Eternity in an Hour
Booth R4A
Joseph Cochran, Pajtim Osmanaj, Lujan Perez, Derek Weisberg
Presented by Trotter&Sholer and Swivel Gallery
Eternity in an Hour is a collaborative exhibition, presented by Trotter&Sholer and Swivel Gallery, of four artists working in diverse mediums, including works on paper, ceramic sculpture, painting and photography.
The presentation’s atmospheric and textural presence leaves the viewer with a familiarity that can’t quite be placed; a refex-like a memory that may not actually exist. The work offers an invitation for the viewer to stand in the stillness of a moment frozen in time. Each piece in this exhibition can be understood as a tableau, a brief scene of an unfolding story. Derek Weisberg’s life size porcelain figures occupy the center of the space, arranged on a circular plinth reminiscent of a stage in the round. Though unmoving, Weisberg’s porcelain figures have a sense of motion that serves to highlight the stillness they embody. Empire in Decay II, for example, is a figure mid-tumble, falling on its back. Weisberg’s works are at once classic and contemporary, they stand in clear relationship to classical Greek sculpture.
Reference to traditional ceramics artwork is also evident in Lujan Perez’s prints. Her large-scale paper works float off of the wall from hand sculpted clay armatures. She uses a mixed media printmaking approach combining multiblock woodcuts with a variety of inks and oils. The artist’s over scaled “vessels”, taken from traditional Spanish ceramics, and conceived from memories of her adolescence in Spain, are a childlike reminder of what in life is big, and what is small, a nod that a series of combined moments, is all we are, all we have.
Pajtim Osmanaj’s works draw us into a different world with a preternatural familiarity. It is as if we are being absorbed into his two-dimensional works, rather than looking at them. His landscapes are formed through his unique mixed media approach combining canvas, paper, plaster, cement, and various painting techniques. In his large canvas work, Now! (The Story of the Evolution of a Falling Star), curtains frame the image halfway open, unveiling a scene inspired by Osmanaj’s childhood. A shooting star is bursting through the curtains, a reference to the idea and power of wishes.
Joseph Cochran’s photography practice is rooted in the study and examinations of society. The artist lives among often rural, less frequented locations across continents. Cochran’s interest in small, often hermetic communities, is inspired by his own origins in Brownsville, Brooklyn. His works have a voyeuristic quality. They fnd beauty in minutia and are unbound by time and identity. He captures compositions in the moments, creating haunting still life and cinematic images.
Trotter&Sholer and Swivel Gallery collaborated curatorially to create a cohesive booth that integrates the artists’ work into a cohesive and cooperative presentation. Both galleries opened during the uncertainty of 2020 and created a close and supportive working relationship after being introduced by several mutual friends.
Trotter&Sholer is a boutique art frm showcasing emerging and mid-career artists. Jenna Ferrey founded the enterprise to foster authentic art experiences, paying tribute to the many women who encouraged her career by symbolically endowing it with her grandmothers’ maiden names—Trotter&Sholer. Angie Phrasavath joined soon after. In 2020, Trotter&Sholer opened its frst brick-and-mortar location in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Since then, the team has paired intentional, intellectual programming with its mission to make the art world more approachable through innovative exhibitions, community engagement, and accessible price points.
Swivel Gallery, housed where Restoration Tabernacle once lived at 329 Nostrand, is a non-traditional art space that foremost prioritizes the wellbeing of its locale. Though its interior has since been entirely transformed, designed, and built by its owners’ bare hands, Swivel remains ardent ground, accepting and welcoming all who come. It’s a place founded on prospect, powered by Bed-Stuy’s own, whose sole purpose is to affect change by refecting the neighborhood’s beauty back upon it.
