Heather Gaudio Fine Art is pleased to present TheSpace
WeExistIn,a ground-breaking exhibition curated by the renowned Ghanaian-American art curator Larry OsseiMensah. The group show, featuring seven artists, opens November 16, 2024 and runs through January 18, 2025.
Front Cover: Patrick Alston, The Lighted Path, Break Free the Door That Illuminates US, detail All images are copyright of the artists unless otherwise noted
Image credit: Katie Tuzman, Brook Road Photography. Originally published in Greenwich Lifestyle
Larry Ossei-Mensah and Heather Gaudio
Photo credit: Aaron Ramsey
The Space We Exist In: Art as Reflection and Reimagination
Larry Ossei-Mensah
"Space calls for action, and before action, the imagination is at work. It mows and plows its way through the world, engaging in a thousand metaphors."
- Gaston Bachelard
"Spaces can be real and imagined. Spaces can tell stories and unfold histories. Spaces can be interrupted, appropriated, and transformed through artistic and literary practice."
-bell hooks
"The Space We Exist In" is more than an exhibition—it is an act of liberation. Curated by Ghanaian-American curator Larry OsseiMensah, this group exhibition at Heather Gaudio Fine Art interrogates space as a physical concept and a dynamic site of resistance, transformation, and reimagination. The exhibition brings together a diverse ensemble of visual artists whose practices transcend the limitations of the canvas or sculpture, exploring how space is shaped by human experience, how it can constrain or empower, and how it can be redefined as a site of freedom.
These artists engage with space as a battleground and a sanctuary through their work. They challenge viewers to question what it means to exist within space and, more importantly, how space can be reclaimed, redefined, and transformed. As we confront societal structures that perpetuate inequality, "The Space We Exist In" calls us to imagine a new kind of spatiality—where art becomes a tool for liberation. Each artwork embodies the possibilities of reshaping physical, psychological, and emotional spaces, offering a radical departure from traditional notions of space as fixed or static. In contemporary society, the concept of space carries profound weight. We navigate physical boundaries—cities, neighborhoods, homes—and simultaneously confront invisible social, political, and emotional boundaries. In this sense, space is more than a medium we inhabit; it reflects identity, memory, and power. In liberating space through art, the exhibition opens the door to new possibilities for how we live and coexist. Through the works of Patrick Quarm, Deborah Dancy, Patrick Alston, Clara Nartey, Austin Uzor, Kim Dacres, and Shinique Smith, viewers are invited to redefine their understanding of space, transforming it from a site of constraint into one of imagination, potential, and liberation.
Space as Identity: Patrick Quarm’s Layered Narratives
Patrick Quarm’s work is an entry point into the exhibition’s exploration of space as a site where identity is constantly negotiated. Through his layered, mixed-media portraits, Quarm creates a dialogue between the past and present, using vibrant African textiles and patterns as a motif to challenge traditional notions of identity and culture. His intricate technique of layering materials—combining paint with fabric—mirrors the complexity of the identities he portrays. These portraits are not static representations of individuals; they are dynamic reflections of how cultural memory exists within the body and is continuously reshaped over time.
For Quarm, space is a physical and cultural construct that holds multiple meanings depending on who occupies it and how it is navigated. His portraits reflect this by incorporating elements of West African history alongside contemporary imagery, creating a visual interplay between tradition and modernity. In doing so, Quarm’s work interrogates the role of cultural heritage in shaping personal identity, suggesting that space is not only something we inhabit physically but also something we carry within us as part of our cultural DNA. His pieces ask viewers to consider the many layers of identity that coexist within each of us and how those layers interact with the spaces we move through daily.
Memory and the Passage of Time: Deborah Dancy’s Abstract
Landscapes
Deborah Dancy’s abstract landscapes explore the quiet, bittersweet spaces where memory and the everyday intersect. Her textured layers and expressive forms capture both stillness and the passage of time, creating emotional spaces shaped by fragility, grief, and the subtle beauty of ambiguity. For Dancy, painting is a deeply sensory act, where each brushstroke navigates the tension between clarity and obscurity, allowing her work to resonate with universal experiences of loss, bewilderment, and nostalgia. Her process draws from the natural cycles around her, from the quiet rhythms of her garden to her reflections on personal memories and time’s inevitable erosion.
