative process.

Heavily influenced by his interest in culture, music, and yoga, Schiff’s ability to be guided by intuition opens him to what he refers to as, “the ocean of creativity within.” It is from this place that he paints with bold, deliberate strokes creating eye-catching paintings that sizzle with energy and command the viewers’ attention.

Above all, Mark Schiff is a believer in the solidarity of humanity. After hearing his father’s experiences during WWII, Schiff was moved by the plight of war, its effect on people, and man’s inhumanity to man. “These stories inspired me to paint as a way to simply bring more beauty into our troubled world.”

Chamonix Lilies, 2023

Acrylic on canvas

60” x 48”

$800

Monte Carlo Lilies, 2022

Acrylic on canvas

60” x 48”

$8000

Naples Lilies, 2023

Acrylic on canvas

60” x 48”

$8000

Piraeus Lilies, 2023

Acrylic on canvas

60” x 48”

$8000

Reims Lilies, 2023

Acrylic on canvas

60” x 48”

$8000

Rhodes Lilies, 2023

Acrylic on canvas

36” x 36”

$5400

Santiago Lilies, 2023

Acrylic on canvas

36” x 36”

$5400

St Clair Lilies, 2023

Acrylic on canvas

60” x 48”

$8000

St Tropez Lilies, 2021

Acrylic on canvas

48” x 48”

$6500

Katja van den Bogaert

Former ballet teacher and entrepreneur Katja van den Bogaert sees her abstract paintings in terms of action and vibration. Bridging the gap between dance and fine art, she builds freeflowing shapes and patterns inspired by the natural world. Katja’s carefree and boisterous spirit becomes evident on her linen canvases through layered and blended paints, which take on organic forms and structures. Each composition reveals a story, a world hidden deep beyond the surface, which is told in the language of texture, line, color, and form. When painting, Katja draws from an intuitive rather than conscious place. Her abstracts allow her the freedom to create on impulse driven by instinct.

Born in the Netherlands, Katja received a degree from the Dance Academy of Art in Tilburg, where she worked for several years before opening a teahouse with a friend. While she enjoyed running her own business, Katja ultimately decided to follow a creative path towards her passion: depicting her inner sanctum through large canvases that appear to take on a life of their own.

Blue Magic, 2021

Acrylic & spraypaint on canvas

39.5” x 39.5” $7000

Untitled 2, 2021

Acrylic & spraypaint on canvas

31.5” x 31.5”

$6900

Untitled 4, 2022

Acrylic on canvas

47” x 39.5”

$7200

Ellen Globokar

Ellen Globokar grew up in western Michigan with a pencil and a sketchpad close at hand. From a very young age, she was commissioned to draw portraits and displayed her watercolors at juried art shows. After two decades working in politics and government, she returned to her passion for art. Citing Impressionism, Abstract Expressionism, and the Bay Area Figurative Movement as her main inspiration, Globokar paints alla prima, capturing tranquil views of marine sunsets, lush gardens touched by soft rays of lavender light, and solitary rural landscapes. Her collages, made of scraps of hand-dyed Japanese paper, are also inspired by the colors and atmospheres of the seashore and countryside. Different depths and textures are achieved by arranging pieces of varying thickness and shapes, while metallic paint is added for a shimmering effect. Her work emanates a soothing contemplative beauty, an intimate communion with nature, offering a much-needed escape from the mundanity of life.

A resident of Chevy Chase, Maryland, Globokar received formal instruction at the Art League of Alexandria, Virginia. There she participated in numerous juried exhibitions, winning “Best in Show.” She had two successful shows at the Peninsula Art Gallery in Lewes, Delaware, and was a featured artist at Beebe Medical Center’s Best of the Beach Art Auction in Rehoboth.

Drift Away, 2022

Collage on canvas

30” x 40”

$4800

Rebecca Stenn

U.S. artist Rebecca Stenn has been a professional dancer, choreographer, and educator throughout her life. More recently her artistic practice shifted to include painting when she realized that the paintbrush was an extension of her body’s movements. Intrinsically linked with decades of dance performance, the artist considers space and proximity within her paintings. Acutely aware of the movement during the process of painting, Stenn works with acrylic paint.

The artist began with purely abstract painting focusing on the process of a work, such as brush strokes and movement required for various textures. Over time Stenn has begun to paint landscapes and portraiture. Her work has been exhibited as part of the Coming Out and Paraìso shows, at M.A.D.S. Gallery in Milan, the Future Landscapes exhibit at the Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello Gallery in Venice as part of the Borders Art Fair, the Ars Gratia Artis exhibit in London and in a featured artist series at Gallery Andrea, in Scottsdale, AZ. Stenn continues to exhibit in New York City with Agora Gallery, where she is a represented artist, and will take part in art fairs this year in New York City (Affordable Art Fair) and Miami (Red Dot Art Fair) as well as a spring show at Agora Gallery in Chelsea. She recently won a juried competition at the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts in Mill Valley, California and is showing work in their current exhibit, Women Making Their Mark. As an acclaimed multi-dimensional artist Rebecca Stenn continues to dance, paint, and teach all while constantly experimenting with modes of making.

Drive Home from Montauk, 2022

Acrylic on canvas

24” x 20”

$2450

Gallery

hopping in New York

Agora Gallery is located within the heart of the Chelsea Arts District with available hours from Tuesday – Saturday 11 am - 6 pm.

Opening receptions are held once a month, giving you the opportunity to meet the artists and view a variety of original artwork. Visit our website and subscribe to our mailing list to stay up to date on all events and happenings – www.Agora-Gallery.com/mailinglist

Chelsea, New York City