“Sculptures and drawings for Scott and Andrea” is Dan Mandelbaum’s 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.

As the artist transitioned from ceramics to stonework, he became fascinated with the history of stone carvings and statuary, and the fact that stonework is very rarely "practical" (other than architecturally) -- differentiating it from much of ceramic production over the millenia. The works in the show pull references from across worldwide cultures and time periods, as the artist looks to channel the universal human artistic impulse.

Upon his return this spring, Dan made his way to our beloved Tennessee where Memphis welcomed him with open arms and opened nearby limestone quarries. Strong and malleable, this cache of material has led to an exuberant production of new sculptures. Mandelbaum was the inaugural recipient of the Viaduct Residency, founded this year by Memphis native, John Shorb. Thanks to Buck Billings for capturing Mandelbaum furiously at work during this time. Unafraid of influence, his subjects vary from Sumerian votives, 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.  Inspired by the drawings of Pierre Alechinsky, Mandelbaum created the pieces as stream of consciousness expressions with an interest in how humans originally developed writing through image making.

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.