Carolanna Parlato: Current

Curated by Tom Kotik

Inspired by One New York Plaza’s proximity to water, Current, a new commission for Arts Brookfield by artist Carolanna Parlato, is a vivid, expressive exploration of the ebb and flow of ocean currents. Created by pouring brilliantly colored paints in layers, directly over flat canvases, then adding undulating connecting lines, Parlato reveals playful forms that emerge from the natural flow of liquid pools of pigment. These organic shapes and lines create a rhythm within the work that can be seen as an allegory for the pulsating tidal movements and energy of the ocean. Scanned and enlarged to architectural scale, Parlato’s paintings surround visitors in currents of bright color that playfully dance across the walls of the concourse level like giant luminous waves.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Brooklyn-based artist Carolanna Parlato received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. She has had solo exhibitions at the Islip Art Museum, Islip, NY; and the Phatory, Elizabeth Harris Gallery, and Morgan Lehman Gallery, and in New York, NY. Parlato has been included in group exhibitions at Morgan Lehman Gallery and Asya Geisberg Gallery, Lesley Heller Workspace, the Drawing Center, Art in General, and White Columns, all in New York, NY; the Brooklyn Museum; Fullerton Art Museum, Fullerton, CA; and Amy Simon Fine Art, Westport, CT; among others. Public collections include the Brooklyn Museum; ArtBank Collection, and The Library of Congress, both Washington DC; and Public Art for Public Schools, New York, NY; among others. Parlato was a nominee for the Anonymous Was a Woman Award in 2016. Her paintings have been written about numerous publications including The New York Times, Art in America, The Boston Globe, Artcritical, ARTnews, Two Coats of Paint, The New Criterion, White Hot Magazine and The Brooklyn Rail.