Collective Health
Collar Works, Troy New York, 2021
Group Exhibition curated by Rachel Frank.
“A pair of evanescent pieces by Julie Ann Nagle remind us how important the physical presence of art can be. The almost life-size sculpture “Heartbeats” gives us a seated woman made of painted epoxy clay, with living plants growing under a surreal glow light, visible from behind and through the dark torso. She bends tenderly, a kind of fertility symbol, and the purple and pink flowers gush against the near-black green of the painted skin. Nearby, the acrylic painting “Blaze” resembles a smoky fire at first, but it becomes an orange effusion of flowers under what can also be seen as a head of hair.”
”Disquieting works from Julie Ann Nagle are some of the first works to confront viewers. In one, titled “Heartbeats,” a sculpture of a woman, painted from head to toe with green leafy patterns, gives birth to something plant-like, bathed in neon purple light. Dirt covers the floor below her as she holds the bundle about to tumble out of her stomach…
…Nagle and Brewer’s works would have seemed relevant well before the pandemic, but they’ve taken on a greater sense of immediacy today, in the midst of the pandemic.”
