Review of "Void" at Magnan Emrich Contemporary

There are so many buildings in New York City that we don't see or notice until they are not there. The twin towers might be the most glaringly cited contemporary example, but "Void," which opened at Magnan Contemporary in Chelsea on Friday, calls our attention to much more ubiquitous spaces that constitute the city's daily architecture. Monica Paez and Nicolas Consuegra, two Colombian artists living in Brooklyn, collaborated on photos and an installation of glass bricks that examine Americans, especially New Yorkers, obsession with consumption through the self-storage unit. By photographing these hulking, glaring eyesores and then methodically removing them through photoshop, leaving only their negative shadow, the artists call attention to how much space New Yorkers wanted, but unneeded, clutter occupies in the landscape.

Referring to to Tom Vanderbilt's article "Self Storage Nation," in Slate, the artists also call attention to how unused warehouses become "Real Estate Investment" opportunities and contribute to the process of gentrification. The artists remarked that they were surprised to learn about self-storage units, a concept relatively unheard of in Colombia. Five photographs and a wall installation of glass "bricks", which reflect the space and add to the illusion the gallery is much larger, constitute the show. It is the perfect size and pace and provokes conversation about location and what we notice and choose to edit out of the city's landscape. Everyone (myself included) gasped upon recognizing the large, yellow and red, Brother's Storage building on Atlantic and Washington Avenues in Brooklyn. The glass was contributed to the idea of void, adding depth to the gallery, echoing the storage units bricks, but ultimately reminding us that space is difficult to come by in New York.

It is really fantastic to see a gallery show that grapples with issues on the minds of many New Yorker's in a way that feels straight forward, well thought out and honest. To see more of Monica and Nicolas' collaborations, check out the journal they co-edit, Revista Asterisco. They could be riffRAG's Latin American cousin.