This summer the thin diaphanous veil of civilization that we call Brooklyn will be gently, but firmly removed. Nine exceptionally strong artists, each in his or her own way will reveal “Brooklyn Au Natural” -- an exuberant and exultant salute to Nature in New York’s most bodacious borough. The nine artists have come from around the world, but are united by their fascination and use of the natural world (as seen in Brooklyn) in their art. The show will open on the eve of Summer, June 19th, and run through July 20th. Join the gallery in this joyous celebration of Nature, Brooklyn and the new season.

The nine artists represent a variety of styles and media.

Annie's Garden Revisitied © Tim Connor

Tim Connor is a Brooklyn artist who uses digital photography in perhaps it’s most up-to-the-minute manifestation, as a ever-expanding Flickr photostream. We will be presenting just a small fraction of his project documenting the vernacular artistic traditions of his home borough.

 

Small Detail from "Cathedral" © Juliette Conroy

Juliette Conroy is a photographer who also utilizes the profligacy of modern digital photography. From her Brooklyn backyard she has photographed a single large hosta lily hundreds of times over the course of a year. The remarkable result is a beautiful 14 foot long, color-field, photo-assemblage documenting the ever changing color and shape of that single plant through the changing seasons.

 

Chimera © Asya Dodina & Slava Polishchuck

Asya Dodina and Slava Polishchuk met in art school in Moscow, are now living in Brooklyn and have been working as a collaborative team since 2003. Their paintings in this show are from a long series depicting chimeras, strange creatures that are also collaborations between different parts of other creatures.

Chimera © Asya Dodina & Slava Polishchuck

 

Brooklyn Tree © Ana Delgado

Ana Delgado, who was born in Cuba, has photographed trees around the world, with three from Brooklyn in this show. Strong -- her trees seem to stand alone against a man-made world that is at best indifferent to their existence.

 

Canadian artist Hugh Kearney takes a different tack. From his Dumbo studio he incorporates leaves, moss and other elements of the Brooklyn biosphere directly into his quiet, introspective and visually entrancing paintings.

Grassed Up © Hugh Kearney

 

Manhattan Ave. Botanical 1 © Mary Pinto.

Photographer Mary Pinto is also a gatherer. From the 99¢ Store paradise of Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint, she has collected a “Manhattan Ave. Botanical,” a series of intense color photograms of the flowers and plants from around the world that bloom so prolifically there.

Two printmakers round out the show.

Fumiko Toda was raised in rural Japan, but now lives in Brooklyn.   Toda’s work celebrates both trees and the worldwide kingdom of insects.

O’àÜ[] ©Fumiko Toda

 

Delerious Birds and Bees ©April Vollmer

April Vollmer, the only outer-borough artist in the show (she lives in Manhattan) has studied in Japan, and presents demonstrations of Japanese traditional printmaking at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Cherry Blossom Festival each year. Vollmer's contributions, although not ignoring the insect kingdom, will concentrate on the floral extravaganza that envelopes the borough each spring.

Join the artists on Thursday June 19th from 6 to 8 PM for our opening reception. The gallery will then be open from Thursday to Sundays until July 20th. Experience “Brooklyn Au Natural” this summer in Dumbo.