COLLIDE: Sam Adams, Jacob Bagwell, Alyssa Gorelick, Ellen Letcher, Trish Tillman, Amanda Wong
Sept 14th – Oct 5th, 2013 | Opening reception Saturday, September 14th from 7 – 10 pm
HARBOR gallery is pleased to announce Collide, featuring artists Sam Adams, Jacob Bagwell, Alyssa Gorelick,
Ellen Letcher, Trish Tillman and Amanda Wong. Works will be on view Saturday, September 14th through Sunday,
October 6th, 2013, with an opening reception Saturday, September 14th from 7 - 9pm.
“They take apart their nightmares and they leave them by the door
Let me fall out of the window with confetti in my hair”
- Tom Waits, Tango 'Til They're Sore
Collide explores the alchemical combination of disparate objects and images that are purposefully combined. The
six artists in this exhibit each reconstruct and redefine everyday materials in ways that can be described as dark,
mystical, humorous or playful. The unique processes and materials used by each individual artist, although very
different, resonate with each other and create an unexpected melody from dissonance. The works range from
meaningful collections arranged with care to detritus manipulated into assemblages and sculptures.
Sam Adams, a painter, produces collages as a counterpoint to his painting. Adams’ small, pristine works on paper
bring together abstracted images from 1950’s National Geographic magazines in unexpected ways. Jacob Bagwell
begins his work with imagery from vintage gay porn. These near-abstractions confound the objectification of porn,
obfuscating it into something to be gazed at infinitely. Alyssa Gorelick’s roots as a photographer are revealed in
her non-traditional use of photographic paper. She combines images with found objects reprocessed almost beyond
recognition allowing associations to develop between them. Her use of materials that are often crafty walks a
delicate line between the formal and the hand-made. Ellen Letcher creates collages influenced by mainstream
media, Catholicism and her experience as a printmaker. Using paint as an adhesive, she assembles images and
objects that are seemingly discordant to create connections over time. Trish Tillman makes talismanic objects from
recognizable elements of household life; knick-knacks, furniture, and decoration all take on ambiguous new lives as
they are thrown into existence together. Amanda Wong is a multidisciplinary artist who focuses on the idea of
nature as the ultimate state of otherness. Her site specific installation made from locally found materials will bring
Bushwick physically into the gallery.
Sam Adams received his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2009. He has exhibited paintings widely in the US
and abroad; however, this will be the second time his collages are on view. His collages have been featured in “The
Age of Collage: Contemporary Collage in Modern Art,” published by Gestalten in 2013. His paintings have been
exhibited recently at Ballast Projects, NY; Parallel Art Space, Ridgewood, NY; and Art Platform, Los Angeles,
among others. He lives and works in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
Jacob Bagwell is a self taught artist who has been living and working in Bushwick for the past seven years. His
work is a reflection of the inspiring, supportive friends and community of Bushwick. Most of the materials have been
found or donated by the neighborhood. He most recently exhibited during Bushwick Open Studios, 2013.
Alyssa Gorelick received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her MFA from California Institute of the Arts.
She has exhibited her work in the US as well as internationally, including exhibitions at Artadia, Brooklyn; Eli Ping
Gallery, NY; Silvershed, NY; Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles; and The Royal College of Art, London. Alyssa
lives and works in Brooklyn where she is the photographic archivist for Lawrence Weiner Studio and co-founder of
the artist-run gallery Regina Rex.
17-17 Troutman #258, Queens, NY
11385
info@harbor1717.com
www.harbor1717.com
Ellen Letcher received her BFA in 1994 from Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, FL. Selected exhibitions
include “Brooklyn Bound” at Nazareth College, curated by Rob Servo; “What I Know” at NYCAMS, curated by Jason
Andrew; and “Guilty/(NOT) Guilty” at Norte Maar, curated by Sarah Schmerler. She was included in a group show
at Valentine Gallery, Ridgewood, Queens. Ellen Letcher’s work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and
she is represented by Pocket Utopia, NY.
Trish Tillman received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts. She is a recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation
2009 MFA Grant. Most recently she has exhibited work with Slag Gallery, NY; Present Company, NY; CUE Art
Foundation, NY; Civilian Art Projects, DC; and is a Professor of Art and Design at Monmouth University. She lives
and maintains a studio in Brooklyn, NY.
Amanda Wong received her BA/BFA, in Anthropology and Fine Arts from The New School in New York City. She
has recently exhibited work at Sidecar, Hammond, IN; and at the Oxbow School of Art, Saugatuck, MI. She was an
artist in residence at the Byrdcliffe Colony, Woodstock, NY in 2013.
17-17 Troutman #258, Queens, NY
11385
info@harbor1717.com
www.harbor1717.com