New at the Neuberger
“Future Tense: Reshaping the Landscape”

– Peter Jovanovich –

The title of this exhibit barely connotes the passions of 60- plus contemporary artists, whose works are on display at the Neuberger Museum, May 11 - July 26. The subject of the exhibit is the state of the environment and its future. Emotional turmoil, as expressed through art, is the result.
Dede Young, Curator of the Neuberger, has brought together an outstanding group of young artists who perceive a future rife with pollution, the deleterious effects of climate change and other man-made disasters. Some despair of our future on this planet; some are hopeful.
For example, artist Bradley Castellanos’ imagination is gripped by the polluted lots and abandoned docks of Brooklyn and Manhattan. He creates his urban landscapes by mounting large-scale computer images on board, which are then covered in a resin as thick and shiny as oil. Says Castellanos, “In a language colored in cynicism and sarcasm, I create a dialogue about the contemporary world.”
Swiss artist Markus Wetzel chooses to escape our crowded world by portraying the deserted island paradises of our dreams. His images, using 3-D computer model programs, reveal a world in which the sky is majestic, the horizon goes on forever and nature is always beautiful.  And yet, floating by each island is an iceberg – an icon of global warming?
Perhaps, the world would be better without us. In artist Dean Byington’s works on canvas, a detailed matrix of flora and fauna appear in myriad worlds. Incorporating drawing, painting and silkscreen imagery, he presents microscopic, fairy-tale like colonies in the grass create a peculiar topology that suggests a life-sustaining world – with no people.
If you are very concerned about the environment, or simply curious, stop by the Neuberger to see the current exhibit on our future. You will be visually provoked, enticed and bestirred.
The Neuberger Museum, located on the campus of Purchase College, is open Tuesday through Sunday, 12 to 5 pm. For more information, go to www.neuberger.com.