Positioned on the floor of Mendes Wood DM’s new Tribeca gallery space, Brazilian artist Paulo Nazareth’s water-filled glass vessels and sand-filled ceramic dishes look vulnerable to a careless visitor’s foot, yet each one is a container for something more fragile – a tiny replica of a ship. Accompanied by a cast-iron sink, its top painted with a globe, the vases, jugs, glasses and dishes appear to represent travel on the earth’s land and seas; the term ‘nau’ in the title referring to the masted sailing ships used from the 14th century by the Portuguese. Fragile and toy-like, the small boats recall child’s play, but given the artist’s fascination with travel from the Middle Passage to the present day, the piece also carries the weight of history. (On view through June 10th.)
Paulo Nazareth, Barquinho sem titulo (da serie nau fragil)[Little boat untitled (from nau fragil series)], installation with glassware, bathroom sink and handmade boats, variable dimensions, 2007.
Merrily Kerr is an art critic and writer based in New York. For more than 20 years, Merrily has published in international art magazines including Time Out New York, Art on Paper, Flash Art, Art Asia Pacific, Art Review, and Tema Celeste in addition to writing catalogue essays and guest lecturing. Merrily teaches art appreciation at Marymount Manhattan College and has taught for Cooper Union Continuing Education.
For more than a decade Merrily has crafted personalized tours of cultural discovery in New York's galleries and museums for individuals and groups, including corporate tours, collectors, artists, advertising agencies, and student groups from Texas Woman's University, Parsons School of Design, Chicago's Moody Institute, Cooper Union Continuing Education, Hunter College Continuing Education and other institutions. Merrily's tours have been featured in The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Sydney Morning Herald and Philadelphia Magazine.
Merrily is licensed by New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs as a tour guide and is a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA USA)
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