Robert Davis and Esther Ruiz on the water bed at New Release gallery“This show has a dated mystery to it,” says Robert Davis while laying on a twin sized waterbed with fellow artist Esther Ruiz, surrounded by pink neon lights, mirrors, flickering candles, and dark, wooden furniture. Had it been the 1970s this could have been the set for a great minimalist art porno, but inside the the one-room gallery, Davis and Ruiz’s new show gives off a glow that is more of a nostalgic, inviting warmth than a tacky, tasteless heat.Waterbed interviews part 1 happening now
A photo posted by New Release (@newreleasegallery) on Jan 11, 2016 at 3:42pm PST
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Erin Goldberger in her new Chinatown gallery, New ReleaseAs soon as you enter the rickety storefront, which was an abandoned VHS video store and dance studio before it was a hip gallery, the sense of place is overwhelming. Though, it’s hard to tell exactly where and when that place is. A huge canvas, stretched to be the size of one wall, shows a giant monarch butterfly painted in ash, while the opposite wall holds a smooth, white sculpture, dressed delicately with a sliver of glowing neon light. Davis’ dark wood furniture, including the rippling waterbed and a carved totem with a mohawk of burning candles, make the gallery into an retro living room of clashing eras, while Ruiz’s neons and mirrors take us into a near future, toying constantly with light and dark.A photo posted by mollygottschalk (@mollygottschalk) on Jan 10, 2016 at 6:23pm PST
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Esther Ruiz neon sculpture“I’ve always been interested in hijacking the domestic,” says Davis, who considers himself a painter, using relatable but unexpected materials like wine and leather in his work. “Growing up I always built stuff with wood, it’s in my DNA. It’s personal without being autobiographical, and I wanted to make furniture for this show so that you could sit down and reflect.” Laying down on the water bed, suddenly weightless, it’s easy to get hypnotized by the glowing works around you, including a large plank of wood mounted on the ceiling donning the title of the show, The Dark Clicks On, a line from a poem by Michael Robbins.A photo posted by Cecilia A.S. (@spaceeceecee) on Jan 10, 2016 at 4:28pm PST
Pink Well, Esther Ruiz“It was something that immediately hit me,” says Ruiz about the poem, which Davis shared when they first met. “I wrote it down and put it in my studio. It just made sense.” Ruiz’s sculptures, though experimenting with light and color, are not flashy. They almost blend in with the space the way neon signs are an omnipresent element of Chinatown. Only the mirror piece, titled Pink Well and hanging across from the bed, became a specifically interactive element as a perfect art selfie station. ”I usually hang these mirrors above eye level so they aren’t functional,” she explains, but in this circumstance the functionality fit the vibe."A photo posted by Art Observed (@artobserved) on Jan 11, 2016 at 2:47pm PST
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Robert Davis ash paintingAll the works together have an inviting glow of nostalgia, urging the viewer to reminisce. “I like when people can relate to a piece,” says Davis. “Like the bed. Everyone who came in had a story about a water bed. Putting something like this in the context of a gallery brings up an notion of functional/ dysfunctional, and it happens simultaneously. Once you put this in a gallery it becomes a sculpture. People aren’t quite sure if they can touch it but once they realize they can interact with it, it becomes a bit performative.”Maybe it’s the water bed, maybe it’s the soothing hum of the neon lights, but Davis and Ruiz’s collaboration sets a stage for an experience whether you’re performing or just observing.”There’s a weird generosity to it all,” says Davis about working together with Ruiz and Goldberger. “It was intuitive, and in the end it wasn’t about decorating the space, it was about creating it together.”#RobertDavis ash painting at @newreleasegallery #newreleasegallery @eringoldberger @bobsonofdavis
A photo posted by Olivia Smith (@ashoonk) on Jan 10, 2016 at 6:35pm PST
Robert DavisThe Dark Clicks On will be on view at New Release, 60 Mulberry Street, New York, every Friday-Sunday 12pm-6pm.Related:Contemporary Artists Are Bringing the Video Store Back from the Dead[Visions of the Future in Concrete and Neon](http:// http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/visions-of-the-future-in-concrete-and-neon)A Painter Re-Emerges After 3 Months in Self-Imposed ExileA photo posted by EXHIBITION A (@exhibitiona) on Jan 11, 2016 at 12:48pm PST