Harper’s Chelsea 534 presents Lunations, an exhibition of works by Lily Wong and Ian Faden. The duo show will be on view through August 14, 2021.
MAD54 had the opportunity to attend the opening evening of Lunations and see a vibrant crowd of art enthusiasts admiring the works by Wong and Faden. Although the works from both artists can be clearly distinguished one from another. they harmoniously create a coherent conversation by contrast. Both artists touch upon themes related to time outside of time and normality.
"Time slows down and holds space for collective grief; it rewinds and interrogates the circumstances that brought us here, and questions where exactly we all think we are going so fast."
Wong’s work most noticeable characteristics are her unique color palette (which draws its inspiration from film maker Wong Kar-wai), her main subject and the repeating motifs such as the dripping veil. On the other hand, Faden's work makes a play on multi-dimensional movement. His subjects show up in different sizes and moods while little demons live amongst them (or watch them from above).
"Images of queer joy in Faden’s expansive desert are as much a comment on the parallels between the COVID pandemic and the AIDS epidemic as they are a defiant testimony of the waxing and waning realities of vulnerable communities."
An interesting difference between the works that make up Lunations is that Wong makes significant use of gestures and body postures to indicate the subject's mood while Faden focuses on facial expressions and movement.
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Lily Wong (b. 1989, Seattle, WA) earned a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 2011, and an MFA from CUNY Hunter College in 2020. Most recently, her work has been exhibited at Harper’s, New York, NY (2021 and 2020); Kapp Kapp, Philadelphia, PA (2021) and New York, NY (2020); Fredericks & Freiser, New York, NY (2021); Ramp Gallery, London, UK (2020); The Wunderwall, Antwerp, BE (2020); HVW8 Gallery, Berlin DE (2018); and Underdonk, Brooklyn, NY (2018). Wong currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Ian Faden (b. 1988, Boston, MA) earned a BFA from Pratt Institute in 2011, and was an artist-in-residence at the Vermont Studio Center in 2015. His work has been exhibited at Harper’s, New York, NY (2021); 17 Essex, New York, NY (2020); Super Dutchess, New York, NY (2020); and Danese/Corey, New York, NY (2019). Faden lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
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