Current Exhibition: Hidden in Plain Sight
Hidden in Plain Sight
A Two-Person Exhibition
Featuring Elena Chestnykh and Natsumi K. Goldfish
Curated by
Sirikul Pattachote
November 14 - December 25, 2024
Opening Reception: November 14, 6:00-8:00 pm
Yant Art Space
72-50 Austin St 2nd Floor, Forest Hills, NY 11375
"Hidden in Plain Sight" invites viewers to explore the quiet, and beauty hidden beneath the surface of everyday life. This exhibition brings together Elena Chestnykh and Natsumi K. Goldfish, with the series of work captures familiar, day-to-day scenes yet evokes a sense of mystery, explore immersion and isolation through imagery of water. In their paintings, water serves as both a powerful element and a metaphor for the tension between being too isolated and too immersed.
Elena’s paintings depict a series of mysterious women, portrayed in dreamlike settings near the water’s edge. The figures appear to be walking just beyond the reach of the waves, their forms blending with the surrounding landscape. This merging of the figures and environment evokes a sense of distance and freedom, as if the women are both part of and separate from the world around them. Each painting invites the viewer to contemplate the mystery of the figures and the untold stories they carry, capturing moments that feel both intimate and expansive. Through these works, Elena explores themes of solitude, nature, and the search for a deeper sense of self in the vastness of the landscape.
Natsumi’s artworks explore the intriguing relationship between cats and goldfish, delving into the mystery and delicate balance of their interactions. Each piece evokes a sense of calm and curiosity, capturing the serene beauty of the fish in its enclosed space while subtly suggesting an underlying tension. Through this juxtaposition, Natsumi invites viewers to reflect on the fragile coexistence between tranquil observation and the instinctual presence of danger.
This exhibition invites the audience to placed in conversation, offer a compelling exploration of the emotional tension that exists at the boundary between presence and inclusiveness.
Elena Chestnykh
Elena Chestnykh was born in Novosibirsk, Russia, and currently, lives and works in New York. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally including at the Museum of Contemporary Art Erarta (MCAE) in Saint-Petersburg, the Art Center WINZAVOD, in Moscow, the Art State Museum of Novosibirsk, in Russia, and Nord Art 2010, Rendsburg, Germany.
In 2013, "Urban Reflections" traveled to the New York Erarta Gallery and became Chestnykh’s first solo exhibition in the United States. In 2022, Elena Chestnykh’s personal exhibition "Woman in Landscape" was presented at Space 776 Gallery, NYC. In 2023, her solo show "Songs of Summer" was shown at The Untitled Space Gallery, NYC. Also, Chestnykh's artwork was exhibited in group shows at The Untitled Space, SFAprojects Gallery, The Royal Gallery in NYC, Trenton Artwork Center, NJ, and The Feminist Biennial at Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, Il.
Natsumi K. Goldfish
Natsumi K. Goldfish, a Japanese visual artist from Fuchu-City, Tokyo, grew up in an environment blending urban and suburban elements, which fostered her belief in pluralism and the coexistence of opposites. Her work, inspired by human behavior and subconscious actions, uses everyday subjects like bathtubs and fish tanks as subtle symbols of human existence. I
In 2012 Natsumi moved to Philadelphia, in the United States where she received her BA in Art degree from Tyler School of Art, Temple University (2013), then soon after she moved to New York City. Natsumi Goldfish had a solo exhibition in Koganei, Tokyo (2017), and two small solo exhibitions in New York City (2018). She has been included in multiple group exhibitions in Tokyo, Philadelphia, and New York City. Today, Natsumi Goldfish lives and works in New York City.
