Steve Rockwell – dArt International Magazine

June 9, 2026June 9, 2026

Uncollage—Seamless Unison

Essay by Todd Bartel

Mildred I. Washington Art Gallery/Dutchess Community College
Todd Bartel, Curator

The term ‘Uncollage’ uses the prefix ‘un’ to denote when collage is not glued physically, but is glued intellectually. Uncollage – Seamless Unison examines the neologism by showcasing various practices of imagery fusion and providing comparative examples of cut-and-paste collage demonstrating the differences between physical gluing and immaterial gluing across a wide range of media.

Budd Hopkins, Collage for Mahler's Castle, 1970, collaged paper, paint, 16 x 20 inches (photo Todd Bartel) — **Budd Hopkins**, Collage for Mahler’s Castle, 1970, collaged paper, paint, 16 x 20 inches (photo Todd Bartel)

Budd Hopkins, Study for Mahler's Castle, 1972, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 53 inches (photo Todd Bartel) — **Budd Hopkins**, Study for Mahler’s Castle, 1972, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 53 inches (photo Todd Bartel)

I first used the term ‘Uncollage’ in 1998 to describe paintings that depend on image collection and are painted without physical additions glued to the surface—such as the work of Archibaldo, Grandma Moses, Mark Tansey, and Julie Heffernan, all of whom I have also published articles on. All too often, what comes to mind when the word ‘collage’ is uttered is glued paper, but collage is so much more. Collage is an operation that does not require paper or glue, and can be appreciated any time a creative process involves composite incorporation. I presented my thesis at the first annual Kolaj Fest, in New Orleans in the summer of 2018, a multi-day festival & symposium about contemporary collage and its role in art, culture, and society hosted by Kolaj magazine. After that, I expanded the concept in a series of 4 articles, published by Kolaj magazine in 2019 and another four articles since then, as well as written several exhibition essays for shows in the U.S., Portugal and Spain, which has led me to assemble the essays in a forthcoming book, Uncollage & Immaterial Glue — the Collected Essays of Todd Bartel that will be available in early July, 2026.

Julie Heffernan, Self-Portrait as Growth, 1994, oil on canvas, 55 ¼ x 69 x 1 ¾ inches (photo Todd Bartel) — **Julie Heffernan**, Self-Portrait as Growth, 1994, oil on canvas, 55 ¼ x 69 x 1 ¾ inches (photo Todd Bartel)

Uncollage—Seamless Unison assembles the art of thirty-one emerging, well-established, and historically notable artists, including the Abstract Expressionist painter Budd Hopkins (1931 – 2011). Hopkins, who wrote the influential essay, Modernism And The Collage Aesthetic, often made facsimile collage studies for his abstract paintings, and examples of each are the first works visitors encounter inside the gallery. The show includes paintings by Julie Heffernan, Bo Joseph, Fern Apfel, Brian Bishop, D. Dominick Lombardi, Ginnie Gardiner, Talin Megherian, Justin Richel, Denise Shaw, and Amy Talluto, who all fuse collage-based strategies to import and juxtapose collected imagery. Lombardi’s painting is noteworthy for repurposing a previously “completed” painting with complementary stylistic additions.

Ginnie Gardiner, Interlusion 45, 2022, oil on linen, 40 x 60 inches (photo Ginnie Gardiner) — **Ginnie Gardiner**, Interlusion 45, 2022, oil on linen, 40 x 60 inches (photo Ginnie Gardiner)

The exhibition includes several examples of trompe l’oeil drawing and painting, including works by Brian Bishop, Laura Christensen, Ruth Marten, Leo Sousa, and Amy Talluto, and a trompe l’oeil sculpture by Justin Richel. In all of these pieces, the genre is enhanced by the incorporation of ideas, brought into the work, if not known references to other artists’ works. Similarly, Julie Blankenship, Christensen and Marten explore ‘Uncollage’ through altered readymade, employing various drawn and painted enhancements.

