Totems & Talismans: Transmuting the Sacred an art exhibition curated by Iviva Olenick & Jenny Douglas, featuring work by Nicola Ginzel, Ian Trask & Jack Henry

The Brooklyn Cottage

enthusiastically invites you to the opening reception

of

Totems & Talismans: Transmuting the Sacred

on

Wednesday, October 29th

 7:00-9:00 p.m.

301 Sterling Place

Brooklyn, New York

As Iviva Olenick explains:

The artists in Totems & Talismans re-contextualize detritus, relics, antiques and cast offs, creating cascading, towering and sprawling totems (the assemblage installations and sculpture of Ian Trask and Jack Henry), and manicured, precious and precarious talismans (the relics of Nicola Ginzel). All are inspired by materials–discount store treasures; newspaper and cardboard; remnants from family members and neighbors; antique textiles. From these byproducts of our daily lives and American and international industry, they tell stories, transform gardens and indoor spaces, and preserve and share their unique visions of what’s sacred. Questioning commonly-held assumptions of inutility, these artists’ eyes behold beauty where others see ugliness. Their desire to collect and preserve supersedes the instinct to throw away.

Installed inside The Brooklyn Cottage as well as within its backyard, Totems & Talismans invites you to walk into, around and through these artists’ trash and treasures, dirty laundry and dark corners. The artists invite the weather and elements of chance to interact with the backyard-installed work, upsetting their fabricated sense of order through external winds and forces.

Totems & Talismans will be on view by appointment through Sunday, November 2nd.