LONG ISLAND CITY — More than 20 artists will display their work at a new exhibit in Queens that looks at crucial moments in their lives — including an installation by two artists displaced by Hurricane Sandy.
"BRINK" opened Thursday night at the Conception Gallery, a new art space on the fourth floor of the Falchi Building in Long Island City, with works focused on being on the brink, organizers said.
"Just really being at the threshold of some kind of catastrophe or a critical point, where you either kind of survive or surrender, or sink or you swim," said curator Rachel Wilkins.
Among the works is an installation by Eddie Rehm and Kenneth Ian Husband, two artists and longtime friends whose home in Patchogue, Long Island was flooded during Hurricane Sandy, including their studio in the backyard.
"As soon as Hurricane Sandy had hit, it didn't become about the art...it just became about the struggle and trying to survive," Rehm said.
Their piece, called "Misappropriation of a Modern Artifact," is an "interactive reconstruction" of the former art studio, made with original materials they dismantled from the space, complete with water stains on the sheetrock.
"So many people are still affected by it, it's not just us," Rehm said of the superstorm, which struck two years ago this month. "So many people had to walk away from their homes."
He said he wants the message of their piece to be one of "inspiration and hope."
"It doesn't matter how bad it gets. You can pull yourself out of some amazing situations," he said.
Other works featured in "BRINK" include a series of paintings by Stephen Hall that explore guns in America, inspired by the tragedy of the Sandy Hook shooting — including a traditional fruit bowl still life where the bowl is instead filled with weapons.
Photographer Sarah Anna Hansen will show her images of women in water, which are a reflection on her experiences working in the corporate world, according to Wilkins.
"It's really powerful, the work in the show. It's blown us away," she said.
"BRINK" is the first show for the new Conception Gallery, a 13,000-square-foot space in the Falchi Building. The property, at 31-00 47th Ave., is owned by Jamestown — the same name behind Manhattan's Chelsea Market — and has been recently revamped to include art exhibits and food vendors.
Wilkins has worked in Long Island City before, organizing an arts festival in the neighborhood in June.
"We love it — I just see so much potential around there," she said of the location."There's not another neighborhood we’d rather be in."
Conception Gallery is located on the fourth floor of the Falchi Building at 31-00 47th Ave. in Long Island City. "BRINK" will be open for viewing until the end of October on Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m., and by appointment other days. To make an appointment, email info@conceptionevents.com.