Through abstraction, Dancy crafts a landscape of memory where moments are layered and constantly shifting, much like the elusive terrain of the mind. Her paintings invite viewers to pause and engage with their inner landscapes, projecting personal reflections onto her canvases. In a world often marked by haste, Dancy’s work offers a space for introspection, encouraging viewers to embrace the in-between—the delicate balance between what is known and what lingers just out of reach, evoking the melancholy and beauty inherent in human experience.
Emotional Spaces: Patrick Alston’s Bold Abstractions
While Dancy’s work invites quiet reflection, Patrick Alston’s bold abstractions demand an immediate emotional response. His dynamic use of color and form creates a sense of tension and movement, making the act of looking at itself a visceral experience. Alston’s work operates in the space between artist and audience, exploring how abstract forms can evoke powerful emotional reactions without the need for representational imagery. In his work, space is psychological and physical, with his vibrant brushstrokes and striking color palettes pushing viewers to confront their perceptions and biases. Alston’s abstractions create a kind of emotional turbulence where viewers are encouraged to engage with their feelings on a purely sensory level. In this way, his work challenges the boundaries of abstraction, suggesting that nonrepresentational art can still evoke profoundly personal and affective responses. His pieces are less about what we see and more about what we feel, prompting viewers to reconsider their relationship with the abstract spaces they encounter.
The Fabric of Space: Clara Nartey’s Textile Narratives
Clara Nartey’s textile-based art provides a different, yet equally compelling, exploration of space. Her use of fiber as a primary medium blurs the lines between traditional craft and contemporary art, creating tactile narratives that engage with belonging, community, and heritage themes. For Nartey, space is not just something we move through; it is something we construct, stitch by stitch, through our relationships with others.
Nartey’s work transforms the traditionally female sewing and weaving craft into a powerful storytelling medium. Her pieces invite viewers to consider how personal and cultural histories are woven into the fabric of our lives, both literally and metaphorically. By engaging with textiles, Nartey creates a bridge between past and present, tradition and innovation, offering a meditation on how space —like fabric—can be both malleable and resilient. Her work underscores the idea that space is physical and relational, shaped by the connections we forge with one another.
Land and Memory: Austin Uzor’s Ethereal Paintings
Austin Uzor’s paintings explore the concept of land as a physical and psychological space deeply rooted in his Igbo-Nigerian heritage. For Uzor, the land is more than a geographical entity; it is a repository of memory, carrying the stories of those who have come before. His works in this exhibition pay homage to the land that has fed, nurtured, and sustained him while exploring the complexities of displacement and the search for belonging.
Uzor’s paintings, with their ethereal quality and dreamlike compositions, invite viewers to reflect on the idea of home as a space both within and outside ourselves. In Igbo culture, the land is revered as a living entity that has held its people's DNA throughout history. Uzor’s work taps into this deep cultural connection, suggesting that land is not just a physical space but also a spiritual one—a place where memory, identity, and ancestry converge. His paintings evoke a sense of longing and rootedness, prompting viewers to consider their relationship to the spaces they call home.
Reclaiming Space: Kim Dacres’ Sculptural Transformations
Kim Dacres’ sculptures, crafted from recycled tires and found materials, powerfully comment on strength, resilience, and the human spirit. By transforming everyday objects into potent symbols of survival and resistance, Dacres reclaims space in a literal and metaphorical sense. Her use of discarded materials speaks to the idea that space is often defined by what is left behind, by what society deems unworthy or expendable.
In reclaiming these materials, Dacres imbues them with new life and meaning, creating figures that embody marginalized communities' strength and endurance. Her sculptures challenge viewers to reconsider the value of the objects and spaces they encounter daily, asking them to look more closely at the world around them. Through her work, Dacres creates a dialogue about how space is not only occupied but also transformed—how we can reclaim spaces that have been discarded or devalued and infuse them with new purpose and power.
The Space of Materiality: Shinique
Smith’s
Dynamic
Compositions
Shinique Smith’s work examines the intersections of materiality, consumption, spirituality, and cultural history. Her use of fabric, calligraphy, and collage creates dynamic compositions that challenge viewers to reconsider their relationships with the material world. Smith’s works exist between the tangible and the ephemeral, exploring how objects accumulate meaning and how we, in turn, occupy the spaces those objects define.
