April 12 - June 28, 2024

Opening Reception: April 12, 6-8pm

Location:
The Yard South Williamsburg, 195 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211

In Altered States, artist & curator Simi Mahtani asks viewers to question: is anything ever really gone? Can art transform the observed energy source inherent to an object?

In this solo exhibition opening at The Yard South Williamsburg on April 12, Brooklyn-based artist Simi Mahtani examines the seemingly invisible yet ever-present single-use objects all around us. Through mixed media paintings and found object assemblage, Altered States takes objects from one current state of existence and reimagines their forms into entirely new color-filled sculptural landscapes.

Gathering items from everyday life has become integral to Mahtani’s artistic practice. Objects that otherwise would be bound for the landfill, such as box corners, contact lens cases, plastic bottles, and scrap paper, become the structural core to her sculptures and paintings. By transforming post-consumer materials into art, Mahtani shifts our traditional view of waste and instead creates an opportunity to celebrate new forms of energy.

Combining a mixture of papier-mâché, paper pulp, and plaster, her artwork focuses on refreshing the viewer’s relationship to single-use packaging materials. A key element in Mahtani’s artwork is papier-mâché. The tactililty of papier-mâché fascinates Mahtani as the medium provides a stark contrast to the digital era which has become riddled with lack of touch and physical connection. Papier-mâché reveals the delicate beauty of human touch through the added texture visible in the layering process upon which the paint is applied.

Mahtani imagines a world where energy is created from repurposed waste, lessening the impact from over-production and consumerism in overflowing landfills. By refocusing energy back into objects that are considered waste, Mahtani amplifies their potential, transforming their original purpose incrementally; hopefully enriching the viewer’s state-of-mind while challenging their expectation of permanence and temporality.