CHRISTINA RAY ANNOUNCES THE NEW YORK DEBUT OF ARTIST ALYSSA DENNIS IN “AMALGAMATION,” A SOLO EXHIBITION OF NEW WORK.

NEW YORK – August 22, 2011 – CHRISTINA RAY is pleased to present Amalgamation the first New York solo exhibition for Baltimore-based artist Alyssa Dennis. In a collection of meticulously constructed drawings that echo her interest in the modularity of architecture and the built environment, Dennis explores avenues of bricolage and “anti-fixed” space. The exhibition opens on September 8th and runs through October 2nd. A reception will be held on Thursday, September 8th, 7–9pm at CHRISTINA RAY, located at 30 Grand Street, New York.

Alyssa Dennis’ recent work poses the questions: How do we unlock fixed space? How is space mentally and physically expanded and contracted? Her two-dimensional drawings address these concerns through a hybridization of visual imagery and richly layered media that encourage the viewer to re-examine the spatial dimensions we navigate in our everyday experience.

Combining elements ranging from the urban environment to the natural world to imagined landscapes, Dennis employs a variety of materials to craft a patchwork of urban sprawl. The interaction of graphite, colored pencil, gouache and ground pigment manifest as fading, ghost-like layers that float among seemly static structures, mimicing the nature of our ever-changing environments. Dennis deftly unlocks the possibilities of mixed-use space as she showcases the endless process of construction and deconstruction throughout her work.

Dennis pulls influences from construction sites or “test sites” to examine raw material and its transformation of form, shape and purpose. She states, “Much like a set of children’s building blocks, always vulnerable to rearrangemnet, the actions of breaking down and building up are repeated from one composition to the next.“ The viewer witnesses Dennis’ own playful nature through her treatement of materials as she erases, scratches into, layers upon or completely covers cross-sections of her drawings.

According to Gallery Director, Christina Ray, “Alyssa Dennis is assisting Swoon on large-scale public and museum projects, and it was she who pointed Dennis out to us as a young artist with a great deal of promise in her practice. In a similar vein as Swoon, Dennis is passionate about the discovery and re-construction of urban environments as beautiful, if fragmented, new worlds. Her attention to materiality and space as modular and anti-fixed invites viewers to re-examine the changing environment around them.” The exhibition includes a full color catalogue featuring an interview between Dennis and Swoon.

Alyssa Dennis (b. 1980, Springfield, MA) holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Tulane University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute of Art and completed residencies at Oxbow, Art Institute of Chicago, MI and Conecta, University of Maryland College Park, MD. Dennis has exhibited nationally and internationally including a recent show at the Parse Gallery, New Orleans, LA. She is the recipient of multiple grants and awards including a nomination for the Joan Mitchell Foundation and a recipient of the Tulane University Summer Fellowship in 2010. Dennis’ work has garnered critical attention in various magazines including Architect Magazine and Urbanite Magazine among others. She currently resides in Baltimore and is a collaborator with renowned artist, Swoon, on large scale public and museum projects.

CHRISTINA RAY is an innovative gallery and creative catalyst in New York whose mission, grounded by the concept of psychogeography, is to discover and present the most important contemporary artwork exploring the relationship between people and places. For more information, visit www.christinaray.com.


Opening Reception: Thursday, September 08, 7–9pm Exhibition Dates: September 08–October 02, 2011 Location: 30 Grand Street, Ground Floor . Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6pm Directions: A/C/E to Canal Street or 1 to Canal Street; gallery is located between Thompson Street and 6th Avenue