Dancing with an Ancient Friend
7th November, 2024 – 1st December, 2024
Gotham Dispensary
Bowery
3 E 3rd St
New York, NY 10003
Gotham, New York City’s premier licensed cannabis dispensary and concept store, is pleased to present the opening of its latest exhibition in the mezzanine-level gallery of its Bowery store: “Dancing with an Ancient Friend,” curated by The Shed’s Open Call exhibiting artist Bryan Fernandez. The exhibition brings together six emerging artists – including works by Bryan Fernandez, Xayvier Haughton, Diego Espaillat, Stephanie McGovern, Lauryn Levette, and Lexi Paulino – all who have exhibited both nationally and abroad, in a unified voice at Gotham.
Image courtesy of the artist and Gotham Dispensary
Titled after the words of New York native novelist, poet, and civil rights activist James Arthur Baldwin,
“Dancing with an Ancient Friend” reacts to a world defined by generations of colonialism, systemic
oppression, and the need to transcend those confines. The works featured in the show reflect the artists’ urge to delve into the realm of spirituality, ancestral history and the larger world around us as acts of resistance. With the curation of this show, Fernandez sought to create a space for young artists in a young yet pivotal time of their careers. For some, the show exhibition has provided an opportunity for them to showcase work that many commercial galleries didn’t desire to platform; for others, it has given them to chance to work with a gallery for the first time.
Exhibition curator Bryan Fernandez also contributed one piece to the group show: La Ultima Baila.
Originally from Washington Heights, New York, his artistic practice centers around the visibility of
marginalized communities of his cultural background. As an Afro-Dominican, he observed his
demographic’s lack of authentic representation in white media. In reaction, Fernandez creates
large-scale figurative mixed media pieces to tell stories of who his people are, compiling an archive of
their marginalized history that counters Colonial and anti-black narratives portrayed within the
mainstream.
A close personal friend of the curator, Xayvier Haughton is a multidisciplinary artist working in New York City whose practice explores African spirituality and its evolution in the Caribbean. The two works he is exhibiting at Gotham, titled Ananse and The Vailed, reflect his approach across mediums, where objects are retainers of time and memory that are reconsidered with conceptual gestures to create impromptu altars. Iconographic images are synchronized with Obeah votives and repurposed objects such as wooden drawers, chairs, and shelves are brought together to create architectonic forms that infuse memory and meaning into space and matter.
Another collaborator and friend of Fernandez, Diego Espaillat is presenting Gilt Crop, one of his smooth,
creature-like objects that bring together techniques from Carnival craftsmanship to academic sculpture. The sculpture transforms a common material – like paper – into something solid, formidable, silly and gentle. In the same way, his work embellishes the everyday so that it takes on a historical and decorative significance.
Stephanie McGovern presents three of her sculptural weaving works – Spring Court, Celtic Hands, and
Settling – at Gotham. Compiled from pieces of fabric, trimmings, chains, beads, and found objects, the
textured works reflect her endeavor to explore the subjective meaning that everyday objects in Western
society communicate regarding the female experience. The weight of these forms is suggestive of the
body and prompts introspection on who is being represented. They urge viewers to scrutinize their own
perceptions, draw connections between the material and forms, and ultimately create a space for critical reflection on gender, identity, and the intricate narratives embedded in everyday materials.
Stephanie McGovern
Image courtesy of the artist and Gotham Dispensary
Brooklyn-based artist Lauryn Levette is presenting Devil in a New Dress, one of her psychedelic
dreamscapes that draw from her experiences as a young Black queer woman and her rejection of racial
narratives. Her compositions are in conversation with the Afro-surrealist movement in an effort to
subvert the notoriously white male-dominated genre.
Her larger-than-life female figures represent a range of emotions, affirming themes of the self, the power of introspection, and asserting comfort and vulnerability in a world that is still learning to value it. Stars are scattered throughout her compositions, serving as protectors to the figures and freeing them from the gravity of systemic oppression.
A born and raised New Yorker, Lexi Paulino is a multidisciplinary artist known for her vibrant works that
blend personal narrative with character design and landscapes. Her exhibited work – Lunch – is consistent with her overall body of work, which explores themes of change and the tension between growth and loss. Rich with characters and creatures that infiltrate everyday scenes, her art is influenced by her background in street art, toy, and character design, bridging the gap between nostalgia and contemporary urban culture. Through her vivid use of color and dynamic compositions, she creates pieces that invite viewers to reflect on their relationship to the city and the ever-shifting environment around them.
“A core part of our mission at Gotham is to create a safe space of comfort and community,” says Rachel Berks, Gotham’s VP of Creative and Merchandising. “We are a place where marginalized and local communities can gather, connect, and listen. It’s an honor to offer our home in the Bowery to these young artists for a show that amplifies their voices, addresses issues of marginalization and oppression, while also offering a sense of hope for the future.”
Dancing with an Ancient Friend opens on the 7th of November, 2024 until the 1st of December, 2024 at Gotham Dispensary
©2024 Gotham Dispensary
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