Contemporary art takes center stage on Manhattan’s Lower East Side this September with Where We Gather Now, a group exhibition presented by Dolly and Oz Presents at 2 Rivington Street. On view through September 26, the exhibition brings together artists working across photography, painting and sculpture to explore questions of identity, beauty, migration and belonging.
The exhibition brings together South African fashion photographer Lyall Aston, New York artist Jeremy Turpin and Bolivian sculptor Anita Katz. While their artistic practices differ considerably, their work is connected by a shared interest in how people understand themselves and perceive one another.
Aston brings more than two decades of experience in fashion and commercial photography to the exhibition. His career includes campaigns for brands such as GUESS, Macy’s, Free People and Lacoste, along with photographic work featuring prominent figures including Kendall Jenner.
His presentation in New York includes selections from Here You Go, his celebrated solo debut, as well as works from his Post Chaste series. Through photography, Aston examines the visual language of fashion while creating portraits and images that invite viewers to consider identity and representation.
On Wednesday, September 23, the gallery will host an opening reception featuring the work of Turpin and Katz from 6 to 9 p.m.
Turpin’s Good Hair – Bad Hair paintings examine identity and perceptions of beauty through his distinctive acrylic layering technique. His work uses the familiar subject of hair as a starting point for exploring the ways physical appearance can influence how people see themselves and are viewed by others.
Katz approaches the exhibition from a sculptural perspective. The Bolivian artist’s large-scale Threshold series of masks explores migration, transformation and belonging. Her work considers the emotional and cultural transitions associated with movement between places and identities.
Together, the three artists offer different interpretations of a central question: How do we see ourselves and each other more clearly?
The exhibition’s Lower East Side setting adds another dimension to the presentation, placing contemporary work within one of Manhattan’s most recognizable neighborhoods for art, culture and creative experimentation.
Where We Gather Now remains on view through September 26 at 2 Rivington Street. The September 23 reception, featuring Turpin and Katz, offers visitors an opportunity to experience the artists’ work while meeting the creatives behind two of the exhibition’s featured practices.
For art lovers looking to discover emerging and established contemporary voices working across multiple mediums, the exhibition offers a compact look at how photography, painting and sculpture can intersect around universal questions of identity and belonging.