Amy Talluto, Alchemical Wasteland, 2021, oil on canvas, 40 x 50 inches (photo James Petrozzello) — **Amy Talluto**, Alchemical Wasteland, 2021, oil on canvas, 40 x 50 inches (photo James Petrozzello)

Uncollage—Seamless Unison showcases several works that involve image transfer processes, including a Xerographic print on vintage paper by Michael Oatman, a hand-transferred Xerographic photo presented as an “original photograph” by Roma Megherian Bartel, and a painting with multiple acrylic gel-medium transfers by Denise Shaw.

Denise Shaw, Targeting, 2021, acrylic, photo transfer on linen, 60 x 30 inches (photo Katie Zaptka) — **Denise Shaw**, Targeting, 2021, acrylic, photo transfer on linen, 60 x 30 inches (photo Katie Zaptka)

The exhibit highlights an iconic multi-negative gelatin silver print by Jerry Uelsmann (1934 – 2022), whose analog work may be said to have anticipated Photoshop, and, emerging photographer Max Labelle, who photographs cutout photographed images of quotidian objects in real-world settings, which confuse flattened depictions of real objects in actual spaces. The show counterbalances these analog photographic processes with the works of veteran digital collage artists Fran Forman and Maggie Taylor, as well as the work of Leslie Fry, Samplerman (Yvan Guillo), Wendy Seller, and Rowan Buffington, whose hybrid piece provides a blended example of analog and digital applications of collage.

Jerry Uelsmann, Untitled, 1991, gelatin silver print, 3 negatives – sky ripples, rock, background, 14 x 11 inches (digital scan of original photo Jerry Uelsmann) — **Jerry Uelsmann**, Untitled, 1991, gelatin silver print, 3 negatives – sky ripples, rock, background, 14 x 11 inches (digital scan of original photo Jerry Uelsmann)

Maggie Taylor, Happiness, 2015, digital collage, archival inkjet print, 15 x 15 inches (courtesy of the artist) — **Maggie Taylor**, Happiness, 2015, digital collage, archival inkjet print, 15 x 15 inches (courtesy of the artist)

Also included in the show are several sculptures that more or less conceal their composite origins, such as D. Dominick Lombardi’s recycled refuse sculpture and Justin Richel’s stretched-canvas trompe l’oeil brick. There is also a objet trouvé bicycle by Jack Massey, an assisted readymade with an intellectual coupling to a well-known work by Pablo Picasso, as well as the conceptual sculptures of Darryl Lauster and Bo Joseph that expand the neologism into the time-honored practices of lost wax bronze sculpture.

Bo Joseph, Caput Mortuum: Create Yourself from Darkness, 2018, bronze, 20 ¼ x 24 ⅝ x 11 inches, Collection of Eliane van Reesema (photo Bo Joseph) — **Bo Joseph**, Caput Mortuum: Create Yourself from Darkness, 2018, bronze, 20 ¼ x 24 ⅝ x 11 inches, Collection of Eliane van Reesema (photo Bo Joseph)

**D. Dominick Lombardi**, CC 113 UC (The Impossibility of a Skinned Knee), 2021, found objects, sand, papier-mâché, gesso, acrylic medium, 11 ½ x 12 x 9 inches, photo courtesy of the artist

The show also includes examples of static and moving AI image generation by artists Joann, Will Close, and Máximo Tuja, as well as a multimedia installation by James Andrew Scott that blends analog drawing with pixelated digital video, using an array of four 4 x 4-foot LED panels to display looped video imagery incorporating abstracted versions of many of the works in the exhibition.

Máximo Tuja / Max-o-matic, 126 sextillion collages (A Microcosm), 2022-24, Digital Files Created with Custom-made Generative Art Software, Running Time: 120 min, (photo Máximo Tuja and Pardon Collection) — **Máximo Tuja / Max-o-matic,** 126 sextillion collages (A Microcosm), 2022-24, Digital Files Created with Custom-made Generative Art Software, Running Time: 120 min, (photo Máximo Tuja and Pardon Collection)

The unexpected diversity of media and imagery showcased in Uncollage—Seamless Unison reveals the term’s inclusivity, which credits collage in places not often considered collage-based. Máximo Tuja (Argentina/Spain, a.k.a. Max-o-matic), one of the creative forces behind The Weird Show, an independent platform dedicated to exploring and redefining contemporary collage since 2010, and an artist featured in Uncollage – Seamless Unison, described the concept this way: “Uncollage reminds us that the art of collage is not confined to tangible materials but extends into the realm of the immaterial. It highlights the versatility of collage as an artistic practice, allowing artists to explore and combine various elements, whether physical or conceptual, to create entirely new and meaningful compositions.”

