Causey Contemporary is pleased to announce the opening two solo exhibitions at the gallery in December 2011. War Paint by Gerald Mocarsky will feature a series of photographic portraits that offer a rare perspective on the intimate ritual of women applying their makeup. Steward will feature Zane York’s mysterious oil paintings, which depict an eclectic variety of subjects: taxidermy, insects, mundane artifacts and enigmatic scenarios. These exhibitions, which mark both Mr. Mocarsky’s and Mr. York’s first solo exhibitions with the gallery, will be on view from December 16, 2011 to January 22, 2012 at the gallery’s Williamsburg Brooklyn location – 92 Wythe Avenue near the corner of N. 11 Street. A public reception will be held with the artist on Friday, December 16th from 6 – 9 p.m.

The War Paint series serves as an homage to the women of Gerald’s upbringing: his Mother, Grandmother and Aunts, as well as the many other women who have been convinced that much of their self-worth is dependent on their “youthful beauty”. This intangible concept of perfection is greatly ingrained in our psyche by a consumer driven culture, manipulated by the media. Gerald’s objective with these portraits of maturing women is to approach them from place of acceptance and celebration, rather than from the limited standards of our society. In his own words: “I wanted to embrace the physical signs of aging that evolve along with emotional and spiritual maturity.”

Gerald Mocarsky is a photographer residing in New York City. His interests and subject matter lie within the visually poetic life of New York City: His own mental state of mind while living in a tiny space, men dancing with men, adult women putting on their makeup in the privacy of their own home, and the black and white, cinematic images of people working in the city. Mr. Mocarsky has exhibited his work at Photo New York, at the Portfolio Gallery, CLAMP ART Gallery, Different Light Gallery, all of which are in New York City, at Causey Contemporary in Brooklyn, and at the Lyman Eyer Gallery in Massachusetts, as well as the Button Wood Tree Gallery in Connecticut. Photographs from his various series have been published in Time-Out NY, Metrosource Magazine and the book, “Self Exposure” by Universal Books. His work has also been featured in the PSB show “In The Life.”

Zane York’s Steward will contemplate our longing as humans to relate to the beasts and bugs and to share some form of experience with them, or, at the very least, feel like we have. At times, this desire is anthropomorphic, at other times it may be stereotypical, but sometimes it can feel more significant. Zane’s paintings investigate the nuances of certain moments, raising a dichotomy between the temporal and the mystical. Mr. York states: “our interactions are limitless, and as stewards we find ourselves by minding the beasts.”

Brooklyn-based painter, Zane York, was born in Fremont, Nebraska in 1978. He received his BFA in drawing, painting and sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and received an MFA from the New York Academy of Art. Aside from showing with Causey Contemporary, Zane has also exhibited his work with The Paine Art Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, The Fontbonne University Gallery in St. Louis, Missouri, Eden Rock Gallery in St. Barthelemy, French West Indies, and in exhibitions at The New York Academy of Art. His work has earned numerous awards, from institutions such as the Posey Foundation and the Milton J. Memorial.