| Side View, Nino Korinteli’s debut solo exhibition at Broadway Gallery in New York, presented a refreshing panoply of new work by the artist. Incorporating a wide array of media and subject matter, Korinteli’s vision is broad. Though self-taught, Korinteli demonstrates a dexterity, sensibility, and awareness of art history far more informed than the "outsider" or "visionary" schools of art. Side View demonstrates this through the presentation of several bodies of work, including series from her representational paintings, multimedia abstractions, as well as works on paper. Influenced by themes of the quotidian, Korinteli employs a vibrant sense of innovation in executing her imaginative reinterpretations of everyday scenes and events. Korinteli believes that that artistic process is one that synthesizes complex particularities into a whole, and she finds in her work–no matter what the medium–a simultaneous site of presence and escape. | 
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Simone Cappa
Courtesy of the artist.Side View, Nino Korinteli’s debut solo exhibition at Broadway Gallery in New York, presented a refreshing panoply of new work by the artist. Incorporating a wide array of media and subject matter, Korinteli’s vision is broad. Though self-taught, Korinteli demonstrates a dexterity, sensibility, and awareness of art history far more informed than the "outsider" or "visionary" schools of art. Side View demonstrates this through the presentation of several bodies of work, including series from her representational paintings, multimedia abstractions, as well as works on paper.
Influenced by themes of the quotidian, Korinteli employs a vibrant sense of innovation in executing her imaginative reinterpretations of everyday scenes and events. Korinteli believes that that artistic process is one that synthesizes complex particularities into a whole, and she finds in her work–no matter what the medium–a simultaneous site of presence and escape. With paintbrush or pen in hand, Korinteli executes studied observation of the world around her, a process that is both internal and external. She finds herself to be intimately connected to the subjects of her work, not merely an observer. For her, the artistic process is one of identification, not objectification, and it is only through this approach that she can capture the spiritual essence of the subjects she represents, both figurative and abstract. Her divergent techniques, while seemingly unrelated, upon second glance reveal a complex, unified web laced together by a singular vision. “The question is,” she explains, “how you want to express the thing that caught your look, which media would stress whatever you want to stress."
Hung on the spacious walls of Broadway Gallery, the works were grouped into loose categories. Several large-scale compositions executed in sand, ink, and acrylic paint were the first to draw notice. These included Horses from the End of the World, an image depicting several elegant and simply rendered horses congregated in the center of the composition, reminiscent of the pre-historic wall paintings in the caves of Lascaux, France. Sleep was done using the same technique, and depicted an abstract sea blue figure reclining on her side upon a sandy beach. Bringing to mind the women of Gaugin’s sumptuous canvases, the composition was notable for its innovative use of small stones that Korinteli attached to the surface of the painting.
Several abstractions in the series were also attention-grabbing. Harkening to the color studies of Rothko and Scully, Landscape, an abstract image of striated fields of layered color, was one of the most exciting pieces in the exhibition. Similarly, Dream No. 2, a composition of sparkling black sand where various icons such as eyes and fish floated upon the color field, brought to mind the automatic drawings of the Surrealists. Also drawing from this tradition was Untitled, a pastel on paper work consisting of an indigo background upon which discreet symbols hovered, including more pairs of eyes, spermatozoa-like figures, and several abstract yellow forms. The subtle sophistication and bold experimentation of these works attests to the artist’s willingness to break boundaries and seek out new approaches.
Equally ground breaking were the works in the Impossible Landscapes series. Of particular note was Sahara, an acrylic on canvas abstraction depicting a series of crackling white forms inscribed upon a multi-dimensional luminous yellow ground. The elegance of brush stroke and the delicacy of line contrasted strikingly against the subtle cracklure of the surface, imitating the delicate beauty of the decaying facades of ancient buildings. Similarly evocative and Minimalist in scope was Dezert at Night, which depicted two crackling pearl-colored kite-like figures playing fancifully upon a field of acrid blue.
Most compelling were the pieces from the series My East, a group of water color and India ink on paper works depicting Asian-inspired imagery including Geishas, monkeys, flowers, and birds. Of particular note was Red Tree. Superb lines executed in ebony ink formed the tree trunk, and lovely bleeding crimsons and roses were used for the floral buds of the tree itself. This image attests to the kind of simple, condensed elegance one finds in many Asian art forms. Drawing on a dynamic range of inspirations and influences, Korinteli’s works exude both sensitivy and grace.
