Implied Body

Yan Cynthia Chen

Beatrice Modisett

Tariku Shiferaw

Kennedy Yanko

Assembly Room is pleased to present Implied Body, a group exhibition curated by guest curator Emily Alesandrini.

Much of the current conversation on identity and contemporary art is exclusively focused on figural representation—the human form as it relates to race, gender, sex, class, etc. But what of artists grappling with these same subjects in a less literal, more symbolic mode of creation? Though abstract in nature, these works nonetheless index their maker's physicality and imply all the nuanced complexities of that artist as an individual. Through color, gesture, form, material, process, and title, these works visualize their makers' lived experience and implied body.

Yan Cynthia Chen (Bronx, Queens) abstracts the forms of once-functional materials such as egg cartons, ice cube trays, and webbed cushioning surrounding Korean pears, creating structures that resonate with the human skeleton, guts, or an anatomical architecture. The work prompts consideration of an internalized identity as it relates to cultural and familial connections to the foods we consume. Beatrice Modisett (Queens, Brooklyn) works on mammoth canvases, layering and leveeing oil paint like geological and water erosion on and into the earth’s surface. Her practice reflects the continuous evolution of both individual identity and landscape of the planet. Raised in Los Angeles and living in New York, Tariku Shiferaw (Bronx, Harlem) works in acrylic, spray paint, iridescent film, plastic, and wood to create bold, linear gestures with culturally-loaded color pallets and titles. In reflecting on the power and memory of mark-making, the artist critiques the institutional erasure of “other” marks and those who make them. Sculptor Kennedy Yanko (Brooklyn) uses metal in combination with "paint skins" to create vibrant, layered, and commanding forms. Altering the structure of found objects, Yanko subverts the “ready made” tradition, prompting reevaluation between visual perception and expectation in pursuit of a more authentic awareness.

Emily Alesandrini is a writer, curator, advocate, and culture enthusiast living and working in New York. Her research concerns contemporary representations of race and gender with a particular focus on issues of displacement, marginalization, and the body in art by women and artists of color. She has contributed to exhibition planning and publications at Wave Hill, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, and The Art Institute of Chicago. Her writing has been featured in A Women’s Thing and Independent Curators International publications. Alesandrini graduated from Smith College with Latin Honors and a BA in Art History. As a fully funded Elizabeth Allison Emory Scholar, she earned her MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History from Tulane University. She looks forward to furthering her studies as a doctoral graduate student and continuing her pursuit of generative collaborations in contemporary art.