Rowan Buffington, Fin, Rites of Passage series, 2024, digital collage (printed and assembled on vintage and photographic papers), 5 x 7 inches (photo courtesy of the artist) — **Rowan Buffington**, Fin, Rites of Passage series, 2024, digital collage (printed and assembled on vintage and photographic papers), 5 x 7 inches (photo courtesy of the artist)

The unofficial first exhibition of Uncollage paintings appeared at the Knoxville Museum of Art, where I was invited to peruse the museum’s online catalog of holdings and select half a dozen works from the collection that exemplified the concept for inclusion in the museum’s Currents exhibition as part of 2021 Kolaj Live Knoxville. I gave tours of the exhibition and spoke about the differing strategies of collage and uncollage. There was no invitation, title, or museum didactic for that show, which makes the Mildred I. Washington Art Gallery show the first of its kind. Unlike the unofficial show, the official version showcases a much wider breadth of the concept.

Uncollage – Seamless Unison is one of ten satellite exhibitions presented by the Transforming Collage Hudson Valley Exhibition Series this summer. The exhibitions are organized in conjunction with Making Meaning: A Collage Symposium, taking place July 22–24 at the Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts in Poughkeepsie, NY. From their website, “This important gathering celebrates the evolving language of collage and the role of contemporary artists in shaping cultural dialogue, experimentation, and community connection.” There, I will present a slideshow about Uncollage and the exhibition at the Mildred I. Washington Art Gallery as one of the presenters of the Making Meaning Collage Symposium. Both the exhibition catalog and my forthcoming book, featuring the collection of my Uncollage essays, will be available at the symposium and on Lulu.com. Interested individuals can register to attend the symposium at: https://www.transformingcollage.com

The artist’s reception and gallery talk for Uncollage – Seamless Unison is scheduled for Friday, July 24, 3-6 PM. The exhibition runs from June 29 to July 31st, 2026
Making Meaning, organized and directed by Andrea Burgay & Monica Church, is from July 22 to July 24, 2026.

May 18, 2026May 29, 2026

The Military Portraiture at the Royal Canadian Military Institute of Gertrude Kearns

by Jennifer Leskiw

Gertrude Kerns in her studio by Joseph Hartman - showing works in the current body of work at RCMI — Gertrude Kearns in her studio by Joseph Hartman – showing works in the current body of work at RCMI

If you have never been to the Royal Canadian Military Institute on University Avenue in Toronto, you must visit and take in the phenomenal exhibition by Canada’s foremost contemporary war artist, Gertrude Kearns.

This exhibition, straight from showing at the Embassy of Canada in Washington DC, is a selection from two decades of work 2006-2025. Drawings, paintings, text/image prints as ‘propaganda-play posters’ capture the humanity and courage behind Canadian Armed Forces individuals who have commanded and form the military.

General Wayne Eyre 2025, Chief of the Defence Staff, Feb 2021 - June 2024, acrylic on canvas, 137.2 x 106.7 cm / 54 x 42 in — General Wayne Eyre 2025, Chief of the Defence Staff, Feb 2021 – June 2024, acrylic on canvas, 137.2 x 106.7 cm / 54 x 42 in

Kearns’ interest in conflict work began thirty years ago. Since then, she has worked diligently, both officially and as an independent artist. What began as a curiosity about Canadian defence progressed into years of research into Canadian Armed Forces missions. As a result, valuable contacts and relationships were steadily built on trust and respect with each sitter. Her artistic skill captures the essence of these dedicated individuals. We see pride, honour, strength and sometimes weakness, even the anti-hero in these faces. How much decision-making, questions about morality, emotional conflict and physical hardship, PTSD, have these soldiers experienced? Who are these individuals that have given of themselves so selflessly? What have they seen and lived through? What is their message? Is there one?

