SERGEI ISUPOV: The Rising

FERRIN CONTEMPORARY presents
SERGEI ISUPOV: THE RISING at

March 3–6, 2016
Ferrin Contemporary at PULSE NEW YORK 2016
The Metropolitan Pavilion
125 West 18th Street, NYC

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The Rising, a solo installation by Sergei Isupov presents his first eight-foot colossal figural sculpture, ”Risen”. Surrounded by mural style paintings that incorporate his small sculptures, the standing male figure features back-to-back paintings of ”Man” and “Woman.” This piece, “Risen,” built of several interlocking sections, is completely illustrated—part tattoo, part in-the-round paintings. Smaller, related works provide a more intimate view into Isupov’s erotic surrealism that engages an animated push-pull dialog between surface and form, two and three dimensions, and the opposing and complementary.

In his first massive-scale figure and related installation, Isupov continues his exploration of opposites. Emotional exchanges between men and women allude to romance, an affair, or simply a mystery. Our own imaginations are asked to fill in and finish the narrative using personal associations. His debate is not in a tradition of good vs. evil, man against woman, instead he asks us to observe distinctions and relationships and to examine what lies between.

ABOUT SERGEI ISUPOV

Sergei Isupov is an Estonian-American sculptor internationally known for his highly detailed, narrative works. Isupov explores painterly figure-ground relationships, creating surreal sculptures with a complex artistic vocabulary that combines two- and three-dimensional narratives and animal/human hybrids. He works in ceramic using traditional hand building and sculpting techniques to combine surface and form with narrative painting using stains and clear glaze.

“Everything that surrounds and excites me is automatically processed and transformed into an artwork. The essence of my work is not in the medium or the creative process, but in the human beings and their incredible diversity. When I think of myself and my works, I’m not sure I create them, perhaps they create me.”

Isupov has a long international resume with work included in numerous collections and exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Australia, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (TX), Museum of Arts and Design (NY), Racine Art Museum (WI), Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MA), and the Erie Art Museum (PA) at which he presented selected works in a 20-year career survey Hidden Messages in 2017 and Surreal Promenade in 2019 at the Russian Museum of Art (MN).

MORE ON SERGEI ISUPOV

THE PULSE PRIZE

Sergei Isupov is a nominee for the PULSE PRIZE, a jury-awarded cash grant given to an artist of distinction featured in a solo exhibition at the fair.

EVENTS + HOURS

Thursday, March 3
Private Preview Brunch (by VIP invitation), 10–1pm
Public Hours 1–6
Young Collectors Cocktails 6–8 (by invitation only)

Friday, March 4
Public Hours, 11am–8pm
Museum Member Hours, 5–8pm

Saturday, March 5, 11am–8pm
Sunday, March 6, 11am–8pm

Public Transit

1 train at 18th Street and 7th Avenue
F, M trains at 23rd Street and 6th Avenue
1,2,3 trains at 14th Street and 7th Avenue
F, M trains at 14th Street and 6th Avenue

A complimentary shuttle bus will run between PULSE New York and The Armory Show at Piers 92 & 94.

PULSE NEW YORK is recognized for providing its international community of emerging and established galleries with a dynamic platform for connecting with a global audience. PULSE offers visitors an engaging environment in which to discover and collect the most compelling contemporary art being produced today.

Sergei Isupov in “The Rising” at PULSE NY 2016 presented by Ferrin Contemporary.

Sergei Isupov in “The Rising” at PULSE NY 2016 presented by Ferrin Contemporary. Shown here: “Motivation” 11.5 x 4 x 13″ and “Inspiration” 11.5 x 4 x 12″, 2016, porcelain, slip, glaze.

Sergei Isupov in “The Rising” at PULSE NY 2016 presented by Ferrin Contemporary. Shown here: “Distraction” detail, 2016, porcelain, slip, glaze, 25 x 10.5 x 7.5″.