Slow Looking
Beverly Acha, Holly Coulis, Amie Cunat and Tracy Thomason
September 12 - October 26, 2024
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 12th, 6-8pm
Address: 242 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011

Dinner Gallery is proud to present Slow Looking, a group exhibition featuring new works by Beverly Acha, Holly Coulis, Amie Cunat and Tracy Thomason. The exhibition will be on view from September 12th through October 26th with an opening reception on Thursday, September 12th from 6 - 8pm.  

The artists in this exhibition examine organic forms through abstraction, blurring the lines between hard edge painting and textured mark making. They utilize geometry, light and color to break down and rebuild perception, creating a more meditative and gradual viewing experience.

The title of the exhibition refers to Shari Tishman’s concept of Slow Looking - “a mode of learning and a means of gaining knowledge through observation.” Tishman describes a deliberate and thoughtful engagement with the world in order to counteract cursory reads. Progress has often been characterized as a constant looking forward but through careful and prolonged consideration at the present, the overlooked can provide fresh perspectives. 

Activating the tension between still life and animated brushstrokes, Holly Coulis breathes new life into domestic objects. The organic forms serve as imprints, ghosts or perhaps blueprints, providing an alternative framework for the mind. Amie Cunat’s vibrant abstractions confront a viewer through form that alludes to natural and decorative references, but are defamiliarized through scale, color and sharp edges. Her paintings negotiate experiences between biomorphism and geometry, and what is monstrous and comedic.

Tracy Thomason carefully builds her textural surfaces while creating forms that echo figuration, landscape and punctuation marks. Thermosensation is felt through her vibrant colors and the physicality of her material pulling it closer to objecthood. Beverly Acha’s practice stems from direct observation, often referencing architectural structures, diagrammatic forms, the botanical world and landscape. She develops her visual language in series, constantly working across multiple surfaces simultaneously and often responding to forms within other works. 

Through their practice, these artists are broadening the act of seeing and questioning assumptions that accompany certain combinations of forms and color. In a world bombarded by a constant stream of information, the artists in this exhibition invite us to slow down and shift our attention to observe the moments right in front of us. 

About Dinner Gallery
Dinner Gallery is a contemporary gallery dedicated to developing and presenting emerging artists. Since its inception in 2016, the gallery has been intrinsic to experimentation, working collaboratively with artists to realize novel and ambitious projects outside their typical realm. In addition to nurturing artists and mounting exhibitions, the gallery also functions as a center for rigorous intellectual exchange, hosting dialogues, lectures, and other community activities.

Gallery Hours
Tuesday - Friday, 1-6 and by appointment

Press Contact
Elisa Smilovitz
elisa@elisasmilovitz.com | 551.486.3273