RAUL DE NIEVES & ERIK ZAJACESKOWSKI: THANK YOU
May 15 - June 28, 2015
Opening Reception: Friday, May 15, 6-9pm

Black & White Gallery / Project Space is proud to present Thank You, a site-specific installation by Brooklyn-based artists Raul de Nieves and Erik Zajaceskowski.  

The exhibition is the first collaboration by long time friends Raul and Erik. Using plastics and refuse the artists have painstakingly gathered from their neighborhood, they will erect a large-scale immersive environment mapping multiple narratives and mythologies of creation, destruction, and consumption that are anchored in ritual, place and history. As viewers move through the installation they will become engulfed and thus part of the narrative themselves.

Thank You sets out to explore the modern myth of circular nature of existence, the wheel of life, and karma. By appropriating forms, symbols and objects directly from the physical landscape, the artists reveal an affinity to ritual and reflect on the cause and effect of our actions reminding us that we are the creators of our own fate, and in their eyes, creators of our own destruction. So as we journey through past worlds and narratives, we say "thank you" before entering into the future.

Raul de Nieves and Erik Zajaceskowski were chosen to be the first Project Space artists for their boundless imagination and original art-making practices mixing performance, video, sound, collage, sculpture and found objects. They fearlessly push the boundaries of storytelling by examining and reconfiguring the world we inherited, where we are today and where we are going. They don't reject the past; yet playfully refer to it while fully immersing themselves in today's landscape and deepening our understanding of it.

For Bushwick Open Studios (June 5 - 7, 2015), Raul and Erik will create a not to be missed live performance in the exhibition space. More information to come.

Raul de Nieves lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. De Nieves has performed at The Whitney Museum, MoMA PS1, MoMA San Francisco, Performa, and appears in Ryan Trecartin's films. His sculptural shoes have recently been photographed by Mario Sorrenti and Karl Lagerfeld, worn by Lady Gaga, and earned notable press editorials in publications including V Magazine, W Magazine, and Harper's Bazaar. De Nieves has mounted solo exhibitions at MaRS Gallery, Los Angeles (2015), Issue Project Room, New York (2014) Live with Animals, New York (2010); Newman Popiashvili Gallery, New York (2009 and 2007); Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch, Berlin (2008) among others.

Erik Zajaceskowski lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Erik has been working in New York City for many years and his philosophical outlook has fostered the creation of art spaces Mighty Robot (1998-2004), Secret Project Robot (2004-current), and Happyfun Hideaway (2013-current). His live visuals have fueled countless events and performances. Erik has collaborated and worked with many artists, musicians and institutions including Rachel Nelson, Chris Uphues, Brian Chase, Black Dice, Rob Coradetti, Raul de Nieves, White Magic, Onieda, MoMA PS1, the Kitchen, Issue Project Room and The Knitting Factory.

Images:
Raul de Nieves and Erik Zajaceskowski, Thank You, installation shots, 2015
 © Erik Zajaceskowski