For Eliot Greenwald, humankind and the landscapes we occupy are essentially one in the same. Cycles of life, death, and rebirth may diverge from being to being, but the artist considers all existence to be fundamentally interconnected and substantially the same.
At HARPER’S in Chelsea, Greenwald’s solo exhibition Library continues to explore the artist’s fascination with landscape and the metaphysical, inviting us to explore a surreal realm of otherworldly botanicals, double moons, and enigmatic pathways.
In oil stick and acrylic, Greenwald often repeats motifs of trees and mountains through variations in light and hue, nodding to the cyclical nature of the seasons and how the time of day or year influences how we perceive the world around us.
The artist also incorporates vehicles that wind their way through the scenes and illuminate their surroundings. “These miniature automobiles stand in for the human vessel itself—a subtle reminder that even the most engineered facets of the Anthropocene are just one piece in the grander puzzle of existence,” says a gallery statement.
In addition to Greenwald’s organically-shaped canvas pieces, Library also includes sculptural elements, like “Library of Paper Towels,” a tiny, freestanding room filled with books covered in colorful paper.
Made of reclaimed wood salvaged from an 18th-century barn in western Massachusetts, where the artist lives, the repository contains hundreds of hand-bound books made from paper towel. Employing a material made expressly to be used and thrown away, the artist reckons with the way knowledge is gained, shared, preserved, and valued.
Library continues through December 7 in New York City. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
