STAFF PICKS : First Edition

Dear Art Lover,

We are pleased to present a curated selection of personal favorites from David Nolan Gallery's artist program and collection.

As insiders who are immersed in the daily life of the gallery, we are in a unique position to connect intimately with the works we showcase. This selection reflects the pieces that have inspired and resonated with us most. While this initiative may evolve into something entirely new over time, for now, it's about sharing the works that we love and admire.

We hope you enjoy exploring this collection as much as we enjoyed curating it for you.

Cheers,
Antoine, Gabriella, and Tharini 

"The group of works I’ve selected leaves me questioning—what exactly is happening here?

Whether it’s Le Va’s expansive felt floor piece, Fish’s small and meticulous drawing, or Kendrick’s intricate sculpture, one can sense an underlying process organizing the works—yet it remains elusive and difficult to fully decipher.

It is that space between what I can sense but cannot fully articulate that keeps me returning to these artists’ works.

And still, just as we begin to grasp the process, the works stay one step ahead, preserving part of their mystery and sense of open-endedness."

"These selections come from admiration rather than analysis (heart, as opposed to the head), though everything—feelings and emotions, conversations, books, the internet, dreams, thoughts through the ether—flows together. Tracing origins feels like an exercise of futility; ideas emerge and intertwine.

A few influences:

• David's mention of Burke's A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful while I was reading about Abhinavagupta’s interpretation of the Rasa theory in Indian aesthetics. 

Subtlety is a phenomenon. One could almost miss it. It doesn’t demand attention but invites one in; it doesn’t overwhelm, but lingers and unfolds slowly in silence. The word subtle stems from the Latin sub- (“under”) and tela (“web”), suggesting delicacy and hidden depth. Sublime derives from sublimis (“high” or “elevated”), implying transcendence beyond human grasp. The following works embody both—the quiet and intricate, the vast and meditative.