Joe Davis Elise Toide Michael Scott

Guest Curator Meghan Jewett, Associate Director of Tibor de Nagy Gallery

Under Minerva Gallery is pleased to present, OFF THE GRID, with selected photographs, paintings and mixed media collages by Joe Davis, Elise Toide and Michael Scott. The exhibition, curated by Meghan Jewett, Associate Director of the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, celebrates the diversity of our environment, and the artistic influences that are acquired from the city. These works draw inspiration from the community and the free exchange of thought that is constantly surrounding us. They find value in the gritty, the mundane, and the everyday sources that make up our experiences.

Joe Davis’ work reflects the diversity and interactive nature of the modern society. Exploring the byproduct produced by the exchange of attitudes and ideas that are constantly accentuated by the busy, gestural environment of New York City. Using the naturally muted tones of linen and wood, Joe uses mixed media, including acrylic, charcoal, pastel and ink to identify with a fragmented dialogue. This also symbolically represents gesture and collective movement.

Elise Toide is a Brooklyn based photographer that uses her medium to nurture an intimate relationship with the landscape. In part, she sees her work as a cinematographic sequence whose characters conceal much behind their appearance. There is something mysterious about the imagery and her ability to capture people in moments of isolation in a typically non-isolating environment. Elise sees her subjects as protagonists, while at times close to her lens, she remains at a distance, keeping their secrets.

Using mixed media Michael Scott creates canvases that are brimming with texture. Building up the canvas with multiple layers of paint, ink, tissue paper, and newspaper, Michael forces the viewer to move in close to the canvas to explore what is happening behind the layers of brilliant color. Using comics, advertisements and other printed material Michael draws inspiration from the messages we are consciously and unconsciously faced with on a daily basis.