WILLIAMSBURG — It's been 19 months since 30-year-old artist Mathieu Lefevre was struck and killed on his bicycle by a truck in East Williamsburg. And now, for the first time since his tragic death, the public will have a chance to view his creations.
The work of the Canadian native and former 3rd Ward Arts Collective member will be spotlighted in a solo show arranged by his friends and fellow artists.
The exhibition will revive both previously viewed work and pieces from his studio that have never been released, said curators from Regina Rex Gallery in Ridgewood, which is holding the show.
Artist Alhena Katsof, a friend of Lefevre, said his parents asked her to arrange a show in New York to present his pieces after he died.
"When my husband and I moved to New York a couple of years ago, Benny and Mathieu became fast friends, riding bikes together and sharing time in the studio, talking about art," Katsof said of her and her husband's friendship with Lefevre.
The show, called "The Stuff Things are Made of," is both a chance to honor Lefevre's memory and a look at his theme that questioned notions of "bad" art through "slap-stick execution," the gallery's press release said. Words, images and sculptures play into his work with pieces like his reconstructed "Monument to Indecision," which presents a "dilemma of where to begin" in the process of creation.
"The aim for the exhibition was to present Mathieu's work in New York, in an artist-centric venue that produces thoughtful exhibitions," Katsof said. "Regina Rex was a perfect fit. Their consideration of the work and the process of working with them has been super important."
The show opens Saturday, May 18, 7 to 10 p.m. at Regina Rex Gallery on 17-17 Troutman Street in Ridgewood.
