Gustav Hamilton in ‘(m)ad-libs’ at George Adams Gallery

Young Brooklyn-based artist Gustav Hamilton’s paintings in glaze on ceramic slabs have the solidity of sculpture and painting’s capacity to tell a story, making them standouts in George Adams Gallery’s summer group show.  Recurring archways in Hamilton’s work were inspired by Rene Magritte’s transitional states and here, add spatial complexity to what might be a rendering of a bird on a tomb-like slab or a bird seen out the window against a night sky.  Below, a volume titled ‘Guide to Essential Knowledge’ promises to ground readers in fundamental understandings of life. Propped up by Hamilton’s ceramic coffee-cup bookends (which actually exist elsewhere as sculpture) the artist mixes profundity and lightheartedness.  (On view in Tribeca through Aug 19th).

Gustav Hamilton, A Brief History, glazed ceramic, 16 ¼ x 13 x 2 ¼ inches, 2019 – 2021.

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Merrily Kerr

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)