Flush Gallery & Hercules Art Studio Program presents | Moral Injury
[August 22nd, 2024 - August 29th, 2024 ]
Opening Reception: Thursday 22nd, 6-8 PM.
Appointment ONLY: August 23rd through August 29th, 2-6 PM.
For more information, and to schedule an appointment please contact flushgallery@gmail.com
The exhibition Moral Injury explores the diverse perspectives and techniques of artists working across painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media. Drawing upon Susan Sontag's seminal work, Regarding the Pain of Others, the exhibition examines the portrayal of suffering and conflict in our image-saturated era. Sontag's critique of observing others' pain from a position of safety and privilege, extended into the digital age, prompts us to reflect on how we engage with these images without becoming passive observers.
Moral Injury addresses psychological, spiritual, and emotional harm that arises from exposure to actions or events that conflict with one's moral beliefs. This exhibition aims to counteract numbness and apathy by offering a different perspective on suffering. Each work reflects the artist's unique experience of suffering, emphasizing that form is not a passive reception but an active method of processing pain and making meaning.
By delving into how pain and suffering are represented through various forms and practices, Moral Injury challenges viewers to confront their responses and the ethics of depicting suffering. The exhibition invites a reflective engagement with artworks from diverse cultural and historical contexts, fostering a deeper understanding of how suffering is portrayed and perceived.
How do we continue to care for what we do not live through and witness with our own eyes? This question frames our exploration, urging viewers to examine their own roles in engaging with the pain of others.
Proceeds from the submissions and zine purchases will go towards the INARA Rapid Gaza Relief Fund.
Flush Curator: Elle Gillette
Hercules Curator/Organizer: Moss Y. Loke O’Connor
Communications & Tech Manager: Tim Kastelijns
Artists: Bruce Morrow, Basharat Ali Syed, Erin O’Flynn, Gia Abucejo, William Broich, Monica Tiulescu, Nour Z, Daliah Ammar, Noah Tavlin, Delia Cadman, Daniel Pravit Fethke, Noormah Jamal, and Sara Zielinski.
About Flush Gallery: Flush is an independent artist-run gallery for *emerging* artists. Flush plays off the idea of a sudden rush of intense emotion. It also is a pun-the original space of the first show which took place in Elle’s bathroom in the East Village. We exist to curate shows from the artist's perspective- at Flush, we're all about site-specific installations. Whether it's a classic white box gallery, the public loos of Tompkins Square, or the Guggenheim Museum's 4th-floor restroom, we're intrigued by the interplay between art and its surroundings. Our goal with Flush is to have a complete immersive experience with art in its setting. We prioritize the art, not what goes in the pocket $$$.
About Hercules Art Studio Program: The Hercules Art|Studio Program was co-founded by Claire Weisz and Andrea Woodner to encourage and enable talented emerging artists to pursue their careers in New York. It provides seven subsidized private work studios, shared exhibition and meeting spaces, and full amenities to selected artists on a two year basis.
Noah Tavlin, Charmander in the Jordan Valley, 2022