Sea Cliff artist to show in NYC

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While art shows and exhibits are prevalent staples of Sea Cliff culture, one resident is taking her works beyond the village’s one-square-mile. Artist Karine Falleni, who has lived in Sea Cliff for three years, will be the center focus of a pop-up exhibition in New York City this weekend. And while visitors may expect another white-walled gallery as the backdrop for the exhibit, it is actually being housed in an art collector’s apartment.

“It’s especially meaningful to have [the show] at this venue because my drawings are already a part of this venue’s collection,” Falleni, explained.

The solo show, “In Residence: Recordings of Motion,” developed out of a conversation with a collector when Falleni delivered drawings to her buyer’s apartment on the Upper West Side earlier this year. The collector admired her work so much that she came up with the idea to host an exhibition of Falleni’s pieces in her own home. The artist obliged since the space, she said, reflects a specific relationship that is evoked in many of her paintings.

“I’m interested in documenting movement, so I focus on how we move within the boundaries of structured buildings,” Falleni said. “We spend so much time in buildings and they dictate how we move from one point to another, and it’s really interesting to me.”

“Karine’s work has a very distinct visual style,” said Sea Cliff resident Kathleen DiResta. “Her dedication to exploring lines and space are evident in her vast body of work.”

Before beginning a new piece, Falleni will place herself in a corner of her studio and work with the two adjacent walls that are “confining” her. “The drawing will be different as opposed to standing in the middle of an open space,” she said. “Everything has a life and a rhythm to it, and that dialogue between the human body and the architectural, structural body is something I’m very interested in.”

This “dialogue” that is translated through Falleni’s art works well in an apartment. She said having her paintings hung alongside furniture rather than on stark white walls is a way for the viewer to visualize how the art would mesh in a physical space.

“I’m interested in bringing my work into the context of someone’s home, making it more personal and seeing how my story could work within somebody else’s story,” she said. “What’s exciting to me is that we’re not clearing out the whole space for this exhibition. You’re walking into this secure space that still feels very welcoming.”

A native of Port Washington, Falleni, 43, lived in Tucson, AZ for 10 years before moving back to the North Shore. For the past three years, she’s pursued her master’s degree at Stony Brook University and has become familiar with the many local artists that inhabit the area.

“Sea Cliff has been fantastic,” Falleni said. “It’s exactly what we had hoped we’d find coming back to New York in terms of a small sense of community and being around a lot of entrepreneurs and people who have multiple passions. It’s been wonderful.”

“I volunteer for the Sea Cliff Arts Council to meet talented artists like Karine, and I love learning about what inspires them,” DiResta said. “The arts council provides exhibit opportunities locally, but we love promoting Sea Cliff artists, even when they are showing in NYC or elsewhere. I’m looking forward to seeing [Karine’s] upcoming show.”

The reception will be held on Sunday, Oct. 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. at 473 West End Ave., apartment #12B.