GINA NOVENDSTERN

Internationally recognized sculptor Gina Novendstern’s work focuses on how interior and exterior environments define each of us and uses the human form to explore those questions.

Born in the United States, and living and working for most of her life in New York City, Novendstern lived in Mexico for three years during the 80’s assisting a Mexican artist in producing monumental figurative sculptures. During that time, Novendstern continued to experiment with her own visual expression while also exhibiting her sculpture. Although returning to New York to live, she frequently returned to central Mexico to live and work.. Shehas taught workshops on sculpture patina and surface treatment techniques in the New York area and in Mexico.

Showcasing twenty-three of her sculptures in 2008, the MACAY Museum of Contemporary Art in Merida, Mexico organized "Interior Visions-Exterior Reflections," a three-month exhibit of her work. The museum also produced a public television documentary about her.

In a 2010 international exhibit at the National Gallery of Fine Art in the Dominican Republic, Novendstern represented the United States with ten of her sculptures.

Presently completing a series of figures contained within wood and metal structures, Novendstern is also working on several public art proposals while continuing to show her work.

Novendstern’s sculptures are in museums and galleries and in both public and private collections around the world.

ARTIST STATEMENT

In elementary school I played with little rubber eraser figures that I kept hidden in my school desk. I moved them around and created a variety of emotionally charged scenarios by having them interact with each other in landscapes made of pencils, paper and books. I was fascinated by the way I could make them say so many different things and that fascination has fueled my work as a sculptor.

My work explores the interior and exterior environments that influence our strengths and weaknesses. The figures I make and incorporate in the work are usually not anatomically complete, and at times they may simply be heads or legs. I am interested in paring down the figure's form, and expanding its expression. As I work there are always many figures in various stages of completion, as well as pieces of steel, wood or stone in the process of being constructed or deconstructed. By using the same figure in different works, with different structures, materials and surface treatments, I adapt and define the figure's voice within each work and control the tone and content of the work. My focus throughout this process is to question and investigate the changing schema of how we view ourselves, the reflections of ourselves in others, and the world we inhabit.

SOLO AND MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS

2019	Museo Fernando Ponce Garcia, Macay, Merida, Mexico
2014	The Peter Gray Art Museum, Costa University, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2010	The National Gallery of Fine Art, Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic
2008	The Museum of Contemporary Art (MACAY) Merida, Mexico
1994	Galeria Arriba, Great Barrington, Massachusetts

