Chapter NY announces the presentation of “Manhattan”, Christopher Culver’s second solo exhibition with the gallery.
The work of Christopher Culver stems from an ongoing search for images that reveal traces of human presence. First captured in photographic snapshots, his subjects expose psychological qualities felt within waning American contexts. He renders the architecture of intimate relationships, or lack thereof, that exist within spaces of urban estrangement.
In his works on paper, Culver portrays vacant cityscapes, forgotten still lifes and domestic spaces, through an almost sculptural drawing process. Layers of charcoal and pastel are built up and erased, embedding lost fragments of text and imagery within them. The resulting grainy surfaces enhance the filmic quality of his darkly veiled compositions and imply a sense of degradation. With a forensic sensibility, Culver repeats his subjects across multiple works, heightening their mysterious significance, as if distilled from a larger, unspecified narrative.
In Manhattan, Culver continues to uncover imagery in his surroundings. Through animals, objects, and spaces observed mostly inside or near his apartment and studio, he conveys subtle moments of empathy and human connection. He introduces pigeons as a new recurring figure within his otherwise scarcely inhabited compositions, pairing them with synthetic plush bunnies. Culver’s subjects, inanimate or not, convey a human-like spirit with a disarming capacity for affection and closeness.
Chapter NY | 60 Walker Street, New York
On View October 27-December 9, 2023
Opening October 27, 2023 | 6-8PM
