Linda Colletta “Scratch & Sniff”
A Solo Exhibition
Opening Reception
Tuesday, July 9, 2024 // 6pm-8pm
RSVP
events@untitled-space.com
Exhibition on View
July 9 – 20, 2024
The Untitled Space
45 Lispenard Street, NYC 10013
The Untitled Space will present “Scratch & Sniff,” a solo exhibition of paintings by Connecticut-based artist Linda Colletta. Curated by Indira Cesarine, the exhibit opens on July 9, 2024, with an artist reception from 6-8 pm, and will be on view through July 20, 2024. “Scratch & Sniff” marks Colletta’s debut solo show with The Untitled Space.
Linda Colletta, a celebrated contemporary abstract artist, explores the dynamic and tactile essence of painting in a manner that dances between poetry and punk rock. Her latest collection is a sensory adventure designed to immerse viewers in the interplay of chaos and order, silence and noise, action and contemplation. In a unique twist, Colletta invites viewers to engage actively with her art by placing scratch-and-sniff stickers next to their favorite pieces, akin to receiving “likes” on social media platforms. This interactive approach challenges audiences to reflect on the pervasive influence of social media on our emotions and psyche.
“Scratch & Sniff” will feature a selection of deconstructed woven paintings. Colletta’s work involves layering diluted acrylic paint on raw canvas, tearing it into strips, and weaving it together, creating a dynamic interplay between order and chaos while exploring themes of duality, inclusion, and human nature.
Linda Colletta is recognized for her innovative fusion of abstract expressionism, fiber art, and sculpture. Her work, deeply influenced by her background in scenic painting, prop mastery, and production design, showcases a refined understanding of color, texture, and form. Following the death of her father in 1992 and her departure from Parsons School of Design, Linda took a nearly twenty-year break from creating art. During this time, she built a successful career in New York City as a scenic painter and prop master. A transformative visit to Burning Man in 2012 rekindled her passion for painting, prompting her to leave her corporate job by 2018 to devote herself entirely to her art.
Notable past exhibitions have included solo shows at J. Mackey Gallery, New York (2024), Moberg Gallery, Iowa (2024), The White Room Gallery, New York (2021), and Southport Galleries, Connecticut (2020), as well as group shows at NYCCC Canopy Program, New York (2024), URSA Gallery, Connecticut (2023, 2024), and Artport Kingston, New York (2021, 2024) among others. Her work has been featured in several contemporary art fairs including London Art Fair, London (2023), LA Art Show, Los Angeles (2022), and Scope Miami Beach, Miami (2021). She has participated in art residencies in New York and Vermont. Her work can be found in the private collections of Google, Chelsea, New York, Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, and the home of Justin Bieber, California. Colletta has been featured in several publications, including Whitehot Magazine, Uprise Art, and Westport Lifestyle Magazine.
Artist Statement:
“My work pushes the dimensional and tactile nature of painting in a way that elicits an enchanting tension between poetry and punk rock. I repeatedly use the grid as a framework for juxtaposing dynamics to be shaped by a system of elegance and precision. My process is a direct reflection of my personal desire to alchemize hardships into heroism.
All of my work begins with pooling paints onto multiple layers of unsized raw canvas, stretched flat to large-scale painting tables. Utilizing both sides of the canvas, these underpaintings evolve over months in a non-formulaic manner, collecting extraneous results of other processes, ultimately becoming the atmosphere of future paintings. I then draw, paint, tear, weave, sew, staple, tape, collage, and compose to establish order and resolve the hierarchy of what is seen and what is hidden in each finished work.
I continuously push the scale of my work as a show of force and physicality. I use this expansiveness as an access point into overlooked micro-moments which reveal a cyclical history of creation and deconstruction that I witness and experience throughout the terrain of my life. My choice of color comes from an intuitive and emotional place and explores the dichotomy between danger and liberation.” – Linda Colletta
