signs and symbols

Wave at 89 Greene
Nadia Ayari

November 3 - December 20, 2022

Opening Reception:
November 3, 2022
6:00-8:00pm

89 Greene at signs and symbols* is delighted to present Nadia Ayari's Wave, curated by Dr. Kathy Battista. The exhibition at 89 Greene consists of a single, large-scale painting titled Wave (2022). The painting is exhibited against a dark green wall, creating the impression of it floating in space, creating its own architecture within the larger gallery.

Straddling abstraction and figuration, Ayari’s work often negotiates the personal and the political:

With a set of protagonists invented from the flora of my native North Africa, my work tackles narratives of survival. Lately, I have been exploring images where, against all odds, my paintings’ branches, pink flowers and leaves are thriving; either by being in motion or in connection with one another. I render these compositions in thick, methodically applied oil-paint to give the characters and the plastic space they inhabit a substantial skin, making them physically relatable.

Ayari is part of a generation of younger women artists raised in a postcolonial, digital era. Raised in religiously tolerant Tunisia, her earlier work has broached political subject matter in an oblique manner. For the past decade the artist has turned her attention to floral and plant motifs. Rendered oil on linen, Ayari’s practice is notable for its exquisitely textured surfaces and dense, rich palettes.

Wave continues many of her abiding fascinations, including the deep, complementary color scheme, which is then set against the dark green wall. The pink blooms feature turquoise stems and are placed against a bright orange background. Even the orientation of the flowers, with one facing upwards and one downwards from the vine, suggest opposing forces that come together in a holistic union. The connecting branch forms the wave that gives the painting its title.

Ayari flattens the overall appearance of the work, simultaneously creating an exquisite depth to the surface. Like an Impressionist painting, the canvas catches one’s eye from a distance and then reveals thousands of strokes and variations of tone as one moves closer. The pink of the flower consists of several colors, ranging from white to cerise and the orange of the background contains reds and pinks. Wave is an exquisite example of Ayari’s work, and we are thrilled to exhibit it at 89 Greene.  

*Please note that all 89 Greene exhibitions are on view at the gallery’s location at 249 East Houston Street; the name of the project is only in reference to Jack Smith's historic address.  

 

nadia ayari (b. 1981) was raised in Tunisia, has an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design and attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Her work is included in numerous international shows, biennales and publications including the U.S. pavilion at the 12th Cairo International Biennale (2010), the 3rd Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art (2011), MoMA PS1’s Greater New York (2021), and many more. Her work is featured in Phaidon’s recent publication Great Women Painters. In addition, her solo show with Nina Johnson Gallery opens in Miami this November and will be on view during Art Basel Miami Beach.