NADA House 2022

Rachel Uffner Gallery is pleased to participate in the 2022 iteration of the NADA House exhibition with Shelter, an installation by Erica Mao. Mao, who works in a variety of media from drawing, to painting, to sculpture, will present new freestanding and wall hanging ceramic sculptures. Spanning the front porch and the entryway, Mao’s ceramic works will reflect on the regional mythologies that inhabit Governors Island and reimagine the land and our relationship to it.

Mao’s freestanding sculptures will take the form of abandoned and weathered structures, gnarled tree trunks, and pockets of rocky earth. Tucked away in corners and on window sills the sculptures will seem to naturally inhabit the crumbling interior and outdoor spaces.

The wall hanging ceramics will depict pseudo-biblical compositions of desolate, forested, landscapes. Each is populated with an enigmatic figure or a group of figures, on journeys in search of shelter or salvation. Mao leaves the audience to imagine possible catalysts which led to the moments played out in her work. There is an acknowledgement of both natural disasters and social consequences of shifting populations and economic circumstances.