After nearly 30 years, Karen Gibbons is saying farewell to her Gowanus studio with an exhibition and courtyard party this weekend. Showcasing work created in the 1980s and 1990s, Gowanus Retrospective includes drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographs, and collage works inspired by the rapidly changing Brooklyn neighborhood.
“All of these things were done when I was new to this space,” Gibbons said on Wednesday during a preview of her show. Gowanus inspired Gibbons “with lots of interesting wires, antennas, and shapes that you don’t see in other places.” The neighborhood also provided her with an endless supply of materials she’d find on the streets and incorporate into her artwork, such as springs, a plastic floor mat, construction materials, “detritus of life in Gowanus,” according to the artist.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Gibbons moved to NYC where she studied at Pratt and earned her MFA in painting from Hunter College. While a student at Hunter, Gibbons and her husband spotted an advertisement for a four-story industrial building at 280 Nevins Street that housed a stuffed animal factory on the first floor and studio spaces on the upper levels. “It said ‘air-conditioned building near BAM,’” she recalled. “We drove by and said ‘this is not near BAM and that building is not air-conditioned.” The couple eventually went back to check out the building and were “blown away with the amount of space.” In 1984 they moved in, sharing studio space until a dance studio on the second floor became available in the early ‘90s. Gibbons took over the lease for the vast studio and has worked there until this year.
The new space allowed Gibbons to create large-scale sculptures and a series of paintings inspired by the Gowanus landscape. “What interests me is the sky and the buildings,” Gibbons said. “The neighborhood is unusual in that there’s so much sky.” Created in the ‘80s, the paintings illustrate the interactions between the buildings and the sky. They do not represent any specific local landmarks. “They’re more like creatures created from the inspiration of the buildings,” she said of the works. A series of black-and-white photographs also captures glimpses of architectural details around Gowanus—rooftops, smokestacks, and cornices—all seen under those expansive skies.
Looking out of her studio windows inspired Gibbons to create a series of charming paintings featuring pigeons, bestowing grace upon these typically humble creatures. Embodying two of her passions, nature and urban life, the birds share similarities to humans, the artist insists. “We’re like pigeons in a way that we travel in groups and are sort of oblivious to our surroundings. They’re very city creatures.”
In 2019, after years of changing hands, 280 Nevins Street was sold to a developer who plans to convert the building into luxury condos—another sign of gentrification in an area facing the threat of a massive rezoning. “The neighborhood was really kind of dead,” Gibbons recalled of her early years in Gowanus when drugs and prostitution were the area’s main trades. “A lot of the industries were not here.”
“It was just quiet,” Gibbons said of the now bustling neighborhood. “Before, on weekends, nobody walked on Union Street. I would tell people, ‘We’re right by the Union Street Bridge,’ and they would say, ‘Where is that?’ Now I say, ‘We’re near Ample Hills.’” Gibbons began noticing changes in the area about ten years ago, when the Green Building first started hosting weddings and events. “We started seeing people in wedding gowns taking pictures on the bridge…. We were like, ‘this is the end.’”
To prepare for the impending closure of her Nevins Street workspace, Gibbons moved to Red Hook’s TI Art Studios in December 2019. At 350 square feet, her new studio is significantly smaller than her longtime Gowanus space, so the artist needs to pare down. Anyone who purchases a ticket to Gowanus Retrospective will take home a piece of Gibbons’ artwork! What’s more, a majority of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to Arts Gowanus, the non-profit organization that hosts the much-loved Gowanus Open Studios every year.
“I realized that part of what made this studio so vital was having an open studio every year that I could count on,” Gibbons said of the organization. “Also with all the changes in Gowanus and Arts Gowanus’ working to make sure the artists still have a place here, I felt like it was a great match.” Though she might have missed the very first Gowanus Open Studios event, Gibbons believes she “might have participated in every single one.”
While her new studio may be much smaller, it has not slowed Gibbons’ productivity. She had a solo show at 440 Gallery and was part of a group show with the gallery in late 2020. Earlier this year she had a solo show at Sweet Lorraine Gallery. “Now with a different studio and different perspective with the neighborhood changing, my work is changing too,” Gibbons said. “We’ll see where it goes.” When asked whether Red Hook inspires her in the same way Gowanus does, she replied. “Somewhat. It’s quirky and there’s still sky.”
Learn more about Karen Gibbons at karengibbonsart.com.
Karen Gibbons | Gowanus Retrospective
Saturday, June 12, 4pm-8pm (Rain date: June 19)
280 Nevins Street, Gowanus
Ticket prices: $25, $40, $60, $100, $300
See some of the artwork available at each price point at artsgowanus.org.
Purchase tickets here.
Comments