Works by Zev Jonas, Jayson Keeling, Rose Nestler, Robert O’Connor / Holly Beedle

NY Studio Gallery is pleased to present Everyman’s an Angel, a group show that explores transformation through the observation of religious experiences with a focus on sacrifice, including animal, human, and the sacrifice of the self for a perceived higher purpose. This exploration, while inspired in part by myth, culture and religious observance, is intended as introspection on modern western mores and our de-association with both ancient rituals and the animal kingdom, as well as our focus on the individual.

“Everyman’s an Angel” addresses the human need to associate with a higher spiritual plane while at the same time separating ourselves from the earthly animal kingdom. Works include Keeling’s large piece “Untitled (Spell),” a glitzy ode to the same-titled Patti Smith song, a lyric from which the exhibition title is derived. Photographic pieces were taken by Jonas in Morocco of the Muslim festival Eid-al-adha, which observes animal sacrifice to commemorate the biblical figure Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his own son as an act of obedience. O’Connor in collaboration with Beedle presents multimedia work work that explores the animal-human boundary through the darning of skin and fur. O’Connor also visualizes the sacrifice of war through images of a deer and the words of soldiers. The delicate porcelain bones created by Nestler on alter-like pedestals reference the modern-day sacrifice humans make in the name of beauty.