A group exhibition curated by Samuel Schler brings together 19 artists whose practices challenge traditional boundaries and reimagine utopia.
Utopia, in Impossibilities (Meet Me in Utopia), is less a destination than a working experiment. Presented by Minimal Gallery in Brooklyn and curated by Samuel Schler, the group exhibition brings together 19 artists working across painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, objects, and design, each using their practice to push beyond traditional limits.
Rather than imagining ideal futures from a distance, the artists treat possibility as actively constructed through reworking familiar materials and visual languages.
The spirit of reinvention is evident in Angela Santana’s large-scale oil painting, Aporia, which revisits longstanding conventions of the female figure. Using traditional painting as a modern tool, Santana reassembles forms so that bodies oscillate between the recognizable and the abstract.
Throughout the exhibition, disciplines combine in unexpected ways. Vincent Laine bridges design and fine art, questioning how materials behave once expectations of function are loosened. Incremental Chair considers where a stainless steel sheet ends and a chair begins, blurring the line between object and concept.
The gallery space itself, designed by Oli Colman, is one with the exhibition. Two translucent hanging structures filter light and interrupt sightlines, guiding visitors’ movement and gaze. The design echoes the show’s interest in perception and encourages active engagement.
That sense of viewer participation and movement intensified during the opening night dance performance, Draw The Line. Schler choreographed the piece, inspired by his interest in rethinking how dance and art exhibitions are experienced. Seven contemporary dancers moved in and out of the audience, suggesting a more immersive future for dance.
Impossibilities (Meet Me in Utopia) presents creativity as a forward-moving force. Instead of fixed answers, the exhibition offers suggestions shaped by experimentation and curiosity.
The exhibition is on view at Minimal Gallery through January 26. All images by Nikita Gorlov courtesy of Collab-Collab.
