Sarah Martin-Nuss: Open Systems
November 11 - December 11, 2023
New York, NY…Prince and Wooster is pleased to present Open Systems, Sarah Martin-Nuss’ first solo exhibition in New York. In Open Systems, Martin-Nuss dissolves the boundaries separating representation from abstraction in a new series of paintings that dematerialize the human form into abstract systems. Exploring the symbiotic relationship between the body and its environment, the paintings question fundamental distinctions between internal and external, self and other.
What is left when the most recognizable aspects of the human figure are dissolved? For Martin-Nuss it is an orchestration of color, line, and space that evokes a sense of exchange, activation, and transformation. These elements converge within a style of painting she has termed transfigurative, which embraces the constant coevolution of the body with other forms of life, the environment, and technology. In transfigurative painting, depictions of the human figure are grounded in the concept of the body as an open system, characterized by its permeability and a continuous exchange of energy and matter with its surroundings.
Throughout the works on view, Martin-Nuss synthesizes painting and drawing, blending formal techniques with gestural improvisations to create distinct visual rhythms. She often overlays soft washes of oil paint with syncopated, hand-drawn pastel notations. On smaller canvases, these notations appear as cryptic indexical tracings, while on larger works, they take on a more fluid and expressive quality. The overall impression is that of an enigmatic exchange in progress, a code awaiting deciphering, an unfamiliar language to be considered. Collectively, they illustrate Martin-Nuss’ deeply personal language of mark-making, and invite exploration of the interplay between expressive marks, representational elements, and even linguistic or mathematical inscriptions.
The body is ever-present in these marks, some of which are made by Martin-Nuss etching, scratching, and drawing directly into the paint with her fingers and nails. This layered, tactile quality generates a dynamic visual effect that responds to even subtle changes in light. Emphasizing a sense of time within the paintings, this layering reflects Martin-Nuss’ fascination with the concept of simultaneity as it relates to metamorphosis, growth, and decay, suggesting that various temporal states–past, present, and future–can coexist within a single visual field.
For Martin-Nuss, this process of metamorphosis is constant and filled with possibility. Throughout Open Systems, she imagines a more empathetic mode of coexistence and shapes a multidimensional exploration of the interconnectedness of life, energy, and the ever-evolving relationship between humans and their environment. By blurring the distinctions that separate representation from abstraction, Martin-Nuss invites viewers to engage with these intricate concepts, challenging the conventional notion of individualized existence.
About Prince & Wooster
Prince & Wooster is a contemporary & modern art gallery founded in 2020 by Leo Rogath. The art space forges a symbiotic dialogue between a contemporary exhibition program and a 20th-century collection. Developed over four decades, the collection is a survey of artworks including modern masters such as René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, David Hockney, Ed Ruscha, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Salvador Dalí, and contemporary visionaries like Alex Katz, Ann Hamilton, Amoako Boafo, George Condo, Gideon Appah, Ivy Haldeman, Rashid Johnson and Tracy Emin. Dedicated to expanding the collection and supporting emerging artists as they reach new milestones in their
career, Prince & Wooster presents a robust program of rotating solo and group exhibitions, culminating in an annual presentation of historic works from the collection paired with newly acquired works from contemporary artists. To date, the gallery has presented solo shows with Nathan Ritterpusch, Yuan Fang, Emily Ferguson, and Sarah Martin-Nuss.
About 143 Wooster
143 Wooster is a 10,000 square-foot gallery in the heart of SoHo’s historic gallery district. A New York City landmark—home to Dia Art Foundation’s Earth Room—the space was purchased from Dia in the 1980s. Prince & Wooster was designed by architects Laurie Hawkinson and Henry Smith-Miller, who won two awards for the project: the AIA Design Award in 1989 and the NYC Landmarks Certificate of Merit in 1992. The architects preserved the original columns, beams and concrete walls that now house the exhibition space for Prince & Wooster’s collection.