Having only opened its first physical space in October 2021, The Nomadic Art Gallery continues at full pelt, unveiling its second exhibition in which a group of artists explore, twist, and deconstruct the many and often controversial meanings that surround the humble nipple.
Aptly entitled, Nipple Twist, the group show features the works of New Zealand artists Oliver Cain and Chloe Marsters, alongside Belgium-based artists Merijn Verhelst, Amat Gueye, and Layla Saâd; placing NZ artists in dialogue with their European peers to investigate the semantic and conceptual connotations behind this sadly contentious body part.
Merijn Verhelst, Untitled 1 (2021)
Acrylic on wooden construction (153 x 135 x 3,5 cm)
Merijn Verhelst, Untitled 4 (2021)
Acrylic on wooden construction (60 x 62 x 3 cm) png
Founded by Gie and Arthur Buerms in 2020, The Nomadic Art Gallery is a contemporary art gallery and public art and research project now located in Leuven, Belgium; having previously taken the form of a converted truck cum mobile art gallery that the couple lived in and exhibited from during a 16 exhibition, seven location year spent in New Zealand.
Building on an inspired cyclical model rooted in the notion of nomadism, the initiative unfolds through two alternating phases. The first is that in-situ mobile immersion within an underrepresented art scene, during which research is conducted in the given location, the second a presentation of the art in a transitional gallery space in a temporary location in Europe.
Gie and Arthur Buerms’ Nomadic Art Gallery on the road during its first research phase in New Zealand.
A two-part exhibition of sorts, Nipple Twist sees the artists embrace and revisit the silenced body feature’s manifold connotations, the exhibition set over four spaces featuring ceramics from Oliver Cain; drawings and prints from Chloe Marsters; gratifying photography from Layla Saâd; and sculptural paintings from Merijn Verhelst and Amat Gueye, who move from the representation to the interpretation of the culturally rooted term.
Set to strip the nipple from all and any set definition, thereby unsettling viewers into a twist their very own, the show remains on view at The Nomadic Art Gallery until 14 January, after which it will be followed by an online exhibition, Ocean Breeze, which will run into March.
Chloe Marsters, Lottia (2021)
Ink and marker on paper (42 x 29,7 cm)
Chloe Marsters, Pebble Hook-Tip (2021)
Ink and marker on paper (42 x 29,7 cm)
Chloe Marsters, Syphonota (2021)
Ink and marker on paper (42 x 29,7 cm)
Layla Saad, Der Rum 1 (2018)
Inkjet print on aluminum (50 x 75 cm)
Layla Saad, Der Rum 2 (2018)
Inkjet print on aluminum (50 x 75 cm)
Oliver Cain, Pink Blue L.
Ceramic nipples with background spray-painted in wooden frame painted in acrylic
Oliver Cain, Dark Blue Yellow.
Ceramic nipples with background spray-painted in wooden frame painted in acrylic
Oliver Cain, Orange Green.
Ceramic nipples with background spray-painted in wooden frame painted in acrylic
Amat Gueye, Bataille sur une île (2021)
Ink on glossy paper on mounted wooden box (61 x 84 cm)
Amat Gueye, Caverne Mystère (2021)
Ink on glossy paper on mounted wooden box (152 x 107 x 4 cm)