Just Doing It (Major-General J Carignan), 2020, Chief of the Defence Staff, Archival pigment print on Kodak Professional Inkjet Gloss Paper with matte film, 152 x 111.5 cm / 60 x 44 in

The Gulf War of 1990-91 initially stirred Kearns’ interest in conflict work. From there she began to examine the Yugoslav Wars of 1991-99, considering the pressures on society and ethnic cleansing. The inability of UN peacekeepers to prevent the Rwandan Genocide in 1994 and the impact of that failure created a series of haunting work featuring Canada’s General, Romeo Dallaire in 2001-2.

As a war/military artist, this journey led to Kearns’ admission to a training exercise at Petawawa, Ontario in 2004. Later on she was given the opportunity of real-life experiences, embedded in Afghanistan in 2006. It was during this time, about to travel in an armoured vehicle preparing to leave Kandahar City, a suicide bomber struck the convoy ahead. Among the ten wounded were three Canadian soldiers. A diplomat and two other civilians were killed. After the wounded soldiers were brought back to base, Kearns helped clean the infirmary. Needless to say, this experience affected Kearns profoundly.

O URGENT SEAS (Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee), 2025, Commander, Royal Canadian Navy, Archival pigment print on Kodak Professional Inkjet Gloss Paper with matte film, 167.5 x 118 cm / 66 x 46.5 in

She has worked steadily and tirelessly producing work, giving us a glimpse into a world that many of us will never see or experience. Lucky are we that are safe and sound. Concluding with more recent counter-terrorism, sovereignty and global security works, Kearns poignantly reminds us that war is never really that far away.

SAVED:FOR WHAT?, 2011, Unidentified coalition SOF, Afghanistan, Archival pigment print on Hahnemuhle ultra smooth paper, 152 x 101.5 cm / 60 x 40 in 1/1

The Royal Canadian Military Institute is not open to the public, but Sunday afternoon tours of the exhibition led by Kearns herself, RCMI Honorary War Artist, begin on May 24 between 2:30-3:30 pm. Sunday tours continue May 31, in June on the 14th, 21st, and 28th; July 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th. There is a tour on Sunday, August 2, 2026, the last day of the show. Address: 426 University Avenue, just south of Dundas, and the TTC St Patrick subway station.

Confirm tour availability: RCMI (416) 597-0286, or contact Gertrude Kearns directly at contact@gertrudekearnsartist.com

May 11, 2026

To Be a Fool or Not To Be

by Chunbum Park

Xinyu Liu, Fool’s Hour (2025), acrylic, motor, 43 inches (diameter)

Xinyu Liu, a multidexterous artist engaging with a variety of media, exhibits her work in a solo presentation at Art Cake in Brooklyn, titled, “Fool’s Hour.” Liu conceives of her body of work as revolving around the experience of a person going to an amusement park or a casino, where the busy sense of time within a 9 to 5 work schedule is lost. What makes someone a fool, and what is the meaning behind the title, ‘fool’s hour?’ Liu is catching on the subtle difference between how we label ourselves and others, as winners and losers, as rich or poor, and as a fool and non-fool. There are many contradictory considerations and occurrences that go into deciding how someone might be a fool. For example, the exorbitant use of money might make someone a fool because s/he or they are wasting their financial resources, yet such a use might also count as a sign of wealth and thereby not foolish. Power relations are reversible, depending on the context and the signifying traits.

In “Fool’s Hour” (2025), we see a circular structure encasing segments of a rollercoaster ride, made in transparent acrylic. Numbers flip between 6 and 9, and a clown’s hat with three arms carries spherical tips on two of the arms but not the third one. What the work shows is a contained sense of time, in which time ceases to go forward linearly but condenses into a cyclical form. This is the Fool’s Hour, in which the subject is free to be a fool of the capitalist system that wants to extract as much money from the subject as possible.

