NEW YORK, NY.- Robert Berry Gallery opened Nuclear Winter, featuring new works by artists Jeremy Penn, John Gordon Gauld, Storm Ritter, and Marcelle Murdock.
“The new works by Jeremy Penn, John Gordon Gauld, Storm Ritter, and Marcelle Murdock offer a fresh, vibrant perspective on what artists were working on—and thinking about—as New York changed permanently over the last two years as a result of the global pandemic,” stated Robert Berry, founder of Robert Berry Gallery.
Featuring a diverse collection of art from these four emerging artists, the works represent the meaning of art in pandemic era New York City.
“Working in rock and roll photography, everyone wants to look at the past,” stated Marcelle Murdock, curator of Nuclear Winter, artist, and general manager of a well-known New York art gallery specializing in rock-and-roll photography. “Recognizing and enjoying the present moment, no matter how bleak, is important in life as well. Nuclear Winter is a show about the New York artists who have stayed strong during the pandemic, still pursuing our crafts, maintaining day jobs and creating beauty and meaning through art. What I want people to feel with this new show is a sense of time and place, the emotions the artists felt at the time—at once isolated, but united by belonging to New York’s incredible artistic community. The artists in this show are some of the best contemporary artists in their respective domains.”
Works available include Jeremy Penn’s bold painting April 2020, a vibrant technicolor abstract with horizontal shades merging pinks, purples and blues, as well as ominous dark clouds. Also available in the series are July 2020, August 2020, and September 2020, similarly bright and bold yet foreboding. John Gordon’s Nocturne 3 offers a cozy, woodsy scene at sunset, while Nocturne 4 is a peaceful nighttime snowy scene. Little Lunch Pisces is a pastel still life featuring fish and oysters and newly-bloomed purple and white dogwood flowers in bloom. Storm Ritter, whose work is often inspired by depictions from tarot cards and renaissance-era art, utilizes these themes in Leo Moon, an abstract scene featuring five black and gold figures with halos; Pisces Moon, featuring black and gold figures in a mysterious formation; and The Jungian Jungle, featuring women swimming, dancing, and standing in a compelling cadence.
Marcelle Murdock is the show’s curator and fine art painter as well. Her new painting, Waiting for the Dry Cleaning, is a quintessential New York moment featuring a young woman in a fake-fur cheetah coat, yellow open-toed heels, and casual city stance—inviting the viewer to wait for her dry cleaning with her. Little Wing features a young, tattooed brunette in front of her easel, top hat and cat, with a dreamy blue background; while Arsenic Green is an abstract painting featuring a futuristic blue-haired, gothic-looking gender-neutral person against a backdrop of old timey, traditional flowery wallpaper—juxtaposing the past and future.
Robert Berry Gallery hosts several shows a year, representing early to mid-career contemporary artists including Alex Cao, Machiko Edmondson, David Kastner, Yibai Liao, Ned Martin, Taney Roniger, John Ruby, and Leonardo Silaghi.
