5-50 Gallery is proud to present BQE, a group exhibition featuring five artists whose practices reflect the vibrant, diverse artistic communities of Brooklyn and Queens. On view from September 21 to October 27, 2024, BQE brings together unique interpretations of form, texture, and narrative, with each artist remaining united through their shared geography.
The show title references the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, and serves as a metaphor for the complex, intertwined relationships between the artists and their urban environments. Much like the expressway physically connects the two boroughs, this exhibition shows the cultural and creative exchange happening within Brooklyn and Queens. The expressway itself, a conduit for movement and connection, mirrors the fluidity and cross-pollination of ideas between the artworks in the show.
Presenting a single painting, Michael MacDonald's work is characterized by a heightened sense of volume and a surreal, uncanny atmosphere. Known for his vivid use of color and flattened textures, MacDonald creates scenes that feel both playful and sinister. This visual paradox compels viewers to linger, searching for narrative answers that remain tantalizingly out of reach. In this work, the painter invites us to experience a specific emotional tenor rather than a clear-cut narrative—a glimpse into surreal worlds where faceless figures and familiar objects distort and unravel.
Herry Koo contributes a series of four drawings rooted in his exploration of indigenous patterns and personal symbolism. His graphic design background is evident in the meticulous attention to pattern and texture, yet his works retain a sense of spontaneity. Koo's balanced use of geometry and abstraction is emblematic of the duality present in much of his work: precise yet playful. The delicate color palette and intricate details of his drawings evoke a sense of movement and organic evolution, inviting viewers to follow the patterns' transformations across each piece.
David Smith's contributions to the exhibition include four wall pieces and a site-specific sculpture. His work engages with cultural memory and material transformation, deconstructing familiar imagery and reassembling it into disorienting yet comforting forms. Smith's use of fabric-based photo-sculpture challenges the traditional boundaries of painting and sculpture, blending digital and analog techniques to create works that straddle both realms. The sculpture, a vivid green, knotted form, feels both absurd and elegant, capturing the tension between control and chaos that defines much of his practice.
Amelia Brigg's textile-based works and paintings offer an introspective view of psychological and physical boundaries. Drawing inspiration from anatomy and botanical forms, her pieces evoke a sense of organic growth constrained by subtle, clear limits. Amelia's use of soft colors and fluid shapes invites the viewer to explore the delicate interplay between freedom and restraint. Her wall hangings in particular suggest both shelter and containment, mirroring the inner tension between desire for growth and the comfort of security.
Christopher Yockey’s sculptural and two-dimensional works investigate the intersection of industrial processes and the digital age. His drawings—derived from photographs of organic forms—undergo digital manipulation, resulting in abstract, layered compositions that challenge viewers' perceptions of depth and form. His practice questions the changing value of craftsmanship in an era increasingly dominated by technology, drawing parallels between the physicality of traditional sculpture and the immateriality of digital processes.
The title BQE is a nod to the artists' connections to Brooklyn and Queens, two boroughs known for their rich cultural and creative landscapes. The show does not offer a definitive statement on the "Brooklyn-Queens" identity but rather presents a collection of perspectives that invite reflection on the intersections of place, process, and form. Together, these works form a dialogue about materiality, the digital-analog divide, and the emotional resonance of space and form.