On the evening of April 14, a large water main break in Boston’s South End flooded a huge part of the neighborhood, turning parking lots and the basement galleries at 460 Harrison Ave. into swimming pools. This week, Galatea Fine Art will reopen for the first time since that night with “Light from Above: Emerging Out of Isolation,” a two-month, 38 artists, exhibition that will run through October 31. A limited occupancy, social distancing and mask wearing, opening reception takes place this Friday, September 4 from 6-8 p.m. Current normal gallery hours will be Saturday and Sunday from noon-4 p.m. and by appointment.
In gathering information for our September/October 2020 issue, managing editor Brian Goslow asked Galatea director Marjorie Kaye to share her thoughts on finally returning to the gallery, the work in the show and which art pieces initially grabbed her attention:
“Looking over the work that will be included in “Light from Above,” there is a stream of direct reaction to the Pandemic, which is making its way in to so many artists’ works. Carolyn Newberger’s “Contagion” is a lively and emotional response to it, almost humorous in its rendering of “Life During Wartime.” Carolyn Letvin wandered a friend’s giant rural maze and her installation of found objects “Anita’s Labyrinth” recalls a lovely dream in a nightmare. Robin MacDonald-Foley’s “Under the Hemlock in Paper Mask” is a photograph in which the artists situates her protected COVID self in a natural setting.
“Another stream of works making its way into this exhibition is a stillness of mind and soul in reaction to the chaotic and unpredictable nature of the world at the present moment. Alan Strassman’s photograph, “Upon Reflection,” situations a natural object in the endless surface of a body of water; the water becomes a liquid Zen garden. Joe Caruso’s energetic “Spiritual Road Trip” are living daydreams of iconic images that churn up from our memory when the world is still. My own “Points of Departure” seeks to illuminate the hope of the human spirit in the form of sacred geometric figures and stellar connections.
“Returning to the gallery space feels like victory. It was hard fought and won. In this uncertainty, we, as a community, managed to pan for gold and 36 artists have banded together to work towards its reformation in the face of what, at one time, seemed like an impossibility. The Eliot School will also be rejoining us with its wonderful and diverse programs. Gallery life is being rebuilt by artists and gallerists in our SOWA community and it is building in momentum.”
(“Light from Above: Emerging Out of Isolation” runs from September 4 through October 31 at Galatea Fine Art, 460 Harrison Ave. #B-6, Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, visit galateafineart.com.)