Artist Oliver Halsman Rosenberg spent the last nine and a half weeks of his grandmother, Yvonne Halsman’s life by her side, caring for her. They had a special bond and kinship so as her health declined; he came face to face with the great mystery to which we all succumb. In his installation, Oliver uses his grandmother’s exercise bicycle as a means to let viewers turn a disk of paintings through their own power. The idea was inspired both by his knowledge of Eastern rituals like the turning of a prayer wheel as well as honoring the surroundings in which he had spent those last days with her.

Yvonne Halsman was the wife and assistant to the famous photographer Philippe Halsman. Their apartment on the Upper West Side had been home to the New York Dada school, with Duchamp taking residence in the same building, salons, and Salvador Dali visiting to collaborate with Halsman on shocking but playful photographs. Decades later, this is where Oliver created the paintings in this show. Channeling some of its past residents no doubt, he came up with the use of this exercise bicycle.

The prayer wheel consists of twelve paintings. Each is a symbol for Oliver and Yvonne’s friendship as well as standing in as their own personal zodiac. This idea of the cyclical nature of life connects with a long running theme of Oliver’s, which he calls Sphereism. Each painting simulates a broken gemstone, a sacred object traveling through time and disintegrating, yet maintaining a certain power. These fragments serve as a platform to contemplate perfection from that of a Kabalistic standpoint (the perpetual potential for perfection) versus that of a Buddhist (the acceptance of what is).

Oliver in his own words writes, “My work seeks to connect the dots between science and spirit. I appreciate living art where the ability to interact with it creates a layer of meaning not usually found in Western culture’s honor of the static rectangle commodity. The Refuge Field – Dada for Grandma installation is about history and honoring your elders, celebrating the journey.”