Established Gallery is pleased to present Chimeras, a solo exhibition by Manju Shandler. The exhibition will be on view from October 6th thru October 29th, with an opening reception on Friday, October 6th from 6:30 - 9pm.
Shandler creates symbolic art that speaks to current events. Building upon established storylines from history, myth, and contemporary culture, her mixed media artworks create a richly layered narrative reflective of our dense and complicated times.
The Chimera is a monster in Greek mythology composed of dispirit parts, but over time the meaning has evolved to become a thing that is desired but impossible to achieve.This series of mixed media paintings on canvas use imagery from Americana, the zodiac, and film stills as a stepping off place reflective of nature’s wonder and the challenges of climate change, political corruption, and weight of history. This watery dystopia is rife with political symbolism and wistful magical realism.
These richly layered canvases are built by using photo transfers, acrylic paint, stitching, antique lace, buttons, fabric, and vintage patches. The imagery is assembled through original photography, images of historical monuments, and barrowed texture from etchings from the 16th and 17th centuries.
About the artist
Manju Shandler is a visual artist and theatre designer based in Brooklyn, NY.
Manju Shandler has had solo shows at Corte Dell’Arte in Venice Italy, Brown University's Sarah Doyle Gallery for Feminist Art, The Hammond Museum, The Honfleur Gallery, The Governor’s Island Art Fair, The Bergdorf Goodman Store Windows and group shows at The Pelham Art Center, The Untitled Space, Denise Bibro Fine Art Gallery Ho, The ISE Cultural Foundation and throughout the US, Amsterdam, Berlin, Tel Aviv and Hong Kong. She regularly shows in her community of Brooklyn, NY.
Manju Shandler was selected as a NYFA Artist/Entrepreneur and received the University of Rhode Island’s Sea Grant for Visual Artists, The Art Asset Award from The ISE Cultural Foundation, and was selected for The Art Sprinter Award.
From 2016-2018 The National September 11th Memorial & Museum exhibited 850 paintings from Manju Shandler's 3,000 piece painting installation, GESTURE, in Rendering The Unthinkable: Artists Respond to 9/11 an exhibition honoring the 15th anniversary of this tragedy.
Manju Shandler's Puppet/Costume Design has been featured at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, PS 122, The LABA Theatre and at Radio City Music Hall. She has received an Emmy Nomination, Innovative Theatre Award, a Jim Henson Foundation Grant and was an Emerging Artist at the Eugene O’Neill Puppetry Conference. She is one of the original sculptors of masks and puppetry for The Lion King on Broadway.
She has a B.A. in Performing Visual Art from Bennington College (1995).