Muyassar Kurdi
LOVE IS BLUE
August 31 - September 22, 2023
Opening Reception: Thursday, August 31, 2023 at 6PM
Curated by Yvena Despagne
New York, NY, August 31, 2023 – La MaMa Galleria is honored to present Love Is Blue. Love is Blue, a solo exhibition by Brooklyn-based artist Muyassar Kurdi, is an interdisciplinary exhibition which meets at the intersection of film, photography, and painting - blurring the lines and connecting across modalities. At the center of these cinematic works is embodiment, liberation, and a process of decolonization through the lens of an Arab-American woman. It presents a meditation on the color blue, literally and figuratively, and aims to move beyond borders and walls. Experimentation, intuition, and improvisation is at its heart, stepping into the unknown: a ritual and an act of rebellion.
Love is Blue presents aliveness across mediums that emanates empowerment and freedom. Analog photographs paired as diptychs explore nature in relation to the body by pulling the viewer into intimate spaces juxtaposed with vast open landscapes. The geography of the body, boundless, shameless, an attempt at reclaiming her narrative. "Love is Blue", a song by the jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby, adds to the musicality behind this exhibition displaying large-scale oil paintings with sounding gestures and featuring graphic scores that were recently performed at Roulette Intermedium as part of Kurdi’s 2022-23 artist residency. This will be Muyassar Kurdi’s first solo exhibition at La MaMa Galleria.
For press inquiries, images and interview request, please contact the gallery at
lamamagalleria@gmail.com
PROGRAM:
Artist Talk with Muyassar Kurdi
Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 4:00pm
Moderated by Art Jones and Anna Lustberg
Join artist Muyassar Kurdi for a conversation about Love Is Blue with moderators Art Jones and Anna Lustberg, with lively dialogues on her works of art on view in the galleria.
Free Admission
La MaMa Galleria 47 Great Jones Street
BODY POETICS: Voice, Movement, and Improvisation Workshop (1hr 30min)
Saturday, September 16, 2023 at TBA
Instructor: Muyassar Kurdi
Muyassar Kurdi’s workshop focuses on the relationship between body and voice with an emphasis on awareness through movement, spontaneity, and meditative improvisation. Participants will explore sound and movement through exercises built on trust, deep listening, and slow, concentrated, ‘soul’-generated theatrics.
Admission: Adults 18+ | $25 per person
Note: Advanced registration is required. Space is limited; first come, first served. Participants should bring water and wear comfortable clothing. No previous training necessary, all are welcome.
La MaMa Galleria 47 Great Jones Street
“With my growing interest in color theory and movement, I can begin to connect these modes [through creating large-scale oil paintings]. There is a lot of freedom there, but still with a great love of form, intention, and presence.”
– Muyassar Kurdi, as told on Dada Strain
Photo Credit: Steven Baboun