The collective exhibition “Holy Water” opened on July 2 and will be on view until July 24, 2022, at Eric Firestone Gallery, The Garage (62 Newtown Lane, East Hampton, New York).

“Holy Water” is curated by Zoe Lukov and features works by Shagha Ariannia, Radcliffe Bailey, Bhakti Baxter, Carlos Betancourt, Brandon Deener, Jen DeNike, Martha Edelheit, Raúl de Nieves, Naomi Fisher, April Gornik, Armani Howard, Zhang Huan, Jillian Mayer, Nicolette Mishkan, Stephen Neidich, Ricardo Partida, Nereida Patricia, Bony Ramirez, Fawn Rogers, Sheena Rose, Gabriela Ruiz, Jamilah Sabur, Hiba Schahbaz, and Jwan Yosef.

As part of Eric Firestone Gallery’s debut season at its second East Hampton location at 62 Newtown Lane, more than 20 contemporary artists from outside the gallery’s program have been invited to respond to the concept of water and the foundational oceanic myths that populate our cultural imaginary. From fishing and surfing to baptism and migration, from quotidian marine life to fantastical sea gods and monsters, the works on view reflect diverse conceptual and formal interpretations on the theme. They bring to the fore a broad range of environmental, spiritual, feminist, and political perspectives.

Curated by Zoe Lukov and opening on July 2, Holy Water features painting, sculpture, and photography by established artists such as Radcliffe Bailey, Raúl de Nieves, Zhang Huan, April Gornik, and Jwan Yosef, rising stars like Bony Ramirez, Gabriela Ruiz, and Hiba Schahbaz, as well as emerging artists, including Shagha Ariannia, Armani Howard, and Nereida Patricia. The exhibition will include artists who have never before presented their work on Long Island, alongside those with long trajectories of practicing on the East End. Hailing from a diverse range of countries, including Barbados, Dominican Republic, Iran, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Syria, Sweden, and beyond, each artist has a profound relationship with bodies of water and the way that both the myths and histories of our relationships with the water have deep cultural, spiritual, and political implications.

[. . .] New works by Bony Ramirez and Ricardo Partida explore the fantastical hybrid figures of gods and monsters. Partida references mythological creatures, while addressing the sensuality and power of the representation of queer Brown figures—in this case reinventing the goddess Venus, who was famously birthed from the sea foam. Ramirez mines rich references to the Caribbean and the Dominican Republic, repurposing mundane utilitarian objects of the tropics to create new iconography and reliquary. [. . .]

[Shown above: Brandon Deener’s “Still Waters,” 2022; oil, spray paint, and pigment stick on linen, 84h x 84w in.]

For more information, see https://www.ericfirestonegallery.com/