Magic Touch
Co-curated by Jen Dwyer
March 24 - May 1, 2021
Address: 242 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10011
Dinner Gallery, formerly VICTORI + MO, is proud to present Magic Touch, a group exhibition of works by Natalia Arbelaez, Jen Dwyer, Donté K. Hayes, Roxanne Jackson, Sophia Narrett, Katarina Riesing and Anthony Sonnenberg. This show opens March 24th and will remain on view through May 1st.
Since the introduction of the internet and the advancement of technology, there has been a gradual increase in the time spent looking at screens, and consequently, an existence on the interiority of our own minds and homes. The seven artists presented in Magic Touch create work that provides a sense of connection that is particularly heightened during this time of isolation.
These intimate works are imprints for touch and serve as an antidote to loneliness while exploring themes of escapism, fantasy and contemporary mythology. Employing an alchemy of glazes, delicately embroidered pieces, and intricately sewn tapestries, they cast a spell on our eyes, and open portals into their thoughtfully constructed new worlds, leaving us with a glimpse of what a different reality could hold.
Magic Touch takes a step back from this past year enveloped in systems of internality and examines its effects both culturally and individually. This exhibition offers an escape from solitude through the hope for connection while also extending a word of caution as to what can happen after spending too much time in a dreamland. Most importantly though, these seven artists offer love, light and a magic touch, after a previously dark and foggy year.
About Jen Dwyer
Jen Dwyer’s playful ceramic sculptures, paintings and otherworldly installations evoke dreams, fantasy, and the desire to escape to a world of one’s own creation. Through her artwork, Dwyer creates a uniquely powerful, caring, and intimate feminine world, underscored by the artist’s study of Paleolithic talismans, the decadent Rococo aesthetic, and contemporary girlhood culture. Dwyer received a BFA in Ceramics and minor in Art History from University of Washington. She finished her MFA in the Spring of 2019 from University of Notre Dame where she received a Full Fellowship in Ceramics with a Gender Studies Minor. Dwyer has participated in many residencies and fellowships, including the Pottery Center in Jingdezhen, China; fellowship at Wassaic Projects and recently started the Museum of Art and Design Studio Residency. Recent exhibitions include the Spring/Break Art Fair in New York City, Maxon Mills Gallery in Wassaic, and the Snite Museum, at Notre Dame.
Image: Katarina Riesing, "Cardi", 2019, Dye and embroidery on raw silk, 18" x 18".