Glen Cove, NY - October 10, 2016 - Hersh Fine Art, of the Long Island Academy of Fine Art, is pleased to be exhibiting a solo show of recent paintings by museum-exhibited artist Manu Saluja. Passage: Paintings of Urban Life will be on view from November 5 - December 6, 2016. An opening reception will be held on November 5th from 6-8pm.
"Transfer I," Oil on canvas, 2016. Photo By Michael Korol.
Saluja’s current work depicts fleeting moments from her commute to and from Manhattan. The oil paintings are about the claustrophobic crowds, corroded steel and soiled walls she encounters each day in New York City’s underground subway. Rather than make the work feel as forlorn, she chooses to paint the beauty and resilience she sees in these ordinary moments and objects with visual excitement.
"Green I," Oil on canvas, 2016. Photo By Michael Korol.
The work ranges from portraits to combinations of abstraction and realism. Saluja employs a variety of dynamic brushwork, from loose, chromatic drips and thick strokes to subdued and refined expressions of light over form. Some of her work, such as Red I, and Green I lean more towards the abstract. At first glance one is struck by a kaleidoscope of color and complex textures and, at closer view, sees that they are looking at torn layers of oxidized, rusted paint on steel girders. In work such as Transfer, Saluja paints light as it flows over soiled, cracked walls to reveal subtle hues and dramatic shadows with the same grace it would a garden or Cathedral.
"Red I," Oil on canvas, 2016. Photo By Michael Korol.
Passage I is set to join the traveling museum exhibition titled “Women Painting Women: In Earnest” which is slated to begin in the Spring of 2017. The artist’s hope is that the paintings can serve as metaphors for strength amidst challenge.
About the Artist:
Manu Saluja is a classically trained artist whose work has been exhibited at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the Reach Gallery Museum in British Columbia. Her work has been included in numerous group shows, and her paintings prominently featured in Robert Lieberman’s 2011 Canadian film “Breakaway”. She was raised on Long Island, attended North Shore Middle School and graduated from the School of the Holy Child in Old Westbury. She earned her BFA from the School of Visual Arts and her MFA from the New York Academy of Art in Manhattan. She now lives in Kew Gardens, Queens and her studio is in Harlem.
Saluja’s work hangs in public and private collections in the US, Canada, London, Scotland and India. Her work has been included in numerous group shows. Her paintings are prominently featured in Robert Lieberman’s 2011 Canadian film “Breakaway.” In addition to her own work, she has been a commissioned portrait artist since 1998. Saluja trained with John Frederick Murray at the School of Visual Arts and received her MFA from the New York Academy of Art.
Saluja currently teaches drawing and painting at the Long Island Academy of Fine Art in Glen Cove, NY, and is adjunct faculty in the Continuing Studies program at the New York Academy of Art.
From Hersh Fine Art:
“Hersh Fine Art, of the Long Island Academy of Fine Art, is dedicated to exhibiting contemporary works of art—drawings, paintings, and sculpture—of the highest quality. We partner with artists from around the country, with a wide variety of backgrounds, disciplines, and styles, to bring vital new work to Glen Cove and to greater Long Island. We value artistic training and a sincere love of craft, and we seek out work that is compelling and meaningful, as well as beautiful.”
Passage: Paintings of Urban Life will run from November 5 through December 6, 2016, with a gallery reception on November 5 from 6-8pm. For details please refer to www.hershfineart.com or contact Rebecca Forster at 516-590-4324 or email.