Stephen Friedman Gallery & 21C Media Group Present Violinist Tessa Lark in Special Gallery Performance to Celebrate New Exhibition by Artist Andreas Eriksson (Feb 9)

Event to Launch Monthly InterPlay Series of Art & Music

(February 2024) —Stephen Friedman Gallery, New York and 21C Media Group present a special performance by genre-defying, Grammy-nominated violinist Tessa Lark at the new exhibition “Two Columns and a Sunny Day” by Swedish artist Andreas Eriksson (Feb 9). Lark’s program, titled “InVisible,” features music inspired by the exhibition, including original compositions by Lark and her improvised “collaborations” with various of the artist’s pieces, with the intent, as she says, of “magnifying what is seen by exposing the unseen.” The event is free with tickets, and begins with a reception from 6-6:30, followed by Lark’s performance from 6:30-7:30. For tickets, RSVP at [email protected].

The show, which is at Stephen Friedman Gallery’s recently opened New York location, marks Eriksson’s U.S. solo debut. The large-scale paintings featured in the exhibition continue the artist’s exploration of painting as an act of deep contemplation and reflective engagement. Eriksson’s diverse practice explores the intersection between art and nature – carefully merging the material and the conceptual. His research is rooted in extensive observation of his surroundings in the Lake Vänern and Medelplana region in Sweden, where he currently lives.

About her contribution to the exhibition, Lark explains:

“My focus for the program is exploring the effects of nature on one’s creative process. Nature, of course, is glorious to see – but it also has sounds, textures, temperatures and movement. As much as humans alter the earth, we cannot change nature’s processes. Andreas’s reverence for nature is even apparent in his artistic process, surrendering to the dictates of his chosen materials to find his way to the finished product.”

About the artists and presenters

Violinist Tessa Lark is one of the most captivating artistic voices of our time, consistently praised by critics and audiences for her astounding range of sounds, technical agility, and musical elegance. In 2020, she was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category, and she is also a highly acclaimed fiddler in the tradition of her native Kentucky.

Highlights of Lark’s 2023-24 season include the world premiere of Carlos Izcaray’s Violin Concerto and performances of Michael Torke’s violin concerto, Sky – both pieces written for her – as well as her European orchestral debut with the Stuttgart Philharmonic. She also performs with the Virginia Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, England’s City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and others; and gives duo concerts with double bassist Michael Thurber and jazz guitarist Frank Vignola.

Lark’s newest album, The Stradgrass Sessions, was released this past spring. Her debut commercial recording was the Grammy-nominated SKY, and her discography also includes Fantasy; Invention, recorded with Michael Thurber; and a live recording of Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

In addition to her performance schedule, Lark champions young aspiring artists and supports the next generation of musicians through her work as Co-host/Creative of NPR’s From the Top.

Lark plays a ca. 1600 G.P. Maggini violin on loan from an anonymous donor through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

Andreas Eriksson was born in 1975 in Björsäter, Sweden. He lives and works in Lidköping, Sweden. Eriksson’s artistic practice encompasses a wide range of media including painting, photography, sculpture, tapestry and installation. Rendered in earthy and botanical hues, his works are understated yet possess a poetic quality which has a lasting effect on the viewer.

The emotional intensity of Eriksson’s work is the result of a sustained exploration of his response to the natural world. Since 2000 the artist has lived in a house situated in a forest on the edge of a lake. Small events and phenomena from his everyday life and the surrounding landscape give his formal and conceptual decision-making process a firm context.

A significant monograph on the artist’s practice was released by Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening in December 2021, accompanied by an exhibition at Galleri Flach, Stockholm. A major solo presentation of Eriksson’s work opened at Skissernas Museum, Lund in June 2021. The artist had an exhibition of watercolours, drawings and tapestries at Nordic Watercolour Museum, Tjörn in September 2020. Eriksson was commissioned to create a public painting for the main entrance of New Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm in 2017. His work was exhibited at the 30th São Paulo Biennial, São Paulo (2012) and The Nordic Pavilion, 54th Venice Biennale in 2011.

