Presents
Toxicity 
Saturday May 25th - Sunday June 23rd
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 25th 6-8pm 
Curated by Aimee Hertog
In the Main Gallery

  
       "Toxicity" presents the work of artists who deal with toxicity, in physical as well as societal manifestations, as a contemporary condition. Numerous poisons produced in laboratories cause   distress, disease and death, with proliferation causing the world to live in a perpetual state of toxicity (and anxiety). Humanity is increasingly endangered by the consequences of out-of-control patriarchal power as well as corporate and personal greed that has emerged from the “money-to-be-made” by inflicting misery on society. As an example, in the future governments may regulate home gardens, keeping individuals from harvesting their own seeds so that “food” corporations can take over the world’s food supply with products that have been shown to cause organ failure and infertility as well as cancer. Our bodies are a battleground in the struggle to maintain our physical and mental health. The seven artists selected for the exhibition “Toxicity” utilize various media including sculpture, painting, photography, installation and performance to present diverse views on the subject of toxicity in both its mental and physical manifestations. The goal of each artist is to expose the toxicity that humanity must confront daily and to bring increased attention to the cataclysmic conditions in which we live.

Participating Artists:

Debra Friedkin, Max Glaser, Aimee Hertog, April Zanne Johnson, Robin M. Jordan, Greg Leshé and Ventiko

 PERFORMANCE BY "SYLVIA DEAN AND ME" DURING RECEPTION.

         
In the Small Gallery
One person show by Shoko Miki, Environmental Artist
"The Great Mother Nature"
 
 EARTH : There is "ART" in the middle of the planet = eARTh !

 "Through my art works, I would like to offer a breathing space for everyone, where one can relax and feel the sense of wonder in that the Great Mother Nature connects us all - connects art and the earth. As an environmental artist, besides installation pieces I create works made of natural materials, such as tree’s branches, charcoal, soil, natural rice papers and recycled coffee bean bags of Fair Trade etc. I also take photographs. The photos are casual snapshots seen everywhere in our everyday life. People might consider them as “trivial,” or “having no value,” but to me it has meaning, because it is the part of the Mother Nature. The Great Mother Nature comforts us and heals our soul. 
With its’ strong healing power the Great Mother Nature gives rebirth to even once badly wounded living beings and gives them a new life. 
        

Fukushima in Spring, 2013

 The catastrophic tragedy of Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant caused by earthquakes and a Tsunami on March 11, 2011 has become well known around the world I made a special trip there this spring to see how our Mother Nature has been treating the severely wounded nature. I could only view the scenes from the no-entry zone Hirono within the 20-kilometer radius of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant’. What I saw astounded me! 

     Plants such as cherry trees, horsetails, ferns, and many others, keep growing out there even though the soil is contaminated. But, fleeting and transient tiny lives seemed to be crying for something.  I wonder if the day will come when children, who were born and used to live and play around their homeland may return. I wonder if the cherry trees in Fukushima which used to entertain the citizens and visitors with their full bloom every spring will bloom once again 100 years later. 
Everything on our precious earth does depend upon us humans. We are part of nature and we coexist with nature. We cannot destroy our planet, Earth. The future of our planet will depend on human beings and how science can help preserve nature. It seems a silent voice is telling us " We will be waiting for you all whenever you come back! ".

* Incidentally I would like to mention that cherry trees blooming annually in Washington DC. were brought from Japan 101 years ago, as a gift from the Japanese government as the symbol of friendship between the two nations, USA and Japan." 

 The WAH Center is a Brooklyn-based non-profit organization founded in 1996 by artist and philanthropist Yuko Nii. It is a multifaceted, multicultural art center whose mission is to coalesce the diverse artistic community and create a bridge between local, national and international artists, as well as emerging and established artists of all disciplines. The WAH Center is housed in New York City Landmark Kings County Savings Bank, built in 1867, and on the National Register of Historic Places. To learn more visit:


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