East Gallery – A View of Humanity

Karen Bonanno, Camille Eskell, Jennifer Knaus, Gerald Saladyga

This group exhibition bridges a variety of styles of painting and sculpture that highlight the figure as the main subject and speaks to the many viewpoints and representations of identity that make up humanity.

Karen Bonanno’s expressive paintings highlight interactions between the female figure and the empowerment of women. The paintings depict scenes from everyday life, focusing on interactions between the subject and their environment. Bonanno’s bold color, gestures, and mark making represent the strong, confident, and iconic female figure.

Camille Eskell’s Intricate textile sculptures examine cultural and family dynamics in relation to her Iraqi-Jewish heritage, with themes of vulnerability, rebirth, gender relationships, and social conventions.  Eskell states, “I tackle the impact of this social and psychological legacy mainly through a feminist lens.” The crafting of each piece is meticulous, time-consuming, and process-driven using a range of materials and techniques, both traditional and contemporary.

Jennifer Knaus’ imaginary portraits draw inspiration from surrealist subconscious thought. Her acute attention to detail idealizes notions of beauty and importance that are embellished with humor and absurdity as entire gardens grow from her figures’ heads.

Gerald Saladyga’s stylized paintings combine a flattened sense of perspective, along with the repetition of objects and characters.  Saladyga states, “It could be said that I “don’t paint” a painting, but construct it from the bottom of the canvas upwards using various widths of tape to define the prescribed edges and shapes using a particular color scheme until completion.” His paintings also combine contemporary and historic war imagery, as seen in his painting Two Saints Visit the Ukraine.