At VOLTA NY there were two artists that caught my eye and drew me back to their temporary gallery spaces. This pair of artists are extremely different and grabbed my attention for specific reasons. It was a pleasure to meet both artists in person at the show and their fiercely loyal curators who were clearly passionate about both young artists.
Julian Lorber
The first artist that made an imprint on my tour of VOLTA NY’s exhibitors was Julian Lorber. Working out of a studio in Brooklyn, Lorber’s most recent works are textured beauties that feature intricate layering and color fusing. Lorber explores the dirtying of the urban landscape by delicately spraying acrylic paint over urethane resin applied to wood panels. A favorite of both the artist and myself, Fracking Lilacs displays the dark side of our manual manipulation of the environment through his own manipulation of textures, shadow, and color. In the painting, periwinkle slowly muddies into soot black while clashing yet melding with the raised rectangles that fall down the panel. Other spectacular pieces capturing similar themes and emotions included: Coverup Bronzer Yellow, Bruised Script and Makeup Dirt. Julian Lorber provides a serious exploration of our changing landscape through intense work that goes beyond a thoughtful color story through his unique use of automotive spray paint application and structural elements.
Anna Navasardian
The final knockout artist featured at VOLTA NY was Anna Navasardian a 26 year old Armenian artist whose energetic portraits capture life and the beauty of human physicality exceptionally. Navasardian’s paintings Black Sea, Rope II, and Nude I feature detailed brushstrokes that capture human movement incredibly accurately. Her painting creates shadows that capture tendons, muscles and even the intensity of different facial expressions. Navasardian’s color palette, achieved by her use of both acrylic and charcoal is also immaculate. Her scenes are very alive while remaining soft, locking a sense of realism in her portraiture.
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