Trestle Gallery
Breaking Ground
Abigail Groff Hernandez
Rhia Hurt
Katerina Lanfranco
Melissa Staiger
July 14 - october 16, 2016
Slate Exhibition: Breaking New Ground
For the inaugural exhibition at Slate’s new headquarters in
downtown Brooklyn, Trestle Gallery presents Breaking New
Ground. This art exhibition showcases four artists who work with
formal investigations that range from abstract to representational.
Rhia Hurt’s series pushes against our expectations of color field
painting by creating uniquely shaped modular surfaces that combine
conventions of sculpture and painting. Abbigail Groff Hernandez
uses the restrained tradition of still-life painting to subtlety break
the illusion of pictorial space through contrasting formal compositions. Melissa Staiger’s paintings employ the circle as a motif and
starting point to explore formal and visual principles, as well as
abstract and mystical concepts. Katerina Lanfranco’s paintings
embrace seemingly opposite painterly, chaotic natural forms and
hard-edge geometric shapes and symbols, harmoniously blending
sacred geometry and biophilia. Collectively, the artworks in this
exhibition challege the status quo and the tradition of painting.
Using unexpected media, surface, and paint application, these artists
are breaking new ground in their creative dialogues with contemporary art.
Abigail Groff Hernandez
Roots
Oil on canvas
36 x 29 inches
2014
Abigal Groff Hernandez
Black Plums
Oil on canvas
24 x 20 inches
2014
Abigal Groff Hernandez
Mission
Oil on canvas
16 x 16 inches
2014
Abigal Groff Hernandez
Origami
Oil on canvas
36 x 24 inches
2014
Abigal Groff Hernandez
Bard Rock Eggs
Oil on canvas
36 x 24 inches
2014
Rhia Hurt
Yellow
Acrylic, canvas, wire
13.5 x 12 x 5 inches
2016
Rhia Hurt
Spring
Acrylic, canvas, wire
23 x 19 x 2 inches
2016
Rhia Hurt
Wings
Acrylic, canvas, wire
36 x 102 x 5 inches
2016
Rhia Hurt
Coalescence Cascade
Acrylic, canvas, wire
33 x 17 x 2.5 inches
2016
Rhia Hurt
Pair
Acrylic, canvas, wire
26.5 x 30 x 4 inches
2016
Katerina Lanfranco
Four Over Four
Courtesy of Nancy Hoffman Gallery
Oil paint and rhinestones on canvas
10 x 10 inches
2016
Katerina Lanfranco
Index of Stars
Courtesy of Nancy Hoffman Gallery
Oil paint and rhinestones on canvas
16 x 12 inches
2016
Katerina Lanfranco
Sharp Edges, Soft Flower
Courtesy of Nancy Hoffman Gallery
Oil paint, rhinestones and pendant on canvas
16 inches diameter
2016
Katerina Lanfranco
Northern Lights
Courtesy of Nancy Hoffman Gallery
Oil paint and glass beads on canvas
12 inch diameter
2016
Katerina Lanfranco
What Stardust Are You Made Of?
Courtesy of Nancy Hoffman Gallery
Oil paint, glass beads, rhinestones and glitter on canvas
18 x 18 inches
2016
Melissa Staiger
Built to Spin
Collage and acrylic paint on panel
16 x 12 inches
2015
Melissa Staiger
Resting Place
Assemblage on panel
21 x 14 x 3 inches
2015
Melissa STaiger
for Jason Lujan
Asemblage on panel
17.5 x 12 x 2.5 inches
2016
Melissa STaiger
SacredGeo Hot Pink
Collage and acrylic paint on panel
48 x 38 inches
2015
Melissa STaiger
Space Inbetween Particles
Collage and acrylic paint on panel
48 x 38 inches
2015
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Abigail Groff Hernandez
Abigail Groff graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in
2003. In 2007, she received her masters degree in Art Education from the
School of Visual Arts in NYC. She was an art teacher in the public schools
for five years, before leaving to paint full-time. Groff has since shown her
artwork in New York, and Massachusetts.
She has been a member of Brooklyn Art Space & Treslte Gallery and
Gowanus Swim Society since 2012, and resides in Brooklyn, New York.
www.abigailgroff.com
@abigailgroff
Rhia Hurt
Rhia Hurt is a fine artist currently based in New York City. She received her
MFA in Painting at the San Francisco Art Institute in 2009 and has shown her
artwork in California, New York, Toronto, and Berlin.
Her work is in private collections internationally. In addition to her studio art
practice, Hurt is also the Executive Director of Brooklyn Art Space & Trestle
Gallery, an arts organization in Brooklyn, New York.
www.rhiahurt.com
@rhiahurt
Katerina Lanfranco
Katerina Lanfranco is a Brooklyn-based artist whose body of work includes
paintings, drawings, sculptures, and mixed media installations. She earned
her BA from UC Santa Cruz and her MFA from Hunter College, City
University of New York. Her work is represented by the Nancy Hoffman
Gallery, and is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art,
the Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings) in Berlin, and the
Corning Museum of Glass.
Lanfranco is the founder and director of Rhombus Space, an exhibition
space in Brooklyn where she curates concept-driven group and solo shows.
She is also Chief Curator at Brooklyn’s Trestle Gallery.
www.katerinalanfranco.com
@katerinalanfranco
Melissa Staiger
Melissa Staiger is a Brooklyn-based artist whose work includes paintings,
printmaking, assemblage and ceramics. She earned her Bachelor of Fine
Art from Maryland Institute, College of Art and a Master of Fine Art from
Pratt Institute. Currently, she is the Curator-in-Residence at Trestle Projects
located in Brooklyn, New York for 2016.
Her work has been included in solo and group shows in New York City.
Staiger teaches several art classes at Trestle Gallery. She was nominated and
attended the Robert Rauschenberg Artist Residency in Captiva, Florida.
www.melissastaiger.com
@melissastaiger
Trestle is a 501c3 non-profit contemporary art space in Gowanus,
Brooklyn. Our mission is to foster creativity and community by offering
exhibition, education and networking opportunities for contemporary artists
and curators. We provide a place for creative people to focus on the
development of their art and their career. Our mission is carried out
through four core programs: Contemporary Exhibitions, Professional
Development, Community Classes and Residencies
trestlegallery.org
168 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
[email protected]
#trestlegallery
718.858.9069