NADA New York: Sacha Ingber, Talia Levitt, Joshua Petker

Talia Levitt (b. 1989, Brooklyn, NY) makes highly detailed, quilt-like paintings which the artist refers to as “schmattas”, a Yiddish word for “rag”. The term was popularized in the 19th century by Eastern European Jewish immigrants going into the garment industry. Levitt references that history as well as her own lineage, female bodies, labor, death, and New York City. These visuals are layered throughout the paintings and are constantly weaving in and out of each other ultimately blurring their own references into one complicated and connected composition. In the final layer, the artist uses a plastic bag to pipe paint out in tiny motions to create an embroidery effect that stitches all the imagery together and even creates a new visual of its own. Levitt will be presenting new works coinciding with the body of work in her current exhibition Schmatta at Rachel Uffner Gallery.

 

Joshua Petker (b. 1979, Los Angeles, CA) creates layered, kaleidoscopic paintings using a variety of references such as scenes from historical European paintings and mid-century fairy tales in children’s books. The thin layers of vibrant color stack on top of each other to create several images into a new multi-planed scene. Petker refers to his work as “mixtapes” with the selected references collaging into one entirely new composition. The colors playing an important role create the dreamlike and nostalgic atmosphere that allow for an environment where these different characters can all exist as one. Petker will be presenting new works including a horizontal composition which is the first of its kind for the artist.