"GR gallery is pleased to present COLLECTIONS, the first solo exhibition in New York by Nehemiah Cisneros and his debut with the gallery. The exhibition showcases an ambitious ensemble of twelve new paintings on canvas, the outcome of a year-long immersion in their creation. With this body of work, Cisneros reflects on the nature of collecting-approaching it as an act of obsession, liberation, and refuge-and transforms it into a visual document that takes the shape of his own recontextualized Wunderkammer."
"The works reference 17th-century traditions of "Vanitas" paintings, where nature morte applied symbolic objects like skulls and withered flowers to represent the transience of life and earthly pleasures. Cisneros' objects chronicle "nerd-core" fandoms of outlaw comix, hentai waifus, among a plethora of popular culture history pulled from Reddit and Deviant Art forums. Cisneros views each grouping in COLLECTIONS as "safe spaces, I turn to when reality presents challenges."
COLLECTIONS comprises twelve new paintings on canvas created over a year, assembled as a personal, recontextualized Wunderkammer. The still-life series functions as self-portraits through groupings of inanimate objects that signify lived experiences and fascinations. The works draw on 17th-century Vanitas conventions by deploying symbolic objects to signify transience and earthly pleasures while juxtaposing contemporary pop-culture artifacts. The objects document "nerd-core" fandoms and popular-culture histories sourced from online forums. Each grouping operates as a safe space where para-social relationships with fictional characters and creators provide imaginary companionship and coping mechanisms for trauma. The paintings map desires, values, and contradictions shaping a generation's relationship with contemporary culture.
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