Other notable solo exhibitions include: ‘Roots’, Vänermuseet and Lidköping Kunsthall, Lidköping, Sweden (2023); ‘Andreas Eriksson’, Artspace de 11 Linjen Griet Dupont Foundation, Oudenburg, Belgium (2021); ‘Cutouts, Mistakes and Threads’, Braunsfelder Family Collection, Cologne, Germany (2019); ‘Work in Progress’, Skissernas Museum, Lund, Sweden (2017); ‘Roundabouts’, Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden, which toured to Trondheim Kunstmuseum (Trondheim, Norway), Centre PasquArt (Biel, Switzerland) and Reykjavik Art Museum (Reykjavik, Iceland) (2014–2015); ‘Roundabout the hardship of believing’ and ‘Walking the Dog, Lying on the Sofa,’ MUMOK, Vienna, Austria (2008).

Eriksson’s works are included in prominent collections internationally, including Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; FRAC, Auvergne, France; MUMOK, Vienna, Austria; Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo, Norway; Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden; Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden; Skövde Art Museum, Skövde, Sweden; National Public Art Council, Sweden; Sundsvall Museum, Sundsvall, Sweden; Uppsala Art Museum, Uppsala, Sweden; British Museum, London, England and X Museum, Beijing, China.

Stephen Friedman Gallery is a contemporary art gallery that was founded in 1995 with a focus on representing exceptional artists and artist estates from around the world. Since its inauguration, the gallery has been based in Mayfair, London. In November 2023, the gallery opened at 54 Franklin Street in Tribeca, New York.

 

The gallery represents almost forty artists with areas of interest that include conceptual and South American art, and abstraction, minimalism and figuration in painting, sculpture, video and installation. Its international programme has overseen the rise of multiple high-profile artists, including Mamma Andersson, Leilah Babirye, Andreas Eriksson, Tom Friedman, Kendell Geers, Hulda Guzmán, Jim Hodges, Rivane Neuenschwander, David Shrigley, Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, Kehinde Wiley and Luiz Zerbini, amongst others. The gallery recently announced representation of Sky Glabush, Pam Glick, Woody De Othello, Yooyun Yang, and Clare Woods. Also working directly with estates, including those of Manuel Espinosa and Jiro Takamatsu, the gallery enhances its focus on contemporary art with historical presentations of twentieth-century masters.

Based in New York City, 21C Media Group – hailed as a “cutting edge agency” by the New York Times – specializes in publicity, advocacy, imaging, and consulting in music, culture, and the performing arts. Drawn from diverse backgrounds that include recording, publishing, promotion, and artist management, the 21C team offers a broad range of expertise in digital media, creative storytelling, and strategic career building. Its mission is to help artists and organizations embrace and harness the technological and cultural opportunities afforded by the 21st century. By developing and shaping their owned and earned media – across platforms ranging from the traditional to the new – 21C ensures that clients thrive in today’s ever-changing media landscape.

21C boasts a top-flight global client roster that encompasses leading performing artists and organizations, prominent Fortune 500 companies, and world-renowned nonprofits. Guiding clients on their respective journeys – helping them to tell their stories, hone their projects, heighten their profiles, and engage their fans and audiences across multiple media platforms – 21C relies not only on its own dedicated team but also on its place and standing in the cultural community. Underpinning the company’s success is a network of strong relationships, built over many years; as well as knowing and having access to the world’s leading musicians and ensembles, 21C maintains a close rapport with an array of industry leaders in music, media, and the performing arts. The company enjoy the confidence of programmers, presenters, artist managers, senior journalists and broadcasters, and other tastemakers, trendsetters, and influencers in its cultural sphere. Also drawing from beyond the expert resources of its own team, 21C has assembled an enviable group of close and trusted collaborators to supplement its creative efforts on behalf of its clients: they include designers and developers, photographers and videographers, and other creative minds in the digital content and marketing fields.

 

Ideally equipped to reach, engage, and appeal to today’s sophisticated audiences and influencers, 21C Media Group helps artists and organizations decide what’s next and most important on their chosen paths – and then takes them there, harnessing their strengths, narratives, and passions along the way.

Click here to download high-resolution photos of Tessa Lark.

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Stephen Friedman Gallery Hours/Dates

Tuesday – Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 11am-5pm

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© 21C Media Group, February 2024