For Smith, space is not just a physical environment but also a conceptual one, shaped by the materials and objects we surround ourselves with. Her work interrogates how consumer culture and material excess impact our understanding of space, urging viewers to reflect on the invisible forces that shape their environments. By incorporating elements of fabric and found objects into her compositions, Smith creates a layered narrative that speaks to personal and collective experiences, suggesting that space is as much about what we bring into it as it is about what we leave behind.
Conclusion: A New Vision of Space
Ultimately, The Space We Exist In is more than just a collection of artworks; it is an intellectual and emotional exploration of the spaces we inhabit, both physically and metaphorically. Through the diverse practices of these artists, the exhibition creates a rich tapestry of voices and visions that challenge us to reconsider our relationship with space, identity, memory, and belonging. Each artist offers a unique perspective on what it means to exist within a personal, cultural, or emotional space.
In bringing these works together, The Space We Exist In creates a platform for meaningful dialogue about the transformative power of art. By inviting viewers to engage actively with the works, the exhibition fosters a deeper connection between art and audience, encouraging reflection, conversation, and, ultimately, transformation. In a time when societal divisions seem more pronounced than ever, this exhibition offers a hopeful vision of space as a site of possibility. In this place, new dimensions of understanding and connection can emerge.
Patrick Alston
Patrick Alston, based in Connecticut, creates bold abstractions with striking color palettes and dynamic forms to evoke powerful emotional responses, prompting viewers to confront their perceptions and biases.
The Lighted Path, Break Free the Door That Illuminates US 2023
Acrylic, gouache, oil, oil stick, pastel, and spray paint on sewn fabric
76 x 100 inches
Patrick Alston
Patrick Alston
Resonance, 2024
Acrylic, gouache, ink, oil, oil stick
and spray painting on fabric
51 x 68 x 2 inches
Kim Dacres
New York City artist Kim Dacres sources her materials from recycled tires and found objects to make powerful sculptures that are commentaries on strength, resilience and the human spirit, imbuing the discarded everyday material with profound significance.
Kim Dacres
Toni's Bluest Eye and Tips, 2024
Found tires, pressure treated wood, screws, bicycle chains, washers, and spray paint on plinth of found scooter tires, pressure treated wood, 4" x 4" metal
post holder, oak, and spray paint
60 1/4 x 12 inches, 74.25lbs
Kim Dacres
Baldie from Birth., 2024
Found tires, wood, spray paint, and screws on oak-stained wood mounted on wood cylinder plinth with black paint, felted wool on industrial rug, found bicycle tire, and screws
36 x 15 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches
Deborah Dancy
Deborah Dancy, also based in Connecticut, renders her paintings with intricate detail and an emotive use of color, delving into the complexities of personal and collective memory.
Deborah Dancy
Hang Time, 2024
56 x 50 x 2 inches
Deborah Dancy
Gates of Paradise, 2013 Oil on canvas
48 x 60 inches
Deborah Dancy
The Space Now Left, 2023
Clara Nartey
Clara Nartey, the third artist based in Connecticut, transforms textiles and embroidery threads into expressive and tactile figurative narratives, bridging the gap between traditional craft and contemporary art.
Patick Quarm, based in Ghana, uses mixed-media in his portraiture that challenge traditional notions of identity and culture, using vibrant patterns and textures to explore the intersection of past and present.
Patrick Quarm
Gleem of the Still Yellow Past , 2023
Mixed media; three layers, acrylic,
oil on African fabric
59 x 39 x 24 inches
Patrick Quarm
In Plain Sight, 2024
Mixed media; two layers, acrylic, oil on African fabric
43 x 33 inches (closed)
68 x 44 x 6 inches (opened)
Shinique Smith
Los Angeles-based artist Shinique Smith often incorporates fabric, calligraphy, and collage to explore themes of consumption, identity and cultural history. Her dynamic compositions challenge viewers to consider the material and conceptual spaces they occupy.
Shinique Smith and finally he was a flower in bloom, 2024
Acrylic, graphite, crayon, collage and fabric on canvas
72 x 48 x 2 inches
Shinique Smith Tree, 2023
Acrylic, ink, graphite, crayon, fabric, collage and
acrylic mirror on canvas
84 x 60 x 5 inches
Austin Uzor
Austin Uzor, who is based in upstate New York, explores liminal spaces and questions of identity, displacement and the quest for belonging in his paintings.
