Sotheby’s Institute of Art Presents: Interwoven Souls: United in Loneliness (Opening Reception)

Sotheby’s Institute of Art is pleased to present Interwoven Souls: United in Loneliness, curated by Valentine Botteri, Kanishka Porwal, and Monica Zhang.

Featuring works by Timothy Bair, Mitsuko Brooks, Aleah Chapin, Nazli Efe, Hannah Ehrlich, Nava Gidanian-Kagan, Tom Prinsell, Youyi Echo Yan, and DW Zinsser, the exhibition aims to explore the universal dichotomy between human connection and isolation.

Interwoven Souls: United in Loneliness brings together the diverse expressions of nine artists, each articulating their unique reactions to this conflicting world of unity and isolation. Through varied mediums - from painting, drawing, woodcraft, and metal forging to digital design and molding – this group of artists translate their spiritual perceptions into tangible forms, offering a multifaceted reflection on the very nature of individualism and interconnectedness.

In her iconic "mail art," Mitsuko Brooks uses postcards and letters to craft narratives recalling childhood memories and shedding light on historical racial violence. By repurposing postal ephemera from the past, Brooks's work reveals intersectional connections between the marginalized and breathes new perspective into a collective process of healing. Departing from her realist figurative pieces, Aleah Chapin's new introspective self-portraits explore the liminal space between physical form and ephemeral spirit. Through meditative drawing and photographing her own discovered poses, Chapin creates multifaceted oil paintings merging these images with abstraction and natural scenes, articulating emotional truths through the interplay of presence and absence. Drawing inspiration from Rousseau's Second Discourse, Youyi Echo Yan's research research-driven installations investigate the idea of mutated physicality and cognition of the body across philosophy, zoology, anthropology, and eroticism. Through imaginative mixed media sculptures, Yan probes the precarious balance between our fundamental aloneness and our deep longing for human connection.

Amidst the revival of individualism catalyzed by late capitalism in our post-pandemic awakening, Interwoven Souls invites the viewer to rediscover the enduring interconnectedness of humanity, forging bonds of unity to counter the loneliness of our time. This exhibition not only serves as a mirror reflecting our contemporary state but a magnifying lens that amplifies the recurring whispers of history.

Join us for the opening reception on Thursday, November 16th, 2023, 6:00 – 9:00 PM EST.

Location: Sotheby’s Institute of Art, 570 Lexington Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, New York, 10022
Exhibition Dates: November 16 – November 28, 2023
RSVP: yz2279@sia.edu
Visit by appointment.

Art credits:
Artist name: Nazli Efe (b. 1989)
Title: Cyprus (Diving Off From The Same Rock and Defeating My Father in The Swimming Race Every Summer), 2022
Material: Beeswax, resin, hair, glass vessel, rock, Water, seaweed, oil sticks, silicone
Size:12 x 31 x 28 in.