The Church is proud to announce the opening of its spring exhibition Empire of Water on March 26, 2022 from 6-8PM. Given the effects of climate change, the global need for clean water, and the specific issues on the East End of Long Island the topic of water is timely and important. The Church will explore this subject through the mediation of contemporary artists in the exhibition and a diverse series of related programs. In the exhibition, the theme of water is depicted as a natural element, a scientific subject, an issue of social justice, an historical factor, an ecological question, an aesthetic tradition, a metaphor, and a simple necessity for the existence of life on Earth.
Eric Fischl, cofounder of The Church, says of the exhibition, “Water, water everywhere is what you will see when you visit Empire of Water. We’ve pulled together 44 artists who have found a wide range of creative and surprising ways to express aspects of our complex relationship to this liquid which covers most of the earth’s surface and dominates so much of our history of exploration, commerce, conquest, and survival. This magical and mundane substance has occupied the creative and spiritual imagination since man began to make images and sounds. It is our hope that the audience, so familiar with this subject, will find works of art that surprise, impress, provoke and amuse them in utterly new ways.”
The exhibition includes 47 artworks by 44 artists in a variety of mediums including painting, photography, sculpture, and digital work, bringing together established and emerging artists in the area and from across the globe. Their artworks represent and use the theme of water in a myriad of ways: artists like Doug Aitken, Linda K. Alpern, Reneke Dijkstra, and Sally Mann address its place in leisure; Daniel Beltra, Scott Bluedorn, Edward Burtynsky, Liza Lou, and Andy Warhol find beauty, horror, and humor in the realities of pollution; Tonico Lemos Aud, Cappy Amundsen, Paton Miller, and Duke Riley reflect on the traditions of those who live by the sea; and John Alexander, Ross Bleckner, Jim Campbell, Vija Celmins, Thornton Dial, April Gornik, Lawren Harris, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Longo, Clifford Ross, and Hiroshi Sugimoto create compelling images of waterscapes.
Concluding the opening reception, the exhibition will be up from March 27th - May 30th, 2022 with our doors open to the public Wednesday - Sunday 12-5!