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2022	The Hillman Garden Sculpture Exhibit, New York, New York The Barret Art Center, Poughkeepsie, New York ESP Gallery, Tampa, Florida Rosen Lopez Gallery, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2021	ESP Gallery, Tampa, Florida Six Summit Gallery, Westbrook, Connecticut Broadhurst Gallery, Pinehurst, North Carolina
2020	Annmarie Sculpture Garden, Solomons, Maryland
2019	ESP Gallery, New York, New York The Barret Art Center, Poughkeepsie, New York Six Summit Gallery, Ivoryton, Connecticut
2018	ESP Gallery, New York, New York The Barret Art Center, Poughkeepsie, New York Rosen Lopez Gallery, Puerto Vallarta
2017	The George Segal Gallery, Montclair, New Jersey Rosen Lopez Gallery, Puerto Vallarta Six Summit Gallery, Ivoryton, Connecticut
2016	Six Summit Gallery event, New York, New York
2015	ESP Gallery New York, New York Six Summit Gallery, Ivoryton, Connecticut Rosen Lopez Gallery, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Broadhurst Gallery, Pinehurst, North Carolina
2014	Six Summit Gallery, Ivoryton, Connecticut Broadhurst Gallery, Pinehurst, North Carolina
2013	Six Summit Gallery, Ivoryton, Connecticut ESP Gallery, New York, New York Galleria Dante, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Broadhurst Gallery, Pinehurst, North Carolina
2012	ESP Gallery, New York, New York Moda Espresso Gallery, New York, New York Broadhurst Gallery, Pinehurst, North Carolina
2011	The Commons Gallery, NYU School of Art, New York, New York Broadhurst Gallery, Pinehurst, North Carolina Galleria Dante, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2010	Asher Neiman Gallery, Redbank, New Jersey Broadhurst Gallery, Pinehurst, North Carolina Galleria Dante, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2009	Susan Fredman Design/Marwen Art Foundation, Chicago, Illinois Asher Neiman Gallery, Redbank, New Jersey Broadhurst Gallery, Pinehurst, North Carolina Galleria Dante, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2008	Broadhurst Gallery, Pinehurst, North Carolina Galleria Dante, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Asher Neiman Gallery, Redbank, New Jersey
2007	Artforms Gallery, Redbank, New Jersey Galleria Dante, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Galeria Constandense, Cuernavaca, Mexico Broadhurst Gallery, Pinehurst, North Carolina
2006	Artforms Gallery, Redbank, New Jersey Galleria Dante, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Galeria Constandense, Cuernavaca, Mexico Broadhurst Gallery, Pinehurst, North Carolina
2005	Carpediem Art Gallery, Califon, New Jersey Grace Fine Art, Morristown, New Jersey Clifton Art Center, Clifton, New Jersey Artforms Gallery Redbank, New Jersey and Woodstock, New York Drue Chryst Gallery, Lake Mohawk, New Jersey Galleria Dante, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2004	Ocean County College Gallery, Toms River, New Jersey Artforms Gallery, Redbank, New Jersey and Woodstock, New York Galleria Dante, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2003	Drue Chryst Gallery, Lake Mohawk, New Jersey Galleria Dante, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2002	Ocean County College Gallery, Toms River, New Jersey Pace University, Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, New York, NY Evolve Designer Arts, Fairhaven, New Jersey Galleria Dante, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2001	Drue Chryst Gallery, Lake Mohawk, New Jersey
2000	Tristan and America, New York, New York Drue Chryst Gallery, Lake Mohawk, New Jersey
1999	Elsa Mott Ives Gallery, New York, New York Cooper Gallery, Jersey City, New Jersey
1998	Elsa Mott Ives Gallery, New York, New York Ciao Gallery, City Island, New York
1997	Cooper Gallery, Jersey City, New Jersey Ciao Gallery, City Island, New York
1996	Lever House Gallery, New York, New York Williams Center for the Arts, Rutherford, New Jersey The Arts Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, New Jersey
1995	E. Rubinstein Gallery, New York, New York Lever House Gallery, New York, New York
1994	Schering-Plough Corporate Gallery, Madison, New Jersey The Principle Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia
1993	The Paterson Museum, Paterson, New Jersey The New York Academy of Sciences, New York, New York Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York, New York The Arts Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, New Jersey
1987	Centro de Artes Jardín Borda, Cuernavaca, Mexico

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS, REVIEWS & CATALOGS

2012	"MACAY Museum of Contemporary Art, 15 Years", pages 412-414, published by Macay Cultural Foundation, Merida, Mexico
2010	Catalog - The National Gallery of Fine Art, The Dominican Republic, July - August, 2010 “The Intimacy of Memory-12 Artists from the Continent” “The Intimacy of Memory- An Exhibit to Remember”, Marianne de Tolentino, Director of the National Gallery of the Domincan Republic, Hoy Digital, 07/23/10 “The Intimacy of Memory-Twelve Artists from the United States, Mexico and the Dominican Republic”, Virginia Goris, Listin Diario, 08/04/10
2008	“Gina Novendstern and Human Nature” Elena Rojas, El Sol de Cuatla, 06/12/08 “Looking Inward and Outward-Gina Novendstern confronts the Duality of Human Nature” Oscar Munoz, Diario de Yucatan, 03/26/08 Public Television Documentary “Gina Novendstern - Interior Vision-Exterior Reflection” produced by the MACAY Museum, Mexico, February 2008 “The Unfolding Human Experience Inspires a Series of Sculptures”, Iris Ceballos Alvarado, Diario de Yucatan, 01/13/08 Catalog for solo exhibit - MACAY Museum of Contemporary Art, Mexico, January-March 2008 “Gina Novendstern- Inner Vision-Exterior Reflection"