“Sculptures and drawings for Scott and Andrea” is Dan Mandelbaum first solo show at the gallery.

The artist first developed a reputation in Ridgewood, Queens for works in wood, concrete, ceramic, drawing and fabric. In 2022, he absconded to Mallorca for an extended residency during which he shifted to labor-intensive stonework from Mallorcan geological specimens, his impulsive, exuberant touch elevated by the ancient stone.

Upon his return this spring, Dan made his way to our beloved Tennessee where Memphis welcomed him with open arms and opened its limestone quarry. The state’s official rock (aka “Tennessee marble”) is both strong and malleable and has led to a exuberant production of new sculptures. Mandelbaum was the inaugural recipient of the Viaduct Residency, founded this year by Memphis native, Jon Shorb. Thanks to Buck Billings for capturing Mandelbaum furiously at work during this time.

Unafraid of influence, his subjects vary from Sumerian priestesses, Pre-Columbian gargoyles, Far Eastern fetish objects and cartoon internet memes. While the time consuming act of stone carving involves countless hours of concentrated physical effort, Mandelbaum carries his imagination's momentum forward with loose, graphic and immediate works on paper that lead with levity. 

Mandelbaum’s varied subjects add to his abundant, fertile universe of happy, anthropomorphic creatures, fresh from the primordial ectoplasm of his peculiar imagination. Hand-made and hand-carved, these labor intensive works manifest his hand-drawn aesthetic in polished, non-precious stone and root his practice in the millennia long human desire to create life out of stone.