Bowery Gallery is pleased to present an exhibit of new work by Naomi Nemtzow. The works on view are built of cut and painted paper, layered with graphic elements, which establish a dialog between shape and line. The vivid color relationships create expansive energy which engages the viewer on a journey with endless twists and turns. Many of the works on view are shaped pieces while others adhere to the traditional rectangle.

All the works begin as abstract compositions. As the interplay between shape, line and color progresses, the work becomes densely layered. Narrative elements emerge, which may conjure imagined creatures in motion, as well as odd vehicles, buildings, roads and tracks. The work is informed by Nemtzow’s earlier experience as an urban landscape painter. Now, the “landscape” is reflecting Nemtzow’s responses to the world in which we find ourselves. In these works, we experience the shock and fear of our time infused with hope and humor.

Writing about Nemtzow’s earlier work, Peter Plagens said, “...it takes a real sense of visual poetry to make good (collages). Naomi Nemtzow...makes very good collages....she distills what she’s seen into joyful, straight-edged compositions of brightly painted paper.”

(Peter Plagens, “Naomi Nemtzow: The urban landscape: New Work,” The Wall Street journal, March 31-April 1, 2012)