Art as an Antidote: Three New York Exhibitions on Repair and Reconnection

2 hours ago7 min read

In a cultural moment defined by fracture, New York's art world offers a powerful counter-narrative focused on intimacy and healing. Three distinct exhibitions provide a layered exploration of how art can mend, reconnect, and soothe.At the Goodman Gallery, Kader Attia’s 'The Repair: From the Occident to Extra-Occidental Territories' presents a rigorous, philosophical investigation. Moving beyond simple restoration, Attia uses the act of repair—stitching broken objects with brass or porcelain—as a radical political metaphor.His work confronts the deep scars of colonialism, arguing that true healing requires acknowledging historical rupture to create a new, more complex whole. It is a demanding, intellectually potent call to re-examine the foundations of our world.Offering a different path is Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum’s 'A Prayer for the Unfinished' at the Stevenson Gallery. Sunstrum crafts a mythic, speculative universe where her alter-ego, Asme, navigates lush landscapes where the human body merges with geology and the cosmos.The intimacy here is cosmic; healing is framed not as fixing a broken object, but as mending a disconnected spirit through re-enchantment with the natural world. Her work is a balm for the soul, proposing that wholeness is found in sacred connection.Providing a timeless counterpoint is 'Monet’s Water Lilies: The Late Years' at the Museum of Modern Art. Far from being a mere retreat into beauty, these late works, painted amid personal grief and a world war, are a profound testament to perseverance.Monet’s immersive, meditative studies of his Giverny pond represent a disciplined practice of looking—an intimate communion with light, color, and the passage of time that offers its own quiet, powerful form of solace. Together, these shows form a compelling triad: Attia provides the critical scalpel, Sunstrum the mythic balm, and Monet the enduring model of a healing gaze.

#featured

#New York City

#art exhibitions

#Kader Attia

#Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum

#Monet

#intimacy

#healing

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