ART CITIES: N.York-Nature and Form – dreamideamachine ART VIEW

Presenting a dialogue across time and space, the exhibition “Nature and Form: Sculptural Dialogues Across Time and Place” explores materiality as a dynamic and ever evolving archive. Artists exhibited go beyond using material solely as a medium of expression and physically construct meaningful conversations in each sculpture. Together, the works on display invite viewers to contemplate how forms can harmonize and interact within their environments.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Leila Heller Gallery Archive

The dichotomy between serenity and chaos created in pairing the artists and their works together in the exhibition “Nature and Form: Sculptural Dialogues Across Time and Place” invites reflection on how to closely navigate the illusions and visual complexities of sculpture. Through their exploration of form, material, and narrative, these artists create tangible objects that collectively speak to the shared human experience. Anton Bakker is a contemporary artist known for his dynamic and thought-provoking sculptures, often exploring the intersection of modern technology and human form. His works blend industrial materials with organic shapes to create powerful, tactile experiences. Aref Montazeri is an Iranian-born, London-based artist whose work addresses themes of identity, migration, and the complexities of cultural integration. Using mixed media and installation, Montazeri combines traditional Persian aesthetics with modern techniques to explore contemporary global issues. Arthur Carter is a New York-based visual artist whose works often reflect a deep fascination with human anatomy and surrealist landscapes. His intricate drawings and sculptures create a dialogue between the body, nature, and the unconscious mind. Azita Panahpour is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores identity, loss, and displacement through a dynamic gestural vocabulary drawn from the Persian alphabet. Her steel sculptures abstract letterforms into expressive compositions, shifting focus from phonetic meaning to visual form and emotional resonance. Azza Al Qubaisi is an artist, designer and entrepreneur who is popularly known as the UAE’s first Emirati jewelry designer. The natural landscape and cultural references coalesce in her pieces, from the shapes, patterns and textures of the desert to the revival of traditional ancient techniques which can all be easily observed in her works. Dale Chihuly is an American artist best known for his glass sculptures. His work challenges the traditional practices of glass making as he favors asymmetry and irregularity over perfection to define his glass sculptures. Douglas White is a London-based artist who creates monumental sculptures from discarded materials. Using found objects such as blown-out truck tires, he transforms these materials often subjected of violent transformations into striking pieces to reveal the intricacies of everyday life. Helena Chastel merges her mathematical background with sculpture, creating works that reflect sacred geometry and the intrinsic patterns of nature. Her pieces invite contemplation on how symmetry and form influence our perception of the natural world. John Clement draws inspiration from Constructivist traditions, utilizing steel to create dynamic, curvilinear forms. His sculptures play with space and movement, evoking a sense of kinetic energy even in stillness. Katya Emelyanova lives and works in Moscow. Katya Traboulsi is a Beirut-based multimedia artist whose practice is characterized by the emotional intensity with which she confronts the effects of the Lebanese civil war. Both her painting and sculptural works are characterized by her bold use of color, which disrupts the viewer’s expectations of the dark subject matter they are confronted with. Leyla Khosrowshahi is a New York-based artist who creates ceramic sculptures. Starting at twelve years old, she began to experiment with making ceramic pieces. Mark Hadjipateras is an artist born and raised in London. His work includes painting, photography, printing and sculpture. He has done numerous site-specific installations in galleries and public spaces, in Europe and the U.S.

Melis Buyruk crafts intricate ceramic sculptures that juxtapose human anatomy with elements from nature, such as insects and flora. Her work challenges traditional gender norms and explores the delicate balance between beauty and decay. Morteza Khazei is a Persian contemporary artist whose work delves into themes of transformation, resilience, and the human condition. His choice of wood as a primary medium not only connects his work to the natural world but also imbues it with a sense of life and dynamism, reflecting the stories and experiences embedded in the material. Mouna Rebeiz is a Lebanese Canadian painter based in London. Her figurative and abstract captures the energy of life itself, and the life of woman, expressed at its simplest, as a universal crucible of emotions. Her great sculptures, like revisited totems, are set to the rhythms of present time in the playfulness of space. Neal Rock is a Welsh-born visual artist based between in Charlottsville, Virginia and Athens, Greece. Nick Moss is an American artist whose work is deeply rooted in the relationship between human beings and the environment. Known for his large-scale installations and environmental sculptures, Moss brings attention to the fragility of nature through the juxtaposition of organic materials and industrial processes. Ran Hwang currently lives and works in both Seoul and New York City. Hwang’s motifs of intricate blossoms and Buddha’s stem from her fascination with Zen Buddhism. Her process requires the utmost concentration and discipline, recalling the meditative state practiced by Zen masters. Reza Aramesh is an Iranian-born, London-based contemporary artist. He confronts violence and oppression around the world, examining how mass media portrays conflicts and their ramifications. Drawing upon his deep knowledge of the history of art, film, and literature, Aramesh begins his pieces by culling news images from print and online sources. He then isolates individuals or small groups of people from these images, and re-displays and recontextualizes them. Roham Shamekh is an Iranian American artist whose artwork explores themes of memory, identity, and the impact of cultural conflict. Through mixed media and performance, Shamekh invites viewers to reflect on the tensions between history, personal experience, and political landscapes. Soheil Rad is based between Milan and Tehran, working as a set designer and installation artist. His is passionate about working at the intersection of his design experience in Italy along with Middle Eastern arts, creating light sculptures and objects. Zeinab Al Hashemi is an Emirati conceptual artist based in Dubai. Drawing inspiration from the natural topography of the UAE, Al Hashemi experiments with a variety of materials to position the viewer over the intangible boundary between the natural and artiﬁcial.

Participating Artists: Anton Bakker, Aref Montazeri, Arthur Carter, Azita Panahpour, Azza Al Qubaisi, Dale Chihuly, Douglas White, Helena Chastel, John Clement, Katya Traboulsi, Leyla Khosrowshahi, Mark Hadjipateras, Melis Buyruk, Morteza Khazei, Mouna Rebeiz, Neal Rock, Nick Moss, Ran Hwang, Roham Shamekh, Soheil Rad, and Zeinab Al Hashemi.

Photo: Ran Hwang, Healing oblivious aqua_OS, 2024, Buttons, Hanji Paper, Beads, Pins on Wooden Panels, 78.7 x 141.7 in. / 199.9 x 359.9 cm, © Ran Hwang, Courtesy the artist and Leila Heller Gallery

Info: Leila Heller Gallery, 22 East 80th Street (Ground Level), New York, NY, USA, Duration: 9/5-31/8/2025, Days & Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00, www.leilahellergallery.com/