Two Solo Exhibitions: Christine Sciulli: ROIL and Nona Faustine: White Shoes

About

Smack Mellon is pleased to present two solo exhibitions of Christine Sciulli and Nona Faustine. Both artists present work, which conflates New York City's history within a unique and compelling contemporary lens.

Christine Sciulli's installation, ROIL creates an immersive experience that transforms Smack Mellon's gallery space to reflect its historic function as a boiler house that created steam heat and energy for nearby buildings in the early 1900's. A multi channel video influenced by the generation of pressurized steam is projected onto sculptural fabric masses. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the installation by walking through underpasses or lying beneath it. Nona Faustine's White Shoes is a poignant series of self-portraits that are at once autobiographical and a historical tribute to black women who were slaves. The locations in the White Shoes series are historical and geographical legacy of slavery in New York City. Faustine photographed herself standing naked in sites around New York City that were formerly associated with slavery. By exposing her own vulnerability, Faustine also calls attention to the past and present exploitation of black women's bodies.