Amos Eno Gallery is pleased to present He Said/She Said, an Artsy-exclusive online exhibition curated by gallery director Ellen Sturm Niz. Running through December 22, 2024, this powerful collection brings together a diverse group of artists exploring themes of communication, gender dynamics, memory, and the nuances of truth. Through painting, photography, sculpture, digital media, and mixed media, the 17 artists in He Said/She Said invite viewers to consider the complex interplay of perspectives and narratives that shape our understanding of the world.

 

“‘He said/she said’ is more than just a phrase; it’s a gateway to examining the power structures within language and the often invisible weight of perspective,” Niz says. “The works in this exhibition circle around this common phrase as a means of exploring how communication can simultaneously connect and divide us, particularly when considering gendered expectations, subjective realities, and cultural biases.”

 

California-based artist Karen Gutfreund presents I'm Speaking (2020), a powerful text-based work (shown above) inspired by Kamala Harris’s words during the 2020 vice-presidential debate. Created with epoxy resin, dyes, and acrylic paint on cradle board, this piece boldly comments on the resilience of women’s voices in the face of societal silencing. It highlights the struggle for equal representation in conversations that are often male-dominated.

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In I'm Staying Adam! (2022) Wyoming-based artist Florence Alfano McEwin’s explores both gender divides and environmental tensions. Part of the Red Riding Hood Speaks series, this piece uses photo intaglio, collage, and chine collé to revisit traditional narratives with a twist.

 

“The work envisions life after Red Riding Hood and the Wolf set up household and are dealing with 21st century tensions and daily relational politics,” McEwin says. Here, Red Riding Hood embodies a hypothetical Eve, standing firm in the face of ecological crisis as Adam blasts off and leaves the planet behind after its resources are depleted.

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New York-based artist Efrat Baler-Moses examines linguistic dualities in Blown Away by a Namesake (2022), a thought-provoking still life that juxtaposes a pomegranate with a hand grenade, connected by a shared etymology in various languages. This piece, created with acrylic, oil, markers, and a 3D grenade on canvas and plastic, confronts viewers with the simultaneous beauty and destructiveness of language.

 

“The piece invites viewers to question shifting narratives and perspectives shaped by knowledge or understanding, highlighting how seemingly opposing forces can coexist,” Baler-Moses says.

 

In Untitled (Daydream Series) (2020), Brooklyn-based Peter Calvin reflects on witnessing a mother and child at the Tijuana border, creating a complex layering of reality and imagination. “It represents the contrast between what we see and what we hear,” Calvin explains. This piece blends reality with fantasy, challenging viewers to question how much of a portrait exists only in our minds. ”I also try to give the subject back some equality as she surveys the viewer as much as they do her and her baby,” Calvin notes.

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With Male Hormone (2024), Dustin Oriente presents a deeply personal digital photo capturing his experience as a transgender man on testosterone therapy. Following a frustrating incident where a pharmacist misgendered him, Oriente highlights the irony of the phrase “she needs her testosterone.” This work sheds light on the dysphoria triggered by such interactions, emphasizing the power of language in shaping identity.

 

Brooklyn-based artist Isabelle Heldenfels’ Sherwin (2022) explores the dichotomy of parent-child relationships. This oil painting on wood panel depicts "mother and child as two facets of one psyche, working both in harmony and conflict with one another, both scolding and loving, both fleeing and embracing,” Heldenfels says.

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In He Was Known to Be Duplicitous (2022), Stacy Seiler tackles the concept of betrayal, using found objects and collage to portray the complexities of dysfunctional relationships. This piece invites viewers to empathize with the uncertainty and turmoil within the narratives of trust and deceit.

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“Each of these works demonstrates the ways that narrative and communication can build up or break down our connections with one another,” Niz concludes. “From the deeply personal to the culturally charged, He Said/She Said compels us to consider our own roles as storytellers and listeners in the broader societal conversation.”

 

Visit Amos Eno Gallery on Artsy to view this exclusive online exhibition,

 

PLUS: Join the artists for a Virtual Artist Talk on Saturday, December 7, at 4 p.m. Register here.

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He Said, She Said Artists & Works

 

Efrat Baler-Moses, Blown Away by a Namesake
Peter Calvin, Untitled (Daydream Series)
A. Coffey, Study for Untitled Interior (After Cassavetes I)
Isabella Covert, Smear
Jocelyn Elizabeth, Lost in Translation
Karen Gutfreund, I’m Speaking
Isabelle Heldenfels, Matilda and Sherwin
Jie Huang, Invisible Prison
Jess Levey, Human/Nature #1
Nicole Melnicky, Oyster
Florence Alfano McEwin, Stand-Off Diptych, I’m Staying Adam!, and Spring Is In the Air
Dustin Oriente, Male Hormone
Jessamyn Plotts, Paparazzi 2
Megan Reilly, Along the Lines: I Am on an Elevator
Stacy Seiler, He Was Known to Be Duplicitous and I Was a Fool to Trust
Darcy Spitz, Answering a Question No One Asked
Maxwell Stevens, Spring Essence 1, 2, & 3

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About Amos Eno Gallery

Amos Eno Gallery has been a fixture in the New York art scene since 1974. It has moved with changing arts neighborhoods over the years and is now at a new location on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The gallery is open Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. and is run by a small community of professional artists, both from New York City and across the country, and a part-time director. 

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​For more information, please contact gallery director Ellen Sturm Niz at amosenogallery@gmail.com.