“Time is not lost, it is freed” (2025) is a wood-carved sculpture in the form of some kind of casing for a glasses or pen, a jewelry box, or a miniature burial vault. The phrase looks like an old proverb, but it is a reaction to Benjamin Franklin’s belief that “lost time is never found again.” What we must conclude from this train of logic is that time is not lost, but it must be freed and wrestled away through a match or struggle with the capitalist system that seeks to deprive us of time. This is the question that each and every person living within the reality of a capitalist world must deal with. To be a fool or not to be, that is the question.

Xinyu Liu, **Time Is Not Lost, It Is Freed** (2025), hand-carved wood, 6.5 x 1.5 x 4 inches

Xinyu Liu: Fool’s Hour on April 17-May 10, 2026 at Artcake, 214 40th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232

April 13, 2026April 14, 2026

Murray Hochman: Dissolution / Resolution

by John Mendelsohn

Writing about Murray Hochman’s paintings is, for me, an act of time travel. I am in the present, in his current exhibition of very large, visually mysteriously canvases that have a raw, open spirit. There is my memory of Murray, many decades ago when I first met him, a daunting guy in a dim loft in Lower Manhattan, full of his art and saturated with the odor of spray paint.

Murray Hochman, Silver and Copper Abstraction, 2004, aerosol paint on canvas, 54 x 88.5 in. — **Murray Hochman,** *Silver and Copper Abstraction*, 2004, aerosol paint on canvas, 54 x 88.5 in.

And there is the man himself now, whose journey of 91 years has been a constant painter’s progress, with all the satisfactions and vagaries that that implies. Lately, Murray’s work has received well-deserved recognition in group shows and in solo exhibitions at KinoSaito and the current one at Gallery AP Space.

Murray Hochman, Large Polychrome No. 2, 2005, aerosol paint on canvas, 120 x 96 in. — **Murray Hochman,** *Large Polychrome* *No. 2*, 2005, aerosol paint on canvas, 120 x 96 in.

In writing about painting, I usually focus exclusively on the work – what it does to me, and all that it might suggest – hoping to speak for art that speaks for itself. But here I want to see how the painter’s story and the paintings merge in my thoughts.

Murray is half a generation older than me, having grown up on New York’s Lower East Side in the 1930s and 1940s. He served in the military in the aftermath of the Korean War. His deployment was in Germany, permitting him to travel in Europe, and work in ceramics in an army base crafts class. The GI bill allowed him to earn a degree in art history from New York University, and an MFA in ceramics from Alfred University.

Returning to New York in the mid-1960s, Murray’s early work drew collectors and exhibition opportunities in the burgeoning downtown scene. The influences that Murray was drawn to included Abstract Expressionism, minimalist music, and Japanese culture. Buddhism became a life-long practice for him, whose presence in his paintings is implicit in a kind of acceptance of what is, and how that can manifest itself in a kind of hard-won spaciousness.

Murray Hochman, Stormy Polychrome, 2004, aerosol paint on canvas, 96 x 78 in. — **Murray Hochman**, *Stormy Polychrome*, 2004, aerosol paint on canvas, 96 x 65.5 in.

All writing about the essence of paintings is speculative, but Murray’s move with his spouse Lois to the Berkshires in Massachusetts two decades ago seems central to the work in the exhibition. In this rural setting, the painter has a barn to work in, and the chance to produce large-scale canvasses, some of which are 10 feet in height. But beyond size, the Large Polychrome paintings have an expansiveness, toughness, and lyricism in which I intuit the presence of the natural world.

I sense in the painting Silver and Copper Abstraction, that that the metallic surface seems to evoke an iced-over pond, with a calligraphy of whipping, inscribed lines. In Stormy Polychrome, we feel the presence of gathering clouds and dying, persisting light. In Large Polychrome No. 6, the golden illumination of dawn or dusk fills the canvas, marked allover with a rapid sgrafitto.

