Shifting /\ Gazes Defines Space

Katya Borkov

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At NARS Foundation, Shifting /\ Gazes curated by Joyous R. Pierce features the work of the organization’s artists in residence. The exhibition’s blend of visual and physical experiences constructs an experiential meditation on the spaces we define and how these spaces define us.

Entering the space, visitors are greeted by a painting of a blue couch, complete with a small dog and a houseplant in the corner. Conversation With the Walls by Grace Qian offers a warm depiction of the domestic which establishes placemaking as a core element of the exhibition. From here, one’s gaze might shift to Touch Grass by Romilly Rinck, a mass of grass and cotton hanging from a chain. They might be drawn in to inspect the foliage and nearly disrupt the edge of Circle, Almost by Lafina Eptaminitaki. This collection of smooth white stones from the Caribbean cast a circle of protection around the space, forcing visitors to abandon their aimless wandering and instead enter the space with deliberate intention, either by stepping gingerly over the border or walking around to where the path of stones stops short of a complete circle.

On the north wall, An impossible index of clouds (water + confetti) by Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge contemplates boundaries and borders through a series of photographs with circular cut-outs and punch-holes. This assemblage of paper includes images of a well, the moon, and several leaves sporting what appears to be a series of burn holes, leading the viewer through a series of portals as they trace the cut-out materials to their origins. The most striking piece in this assemblage is what appears to be a small post-it pinned to a piece of paper. This trompe l’oeil reveals itself as a singular piece of paper on closer inspection, blurring the lines between the perceptions of two-dimensional and three-dimensional space.

While wandering through the gallery, one becomes aware of a gentle rattling sound reminiscent of an overloaded washing machine. On further inspection, the source appears to be the giant metal projector in the center of the room, Inbar Hagai’s Moon Rabbit (Diorama), Variation 2. As the machine shakes, so do the videos it projects. The images are distorted through movement, responding to the environment created by the vibrating projector and moving in sync with their source and surroundings.

When the eye wanders from the video, it falls on an assemblage of cubes by Jiyoung Song. Some are printed with screencaps of Google Maps, and others are made of carpet and painted in organic patterns reminiscent of earthen materials, topographical maps, or even mold. When observing From One to Another, the viewer locates themselves with the star that marks the NARS Foundation on the map: I am here. The earthy squares of carpet seem to offer a reminder: Here is earth. And You are Here.

In an arts landscape where large galleries frequently embrace minimalism and large swaths of negative space, Shifting /\ Gazes deftly packs multiple tangents of spatial and philosophical inquiry into a gallery the size of a studio apartment. Throughout these pieces, borders are defined and transcended, and in a careful display of curatorial ingenuity, the path that visitors take through the space is sculpted and shaped by the works themselves. Pierce succeeds in making the audience an active participant in the show’s examination of the spaces and environments, an experience unique and thought-provoking enough to warrant a trip down to Sunset Park on the R train.

Shifting /\ Gazes features the work of Tisha Benson, Ye Cheng, Lafina Eptaminitaki, Gloria Fan Duan, Inbar Hagai, Kei Ito, Evelyne Leblanc-Roberge, Jung Won Lee, Karine Locatelli, Grace Qian, Romilly Rinck, Jiyoung Song, and Thomas Tait. The exhibition, curated by Joyous R. Pierce, is on view at NARS Main Gallery from February 28th to March 18, 2025.