Parlor NYC presents solo show for artist in residence Indira Cesarine

The Parlor NYC presents a solo exhibition of works by artist in residence Indira Cesarine on view through August 31, 2021. The exhibition, which is presented in collaboration with The Untitled Space gallery, will be the inauguration of their resident artist series presented annually at the newly opened 13,000-square-foot luxury wellness space located in the heart of the NoMad Design District at 33rd Street and Madison Avenue. 

The Parlor NYC’s artist residency uniquely fuses the luxury wellness community with contemporary art. The exhibition presents a collection of over 70 works in a variety of mediums including photography, printmaking, and mixed media neon artwork created by the artist between 1993-2020. Many early works on paper, including a number of intaglio etchings created in the 1990s are being exhibited for the first time.

About Indira Cesarine

Known for her empowering feminist themes, Indira Cesarine artwork engages a narrative of social discourse and art activism. Cesarine’s artwork has been featured internationally at many galleries, museums, and festivals, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mattatuck Museum, Hudson Valley MOCA, The Watermill Center, Paul Mellon Art Center, CICA Museum, San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, French Embassy Cultural Center, Art Basel Miami, Cannes Film Festival, and SPRING/BREAK Art Show to name a few. 

The Parlor NYC’s inaugural residency displays select works from Cesarine’s “Goddess,” “Papiliones,” “EDEN,” “THE LABYRINTH,” “ONLY YOU,” as well as “Sappho” and “GIRLS” series. Juxtaposed with The Parlor NYC’s interior foliage walls, her “Papiliones” series features macro photographic visuals of a variety of butterfly species Cesarine photographed in Costa Rica. The imagery is manipulated to present “butterfly blots” inspired by the psychological ink blots known as the Rorschach Test.

Her “EDEN” photographic series, inspired by the Garden of Eden and the story of Eve, complements The Parlor NYC’s lush garden interiors.

Continuing through the space is Cesarine’s “Goddess” series featuring celebrated modern dancer Katherine Crockett’s nude form juxtaposed with macro florals. Throughout The Parlor NYC, the viewer can discover a number of her nude portraits and erotic florals from “THE LABYRINTH” series which emphasize her female gaze on Surrealism with a focus on female identity and desire. 

Additional photographic works on view include a selection of archival prints on aluminum from her “ONLY YOU” series, which focus on the eyes as an emotional portal.

A number of intaglio etchings from her “Sappho” series created in the early 90s premiere in the residency. Intaglio printmaking has been an important part of Cesarine’s artistic practice since she first started creating. Her etchings are inspired by women’s history often taking as inspiration figures from mythology, philosophy, media, and literature. The “Sappho” series is inspired by Greek poet Sappho, who lived between 630BCE and 570 BCE on the Greek Isle of Lesbos. Considered to be one of the greatest of the early Greek poets, her verses elaborated on erotic themes of love and passion.

A selection of more recent etchings from Cesarine’s “GIRLS” series are also featured in the exhibition. The vibrant hued prints celebrate the female form, re-appropriating silhouettes from vintage pin-up images and re-positioning them in natural environments as an act of female empowerment and sex-positive femininity. The overview of works spanning several decades on view at The Parlor NYC is brought together through the venue’s earthy contemporary interior.  

“2020 has been a year of reflection for me. Like many others, during the quarantine, I have had a lot of time to think about my past, my future, as well as my work as an artist. When I was approached by The Parlor NYC to present my work throughout their 13,000 square foot space, initially it was a rather overwhelming concept. It also inspired me to review my entire body of work and consider including many early works that I had never exhibited before.” – Indira Cesarine

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Indira Cesarine is a Mexican-American multidisciplinary artist who works with photography, video, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. A graduate of Columbia University with a triple major in Art History, French, and Women’s Studies, she additionally studied at Parson’s School of Design, International Center of Photography, School of Visual Arts, Art Students League, and the New York Academy of Art. Cesarine had her first solo show at the age of sixteen at Paul Mellon Arts Center.

Her work as an artist has been featured internationally at many art galleries, museums, and art fairs, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hudson Valley MOCA, The Watermill Center, Mattatuck Museum, Albany Institute, CICA Museum, Smack Mellon, San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, French Embassy Cultural Center, Art Basel Miami, SCOPE Art Fair, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, Norwood Arts Club, Cannes Film Festival, and the International Festival Photo Mode to name a few. 

In 2014, her public art sculpture, “The Egg of Light,” was exhibited at Rockefeller Center as part of the Fabergé Big Egg Hunt. Cesarine’s work has been auctioned in a number of art benefits including Sotheby’s New York Take Home A Nude, ARTWALK NY benefiting the Coalition for the Homeless, and Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research, among others.

Her artwork and exhibitions have been featured internationally in many publications including The New York Times, American Vogue, Vogue Italia, Forbes, Newsweek, W Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, i-D, Dazed and Confused, New York Magazine, CNN Style, and The Huffington Post. Cesarine explores her creative vision as an artist vis-à-vis traditional and new mediums and finds strength in examining new ideas in contemporary culture.

ABOUT THE PARLOR NYC

The Parlor NYC, launched in September 2020, is a curated community of premier beauty and wellness experts in the heart of the NoMad Design District at 33rd Street and Madison Avenue. The Parlor NYC is the first and only luxury, state-of-the-art space that offers today’s discerning, overextended consumer a diverse range of premier beauty and wellness services under one roof for a “head-to-soul” one-stop solution – without the membership fees.

Offering a diverse range of trusted services and customized support, The Parlor NYC provides today’s working consumer on-the-go concierge services to meet any career demands that may pop up during their visit, including a quiet place to take a conference call and energy producing coffee & snacks. Inviting and luxurious, with The Parlor NYC, they have created a single and extraordinary destination where you can curate your own perfect combination of exclusive services that can’t be found together anywhere else. 

Owner and founder Pam Wolf is a serial entrepreneur and retail real estate expert with a notable portfolio and impressive track record of building successful New York-based businesses.