Volta NY at Pier 90

Taking their shared calendar space with the Armory Arts week to the next level, Volta moves to share the location too by hosting at Pier 90 in Hell’s Kitchen, right next to The Armory Show’s spots at Pier 92 and 94. 

Volta’s identity kicks in here and true unique elements of the show stand out. This show wants artists to be artistic. Yes, the mission is to display the artist’s solo projects, but Volta encourages more. It’s about elevating perspective and enhancing experience.

For a moment, imagine walking the floor of Pier 90. Following the map mutes the senses, so it’s all about feel and what’s catching in the moment. Then, there’s a grab. Catching the eye up ahead is a booth glowing white, as if empty. A look to the map shows there is in fact a gallery there – Foley from New York to be accurate. Drawing closer, lines on the wall become visible, white furniture can be spotted and representatives all in white are standing at the ready. This is in fact a show, and the entire booth has been stylized in the manner of Simon Schubert’s collection. Attempting to compete with the pops, props and colors of other spaces, Schubert’s space steps back from that and stands out as an extension of his technique – folds and creases on white paper. Each of his landscapes and portraits are bordered with a detailed white frame made of folds. The lower half of the white paper wall has the impression of wood paneling creased into it. The space has been made to look like a pop-up book ready to rise. 

Loaded with tons of different styles, mediums, techniques and subject matter, Volta has plenty of quality and artistic variation. Dustin Yellin continues to impress New York City with a handful of his three-dimensional, multi-glass layered collages from the Richard Heller Gallery, Per Fhager shows masterful needlepoint technique by creating pixelated landscapes and scenes from video games of the 80s and 90s, and Hiroshi Shinno’s elegant recreations from organic findings are beautifully ethereal.

Volta NY 2015 has guts, and it’s glorious. The layout is a bit ungainly and some exhibitions do clash, but it’s still an exceptional show.

Robert Malone
Photos: Bogdan Seredyak

Volta NY is at Pier 90 until March 8^th 2015, for further information visit here.