(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- Riverside Gallery presents a group exhibition titled, “Amalgamation of Voices,” which runs from September 2-23, 2023. The exhibition will feature works involving a diverse range of media by several eclectic group of artists: Diana Soorikian (contemporary figuration), Paula Schiller (contemporary abstraction), Ruth Bauer Neustadter (abstract painting and assemblage/collage), and Rich Keller (photography of cityscapes and landmarks). There will be an opening reception on Saturday, September 2nd from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
The exhibition celebrates New York City and the greater tri-state area as the home of contemporary art and abstract art, including abstract expressionist painting, neo expressionist paintings, and other contemporary approaches in collage and assemblage. In contrast to the painters, the photographer Keller provides his interpretation of NYC as an exciting and iconic playground where experimental pioneers and avant-garde artists pursue new projects and visions.
Artists such as Robert Rauschenberg and Basquiat called New York their home, which became the center of the art world and the global capital of arts and culture after World War II. In this exhibition, Soorikian pursues contemporary figuration with semi-abstracted figures that resolve anatomical structures with the emotional content of bodily and facial expressions. Schiller then takes the baton to push the limitation of abstraction with the lessons of abstract expressionism, describing what are primarily landscapes in a lyrical or poetic fashion. Then Neustadter follows the path of Rauschenberg, utilizing mixed media collage and assemblage techniques to construct abstract and spiritual imagery like Kandinsky, based on her background experiences in dancing.
Diana Soorikian - Untitled, 60 x 48 inches
Diana Soorikian received her BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and her MFA from Columbia University, and she has been painting figures in an abstracted manner since the 1970s. Her style and language are reminiscent of the British painter Francis Bacon, and some of her works could also be mistaken for Alice Neel’s, in terms of the color palette and the abstract application of colors and brush strokes. Chalky white often predominates her figures, giving them clown-like auras of a cynical circus or a phantasmagoria. The forms of the figure or the face float in or occupy an abstract space of color, which are usually deeply saturated and forces the viewer’s eye to shift focus to the figures which usually are made of white or neutral colors. The overall result is a fantastical feeling that the figures, often of babies and children, are wearing a mask-like layer of makeup and acting as if in a circus or a movie set. On one hand, Soorikian appears to comment on the dark nature of humanity and the calculative ways that the children’s psychology develops, leading to the growth of selfish adults (who ruin the climate and exploit the Earth’s resources). On the other hand, the imagery of children suffering in anguish and poverty in the third world and among the refugees could be extracted from her paintings as well.
Paula Schiller - Blown Away, 34 x 34 inches
Having received her BA in English, Paula Schiller began taking art classes at the Brooklyn Museum Art School and continued her studies at the National Academy of Design, The Art Students League of NY, and the Art Center of Northern NJ. She went on to win awards such as the First Prize at the ACNNJ Juried Show in 2016 and the First Prize at the Bergen County Juried Show in 2013. Schiller abstracts the landscape in a lyrical or poetic way, with nature and water being a repeated theme that connects the artist to her early experiences and memories. Schiller’s styles range from complete abstraction to impressionistic representations of the world, as she seeks to evoke a mood or the essential character of the place rather than a literal depiction.
Some of Schiller’s abstract paintings appear to follow a mathematical or logical pattern that dictates the distribution and the variation of the marks. Other paintings are the result of the buildup of colors that are used to convey emotions and psychological expressions. Gesture is an important aspect of her painting process, which allows her to simultaneously apply form and color and maintain kinetic energy and method to the madness or the process.
Ruth Bauer - Windswept, 24 x 30 inches
Ruth Bauer Neustadter makes a wide range of works from portraits to compositions via assemblage - all unified by her abstract style and vision. Delving into her spirituality and the world of abstract ideas and emotions like Kandinsky and Hilma af Klint, Neustadter utilizes raw, expressive colors and experimental, aggressive juxtaposition of forms and (found object) materials to create spaces on the canvas, where new meanings and interpretations are forged by the viewer.
Neustadter’s paintings often carry the raw primitive and the folk-like qualities and energies that somehow approach the Neo-Expressionist style of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Anselm Kiefer, and Georg Baselitz. There must be a performative aspect to her painting process that is hidden from view or the obvious, as Baselitz also painted his works upside down in order to “invert” the image of the figure to disorient the viewer into seeing in new ways. The fact that dance has been an important part of Neustadter’s life and career contributes to the necessity of reading her paintings in this light.
Rich Keller - Tappan Zee Bridge
Rich Keller is a well known audio engineer who does photography for the love of the craft. In his musical career, he has been able to elevate his vision to the next level with his understanding of both recording and mixing audio. Widely working with renowned rap and hip-hop artists including DMX, Swizz Beatz, De La Soul, PDiddy, Nas, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Ja Rule and many others, Rich has earned himself the official “OG” status.
In his love for photography, he takes a wide variety of photos. Countless cityscapes, landscapes, portraits, and street photography. His photographs of New York City’s iconic landmarks and night scenes celebrate the city as the center of the world and the art world. Keller’s most experimental photographs play with long exposure and shaking of the camera to create abstract compositions of the cityscape bathing in its brilliant lights.
Riverside Gallery is located in The Shops at Riverside (Riverside Square) at One Riverside Square, Suite 201 in Hackensack, New Jersey. Riverside Gallery is a 21st century pioneer in bringing talented international artists and exhibiting diverse mediums of art. The Gallery is dedicated to opening a channel for both established and new up-and-coming artists to express their visions, and for clients to experience and appreciate art. Its prestige and reputation stems from special art collections and successful past exhibitions of works by well renowned artists. The Gallery is located at the heart of the art community, only a few minutes from New York City. Artists that have exhibited their work at Riverside Gallery take pride in the fact that their work has been exhibited in a forum that highly values uniqueness, creativity, and talent.
