A Dance showcases works from Bertaglia’s series Corpo Celeste and A Dance made of 20 brand new works all painted on 14k rose gold, continuing her investigation into concepts of thresholds, metamorphosis, and duality. These paintings will transform the gallery into a veritable hall of mirrors, with shiny surfaces effaced in murky layers of oil paint.

The exploration of concepts of the coexistence of life-death and rebirth is a constant in Bertaglia’s art, expressed through her personal and well-refined symbolism which has become increasingly abstract over the past two years. This new and unreleased series, inspired by Tibetan representations of indigenous narratives of reincarnation and celestial realms, is characterized by shades of tart oranges and placid greenish blues, haunting foliage, and allusions to the symbol of the skull. Areas of dense paint, light color washes, and detailed engravings meet on the shiny surfaces. The mirroring and reflecting areas amplify their dimension and invite the viewer to lean in and begin an intimate dialogue with the works and themselves.

With this new series, Bertaglia makes a strong statement about her ability to play with the perception of reality, myth, and actual representation, in an effort to dance between the opposites and to envision different states of existence.

The exhibition will open to the public on September 15, from 6-8 PM. On the occasion of the Armory Week (September 6-10), the gallery will grant private access ahead of the official opening. For more information or to make an appointment please contact: [email protected] | www.sarahcrown.com.

About the artist

Elisa Bertaglia is an Italian artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY, and has been represented by SARAHCROWN since 2016. Bertaglia addresses philosophical themes through a oneiric and eclectic language. She investigates the concept of symbol in contemporaneity exploring the worlds of nature, duality, and memory, from both an intimate and shared perspective.

Bertaglia’s new works on precious metals further her focus on the themes of threshold and metamorphosis: the metals, gold, rose gold, and copper, reflect the same concept contained within the works in the very nature of the material. The precious metals emerge in their own luster, contrasting the opaque, murky coats of paint. They become not only the background of the painting but a decisive part of the image with their reflective, iridescent surface.

Most recently, Bertaglia was selected for the artist residency RU Residency Unlimited for 2023. Her works are in permanent collections worldwide, including the Bronx Museum of the Arts, Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation, City Archives of Milan, and Museum of Contemporary Art, Penne, Italy. Her work has been exhibited in galleries, museums, and institutions internationally, including the Guggenheim Museum, Venice, Italy; Borges Cultural Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina; and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Saitama, Japan, just to name a few.

SARAHCROWN represents contemporary emerging and established International artists and specializes in Postwar & Contemporary Art. SARAHCROWN’s focus is scouting new talent, disseminating site-specific projects, and critical discourse around the curatorial practice.

Free!