What's an artist to do when the world has changed?
We decided to curate an art show in the middle of a pandemic to demonstrate that NY isn’t dead, that art is relevant, and that human connection is everything.
“Phase IV” references NY's phased approach to reopening and represents art created during the Covid-19 pandemic - and a new phase in each of our creative practices.
On Sunday, December 6, 2020, we debuted our most recent works at historic underground space Gymnopedie in Bushwick, Brooklyn. People came out of their homes and out of their comfort zones to share a moment with us.
This online extension of the show is our hope to connect with more of you - wherever you are in these challenging times. Get a glimpse of the opening event, browse our art, learn about us as artists and collaborators, and grab your piece of Phase IV on the way out.
Austance Caroline, Conrad Clifton and Lea Wülferth
Phase IV: Playlist
Listen to our Phase IV playlist curated by Conrad Clifton while you enjoy the exhibition. It's the perfect soundtrack to accompany forward thinking artwork.
Austance Caroline
Phase IV installation (2020)
Comments from the artist
I want to manipulate space and have people come into a space and feel something they haven't felt. I want to make people feel inspired and wonder and question. There is no such thing as good art or bad art. There is no such thing as right or wrong. Art is just creating something that hasn't existed before.
Being creative, that's like breathing, that’s what we know how to do. We can pull from our past experiences for the next lifetime and have plenty of things to make.
About Austi
Austance Caroline is a creator of art, fashion and fuckery who loves playing with the High Low Aesthetic and confounding your expectations. 'Vulgarity is a part of my everyday' is not just her ideology for her own life, but also the mantra behind her work. Following a group exhibition at YouTooCanWoo Gallery she hosted her first solo exhibition in Manhattan in December 2019. She is currently in the process of launching her creative agency, Fckry Factory.
Conrad Clifton
Silent City (2020)
Comments from the artist
SILENT CITY by Conrad Clifton is a collection of street photography and candid portraits, shot entirely on 35mm and 120 film. The enlarged photo prints on display are a curated selection from the book.
Named after the song from 'GET YOUR WHOLE LIFE', this book presents a New York City that still thrives, amidst the worst circumstances we’ve seen in generations. The theme is of self-reflection and empathy.
About Conrad
Conrad Clifton is a Brooklyn-based electronic artist, and label founder at Infinity Pool Recordings. He blends electronic music and hip-hop together in unique and daring ways, that tell a tale through each tune. Winner of the Independent Music Award for Best Dance/Electronic EP, Conrad was called "one of the most exciting electronic artists to watch" by EARMILK.
The new photography book 'SILENT CITY' presents a foray into the art world for Conrad. He believes "creativity is free flowing, and shouldn't be limited to just one medium". For him, film photography is another means of expression, and the response from the public has been noticeably welcoming. The forthcoming feature in COOPH Magazine will delve deeper into the book's creation, inspiration, and stand out images.
Lea Wülferth
Made With American Cotton (2020)
Comments from the artist
The idea for my series came unexpectedly. I found a tag in a piece of vintage clothing that said ‘Made With American Cotton.’ My first reaction was “Why would you want to associate yourself with American cotton? That evokes empire, colonialism, racism, wealth disparities that have lasted into our present.”
Using cotton, paper, and found objects such as broken police barriers and artifacts of American history, my artworks explore our history and present relationships with white supremacy, white womanhood, police oppression and the racial wealth gap.
I also want it to be personal. For instance, with a collage that uses a part of my face I am also implicated.