Sam Moyer
Naked as the Glass
February 21 – March 16, 2019

Concurrent to the fair is a special presentation of new glass works by Sam Moyer on view at Sean Kelly, New York in the lower gallery. Her first exhibition of fused glass panels, Naked as the Glass continues Moyer’s investigation into the nature of materiality as well as her interests in architecture, light and space. Drawn to glass for its simultaneously fluid and solid states, Moyer exerts a high degree of control in making her compositions but embraces the uncertainty that occurs once they are fired in the kiln. The artist describes these works as having neither front nor back; they are displayed floating on the wall, allowing the light reflected on their surfaces and the patterns created by light passing through them, to become active and integral components of their meaning. This element of transparency echoes the fragility of glass, but the objects themselves represent aesthetically strong gestures. Mirroring the spirit of these works, Moyer cites Jean Burden’s poem SECOND SIGHT included in her poetry collection, “The Naked Glass,” which inspired the exhibition’s title.

SECOND SIGHT
Jean Burden

Beloved,
I can see you twice:
another self
hangs luminous above your head,
violet as sun upon the sea
after the sun has set.
The dark cloud of mind
blown by
lets free a second sight:
what you appear to be, and what you are
run toward me in the light.
In sleep and death,
In love,
the shadow springs alive from ground and wall-
the heart
sees double,
if it sees at all.

Sam Moyer’s works are included in prominent collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven; the Morgan Library, New York; the Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris; The Aïshti Foundation, Beirut; and the Davis Museum, Wellesley College, MA. Moyer has exhibited her work at The Drawing Center, New York; The Bass Museum, Miami, FL; University of Albany Art Museum, New York; The Public Art Fund, New York; White Flag Projects and The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, MO; LAND, Los Angeles; and Tensta Konsthall, Stockholm. Moyer has participated in important group exhibitions including, “Inherent Structure,” Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH; “Painting/Object,” The FLAG Art Foundation, New York, NY; "Greater New York" and “Between Spaces” at PS1 Contemporary Art Center, Queens. In 2018 she was the subject of a solo presentation at “Art Basel Unlimited.”

For additional information on Sam Moyer, please visit skny.com.

10% of sales made from Naked as the Glass will be donated to the Women’s Prison Association. The WPA works with women throughout all stages of criminal justice involvement; from providing alternatives to incarceration and helping women living in the community avoid arrest or incarceration by making positive changes in their lives, to being a resource and source of support to them as they plan for release. After incarceration, WPA helps women build the lives they want for themselves and their families in the community.

For press inquiries, please contact Adair Lentini at the gallery 212.239.1181 or via email at Adair@skny.com

For all other inquiries, please contact Lauren Kelly at the gallery 212.239.1181 or via email at Lauren@skny.com