Signs form a language, but not the one you think you know. ― Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities
My imagery emerges from my obsession with the tiny bits that make up the whole. I draw from observations of natural terrain, abandoned gardens, and botanical forms. I marvel at nature’s resilience to human interventions when left untended.
I look at what lies below, between, and beneath my feet, which often gets me lost. The sensation of foreboding that arises from the uncertainty and the thrill of discovery is a mindset I frequently adopt as I work through a painting or drawing. My background and love of Graphic Design and Dance deeply inform my artmaking. I weave patterns, colors, linear lines, shapes, and marks together, creating a choreographed visual space that draws you in, around, and through the work.
Each mark I place down determines the next. I let go of preconceived ideas and lean into the spontaneous, allowing pathways and biomorphic forms to emerge. My color palette of muddied and richly hued backgrounds absorbs light and reflects a time before dawn or after dusk, intimating transformation and otherworldliness. The layering of entwining lines and abstract shapes in subtle and contrasting colors disrupts the muted surface. I build in transparency to add depth and reveal the history of the process. I aim to create a space infused with twists, turns, and a potential to lose oneself in the details and find connections.
BIO
Abby Goldstein was born in Chicago Illinois, she received a BFA from Pratt Institute, NY, and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, NY. Abby is based in Brooklyn and holds the position of Professor of Practice and heads the Graphic Design area of study at Fordham University, NY. Recent exhibitions include Transmitter, McKenzie Fine Art, Metaphor Art Projects, and Kentler International Art Space. She has received fellowships to the Sam and Adele Golden Foundation, Hambidge Center for Creative Arts & Science, Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts, Vermont Studio Center, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Willapa Bay Artist fellowship, and Yaddo. Public commissions and curatorial work include Gateway Center in East New York, Manhattan Bridge Bicycle Path, and the NYC Street Design Manual exhibition at the Ildiko Butler Gallery, Fordham University, NY. She has been a TDC International Design Organization board member and co-chair of their annual competition. Ms. Goldstein has received numerous awards for her design work and has collaborated on several books, including Noisy Autumn: Sculpture and Works on Paper by Christy Rupp, Year By Year Poems by Lynne Sachs; "Revival Type" with Paul Shaw, and is the co-designer of the award-winning book, "Helvetica and the New York City Subway System."
