“Vita et Mors”
The Untitled Space
45 Lispenard Street, Unit 1W
New York, NY 10013
March 1 – April 3, 2016
The Untitled Space presents “Vita et Mors”, a showcase of solo works by artist Indira Cesarine March 1 – April 3rd, 2016. The exhibition includes limited edition photographs from three different series including Papiliones, Ta Prohm, and Barbed Wire (Khmer Rouge Security Prison 21).
The Papiliones series features macro photographic visuals of a variety of butterfly species Cesarine photographed in Costa Rica. Each image is digitally manipulated to present “butterfly blots”, her take on the psychological ink blots known as the Rorschach test. The butterfly has traditionally represented a symbol of rebirth and change, and the viewer is invited to interpret each piece as part of their own personal experience. The current exhibit features several new editions, created in 2016, as well as several from 2015.
The second series, Ta Prohm, features work from the ancient city Angor. Titled, Tetrameles Nudiflora of Ta Prohm (Angkor) (2015), this collection emphasizes the beauty and strength of the environment and gives the notion of “Eternal Life” depicting trees growing out of the ancient ruins of this civilization dating back to the 12th century.
Finally, the Barbed Wire (Khmer Rouge Security Prison 21) series shows images taken at the Security Prison 21 (S-21) in Cambodia. This prison was one of the 150 execution centers where an estimated 20,000 prisoners died under the reign of Khmer Rouge.The artist has said, “Visiting the site I was struck by the symbolism of the barbed wires that surrounded the prison. To me they represented the essence of cruelty, the barbaric nature of genocide itself, in every spoke of the wire which was used in captivity to suppress human freedom.”
The works exhibited in the “Vita et Mors” exhibit are a part of the Untitled Space’s “Women in Art” series, which features a variety of female artists in a series of solo showcases and group shows on an ongoing basis.
Gallery Hours for the Exhibit:
Monday – Friday: 10am – 6pm
Saturday & Sunday: 12pm – 5pm
ARTISTS BIO:
Touted as a “photographic child prodigy,” Indira Cesarine’s first solo exhibition was at the age of 16 at the Paul Mellon Arts Center. She is a multimedia artist who works with photography, video, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Her work has been exhibited internationally at many art galleries, museums and festivals, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Getty Images Gallery, The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, French Embassy Cultural Center, Art Basel Miami, Cannes Film Festival and the International Festival Photo Mode to name a few. In 2014, her public art sculpture, “The Egg of Light” was exhibited at Rockefeller Center. Cesarine lives and works in Tribeca, New York.