Murray Hochman, Large Polychrome No. 6, 2004, aerosol paint on canvas, 78 x 96 in. — **Murray Hochman**, *Large Polychrome No. 6*, 2004, aerosol paint on canvas, 78 x 96 in.

In a number of paintings, we are in a watery realm, with thinned-out pigment becoming rivulets in a broken field. Here the exhibition’s title, Dissolution / Resolution comes into play most evidently. Murray uses solvents to open up stained or sprayed paint, resulting in droplets or flows in the shifting atmosphere. Large Polychrome No. 2 is a prime example of this painterly process almost creating the painting by itself. In contrast is the more vividly colored Large Polychrome No. 5, with its zones of red, yellow, aqua, white, black, and tan, animated by airborne, graffiti-like sprays.

In the gallery’s lower level is Murray’s Inner Spaces series, small-scale works on paper, elegantly mounted on silver grounds. These intimate works show the artist exploring a range of flows where pigment and solvents mix in surprisingly expressive ways. Also, on the lower level is a single sculpture, Camo Tower, representing a whole other body of Murray’s work. Found detritus from consumer culture is assembled into a cubic form, painted in a range of moody greens. In concert with this work is Murray Hochman, A Labyrinth, a sound piece by Fior Daniela, with an original score and Murray’s spoken reflections on his
work.

Murray Hochman, Large Polychrome No 5, 2002, Aerosol paint on canvas, 96 x 84 in — **Murray Hochman***, Large Polychrome No 5, 2002, Aerosol paint on canvas, 96 x 84 in*

Murray’s work is resolutely abstract, but full of emotion, turmoil, light, and hints of transcendence. Constructive and destructive forces are both always present, playing out the performance of an existential drama. The painter allows paint to become a practice and path, a way of losing and finding oneself.

Murray Hochman Dissolution / Resolution at Gallery AP Space, New York, April 2 – May 10, 2026

April 7, 2026April 7, 2026

Time and Materials

by Federico Lynch Ferraris

Nadia Coen, Mahmoud Hamadani, Armita Raafat, Michael David, Andrew Huston, Alyse Rosner, Paul Michael Graves, Bodo Korsig, Steven Salzman, Margaret Weber, Mark Williams
at Bienvenu Steinberg & C in New York City

Across painting, sculpture, and installation, “Time and Materials” highlights the use of unconventional materials – glass, resin, plastic straws, fabrics, and carpets – to create works that are both temporal and tactile. Many of the works lean abstract, inviting the viewer to consider the significance embedded in the use of obscure materials and the progression of time encoded in the art.

Paul Michael Graves, Fig. CXXXVIII., 2024, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 in, 121.9 x 121.9 cm — **Paul Michael Graves**, Fig. CXXXVIII., 2024, oil on canvas, 48 x 48 in, 121.9 x 121.9 cm

The exhibition repeatedly emphasizes material experimentation as an outlet for interdisciplinary expression. Paul Michael Graves’ pieces play with the intersection between art and his previous career as a helicopter pilot. Composed of black dots and lines set across a bronze background, the pieces evoke the visual components of aerial map making. Initially appearing abstract, the artwork deliberately uses the black marks to resemble plotted coordinates and flight paths as seen from above. Graves’ interpretation of time reflects the broader theme of the unique experience of time. The pieces display time and duration through flight paths rather than fixed units.

Mahmoud Hamadani’s geometric compositions similarly gesture towards his mathematical foundations. In his untitled work, Hamadani arranges nine black frames into a square. Within each frame, seven diamonds are uniquely oriented, with each diamond representing a day of the week. The subtle variations within each frame mirror the rhythms and changes of days and weeks. Continuing the larger theme of time interpreted through interdisciplinary practices, Hamadani’s geometric orientations suggest that time is measured, rhythmic, and symmetrical through a mathematical lens.

Installation view with work by Steven Salzman's Steaws III and Straws X (left), and Andrew Huston's Days of the week (right) — Installation view with work by **Steven Salzman**‘s Steaws III and Straws X (left), and **Andrew Huston**‘s Days of the week (right)

Andrew Huston continues the use of geometric shapes to portray time. With seven panels, each filled with gold pigment and black dots, the artwork represents the seven days of the week. Although the panels are fixedly aligned to emulate calendar pages, each panel is distinct. The variation among the series of panels emphasises the unpredictability of time despite the expected rhythm of the week.

