The NYUAD Art Gallery invites everyone to look at the thought-provoking works by American artist Blane De St. Croix. His solo exhibition titled Horizon features a series of his latest art pieces rooted in his study of landscapes in the Emirates. Through his works, St. Croix aims to draw one’s attention to the current environmental crisis our planet is threatened by. The show will run through the 14th of January, 2024.
In the exhibition, visitors can look at some of the artist’s never-before-displayed creations. Most of the art pieces on view are commissioned by The NYUAD Art Gallery. St. Croix has developed them during a series of residencies over the last year in which he worked with NYUAD faculty and resident scientists. For example, one of the artworks, Salt Lake Excerpt, UAE, is the result of his collaboration with Joanna Settle, NYUAD Arts Professor of Theater. To produce this 150 sqm sculptural installation, St. Croix drew his inspiration from the salt lakes (sabkhas) and estuaries of the Emirates. The mesmerising work is made from fabric and PET flakes recycled from 50,000+ plastic water bottles locally sourced by DGrade (a recycling company in Dubai).
Courtesy of the artist.
Among the other commissioned artworks on display is In High Peaks: Himachal (Snow Mountain), an installation which portrays the Himalayan landscape. St Croix created it after he had visited the region in 2015 to conduct field research. The dripping forms of the mountains serve as a reminder of the fact that the Himalayan glaciers are melting quicker than previously thought. The art piece was also inspired by conversations St Croix had with scholars at NYU working on a project about Himalayan water.
Courtesy of the artist.
About the artist
Blane De St. Croix (b. 1954, Boston, MA, USA) obtained a BFA in Sculpture from the Massachusetts College of Art (Boston, MA). He also graduated from Cranbrook Academy of Art (Bloomfield Hills, MI) with an MFA in Sculpture.
St. Croix is well-known for his monumental landscape sculptures and installations. In his work based on extensive field research, he delves into the human relationship to the contemporary landscape and the ecological and geopolitical conflicts embedded in that relationship. The artist’s practice also involves repurposing the landscape genre associated with painting into a sculptural form.
St. Croix has showcased his art pieces in multiple solo and group exhibitions held at various venues, which include Fredericks & Freiser (New York, NY), The Mongolian National Art Gallery (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia), The Kathmandu International Triennial (Nepal Art Council, Kathmandu, Nepal), Värmlands Museum (Karlstad, Sweden), Gasworks Gallery (London, UK), Europos Parkas Sculpture Park (Vilniaus, Lithuania), Tomio Koyama Gallery (Tokyo, Japan), and many others.
The artist has received multiple grants and awards, such as the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, the Lee Krasner Lifetime of Artistic Achievement Award, the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant for Painters and Sculptors, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Sculpture, to name a few. Among the art residencies he has undertaken are the CEC ArtsLink Residency (St Petersburg, Russia, New York, NY), Art Omi Artist Residency (Ghent, NY), Gasworks Artist Studio Residency (Triangle Arts Trust, London), and others.
To learn more about Horizon, please visit the exhibition’s official web page.
You might also be interested in attending Frozen In Time by Diane Tuft and Poetry of Water by Maxi Cohen.
