Shadows and Substance
Shadows & Substance | Marcia Haufrecht
June 24 - July 18, 2016
266 W 37th Street
New York, NY
(between 7th and 8th ave.)
Nearest Trains: A, C, E, 1, 2, 3
Opening Reception: Friday, June 24, 6-8pm
A reading by poet, artist, photographer, and curator, Nathaniel Siegel at 7pm, followed by a conversation with artist, Marcia Haufrecht, and curator, Hyewon Yi. Nathaniel Siegel has written poems in response to works by Robert Giard, Stanley Stellar, Robert Mapplethorpe, John O'Reilly, Joe Brainard, and George Schneeman. In his third collaboration with Marcia Haufrecht, he reflects upon her works.
Open Hours
Wednesdays & Saturdays, 3-7pm.
On view 24/7, through storefront window.
Shadows & Substance brings together and contrasts two essential modes of Marcia Haufrecht’s painting: shadows, explorations of the abstract qualities of shadows as they merge with their surroundings—a swimming pool, a sandy beach, or a grassy lawn—hinting at the mysterious identities of their subjects and substance, realistic representations of the people whom she has observed in the subway, at lakes and parks, and on beaches. Together, Haufrecht’s two modes of painting present a revealing portrait of modern life—while some of the painting’s subjects are engrossed in electronic devices, relaxing outdoors, and conversing with friends, others convey loneliness and alienation.
While her substance works fall into the Realist tradition of American painting harking back to Robert Henri’s early twentieth century Ashcan School, her shadows works recall a fascination with “the dark” shared by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Goya, Umpo, and Kara Walker.
Loosely based on her photographs, taken with a point-and-shoot camera, this collection of paintings, through their muted color palette, airy brushstrokes, and soft lines, offers entrance into Haufrecht’s perception of reality. For this actor-turned-painter, painting is an intimate exploration that manifests her belief that "all the arts are...means of communicating with the world at large."
About the Artist
Founder and artistic director of The Common Basis Theatre, Marcia Haufrecht is also a long-time member of The Actors Studio and Ensemble Studio Theatre, a published playwright, and accomplished actress--appearing on and off Broadway as well as in many films and televeision shows. Her plays have been produced in New York by The Actors Studio, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Quaigh, The Common Basis; in California, by The Company of Angels; in Melborne, AU, by La Mama; and in Australia by Kultur Im Gugg.
A retired professor of acting, Haufrecht has taught at The New School, Columbia University, and the Lee Strasburg Film and Theatre Institute and coached actors privately for over thirty years. She continues to teach and coach in Australia, Austria, and Portugal.
About the Curator
Hyewon Yi, Ph.D., is Director and Curator of the Amelie A. Wallace Gallery, SUNY College at Old Westbury, where she teaches art history courses.
For more information or appointments, please contact: marcia.haufrecht@gmail.com