Armita Raafat, Untitled, 2019, resin, paper mâché, tiles, fabric, mesh tiles, fabric, mesh, and acrylic, 38 x 80 x 7 in, 96.5 x 203.2 x 17.8 cm — **Armita Raafat**, Untitled, 2019, resin, paper mâché, tiles, fabric, mesh tiles, fabric, mesh, and acrylic, 38 x 80 x 7 in, 96.5 x 203.2 x 17.8 cm

Armita Raafat’s portrayal of time draws on a more fluid interpretation, by contrast. Raafat draws on traditional Muqarnas while reimagining it with vivid, unconventional materials. Composed of resin, tiles, and fabrics, the work revisits traditional architecture with a modern perspective, suggesting that time, rather than being fixed, can be actively returned to and reconsidered. The piece, being an extension of Raafat’s inquiry into Muqarnas, maintains the ongoing theme of interests and passions altering perception of time found throughout the exhibition.

Bodo Korsig, Tears of Silence, 2023, 7.9 × 10.2 in, 20 x 26 cm — **Bodo Korsig**, Tears of Silence, 2023, 7.9 × 10.2 in, 20 x 26 cm

Bodo Korsig’s “Zerspringen des Zustandes”, which translates from German to “Shattering of the State”, approaches the theme of time through one moment of rupture. The work suggests that time does not only unfold – it snaps. The “shattering” becomes a moment when continuity is lost, and a new state abruptly emerges. This interpretation of time aligns with Korsig’s focus on human behavior under extreme conditions. In moments of fear or violence, mental states often do not erode over time; they shatter instantly. The piece introduces the irreversibility of time and its capacity to collapse into a single moment of change. In contrast to other works in the exhibition, which focus on the cycle and rhythm of time, Korsig centers its immediacy and instantaneity.

Alyse Rosner, From Wind or Sky or Myth (quiet pink), 2025, acrylic on raw pine, 6 x 5.5 in, 15.2 x 14 cm — **Alyse Rosner**, From Wind or Sky or Myth (quiet pink), 2025, acrylic on raw pine, 6 x 5.5 in, 15.2 x 14 cm

Michael David, The Batman, 2023-26, mirrored glass, silicone, fabric, glitter, acrylic and oil paint on wooden panels, 147 x 82 x 6 in, 373.4 x 208.3 x 15.2 cm — **Michael David**, The Batman, 2023-26, mirrored glass, silicone, fabric, glitter, acrylic and oil paint on wooden panels, 147 x 82 x 6 in, 373.4 x 208.3 x 15.2 cm

Alyse Rosner’s piece, “From Wind or Sky or Myth (shadow)” evokes the visual intensity of fireworks – brief yet expansive bursts that unfold simultaneously – suggesting that time is not a singular passing instant, but a convergence of multiple moments occurring at once.
Some works do not specifically reference time, however. Instead, they fall under the exhibition’s material aspect. Michael David, for example, uses nontraditional materials such as glass, silicone, fabric, and glitter in his work, “The Batman”. Innovative uses of various materials are also present in the works of Nadia Coen, Steven Salzman, Margaret Weber, and Mark Williams.

Margaret Weber, Rivington or Wat, 2025, newspaper (newsprint), oil pastel, dye, acrylic paint, cardboard, 24 x 33.8 in, 61 x 85.7 cm

Mark Williams, PoC 47, 2022, oil, acrylic & pencil on cardboard, 24 x 30 in, 61 x 76.2 cm — **Mark Williams**, PoC 47, 2022, oil, acrylic & pencil on cardboard, 24 x 30 in, 61 x 76.2 cm

The title of the exhibition draws on the policy under which clients pay contractors a fixed amount for the time spent and materials used. In the context of the exhibition, time and material are established as intertwined and in constant conversation.