New York, NY - My Pet Ram is pleased to present F_ll _n Th_ Bl_nks, on view through May 30th through June 29th.

For millennia, humankind has regarded the sky with awe and looked to it for inspiration. Ancient astronomers made observations of the sun, moon, and brightest planets as they calculated the
movements of the solar system with the naked eye. Today’s scientists use cutting-edge observational equipment to probe beyond our celestial neighbors while gleaning details about the origin and evolution of our place in space. Beyond this collected information, however, there are still myriad questions floating in the void. Featuring work by Yevgeniya Baras, Christopher Daharsh, Matthew F Fisher, Nick Hobbs, Edward Holland, Nick Irzyk, Anders Lindseth, Paola Oxoa, Raychael Stine, James Teschner, and Margaret Thompson, F_ll _n Th_ Bl_nks brings together artists that ponder these uncertainties as they question the mystery of the cosmos, ascertain our place in it, and attempt to fill this inconceivably vast and (mostly) empty space with their knowledge, spirituality, and imaginations. 

Following the guidance of the scientific community, some of the artists in the exhibition take a more analytical approach, their works alluding to technical data and rational thought. Matthew F Fisher’s paintings of the solar system are reminiscent of classroom diagrams from our childhoods that established a basic understanding of the observable universe. In As Deep Below, the Earth and the Moon sit perfectly balanced within a field of radiant plasma, emphasizing the intrinsic bond between these celestial bodies and the Sun. In a similarly observational mode, Nick Hobbs, a self-described amateur astronomer, draws upon a lifetime of exploring outer space via telescope and the internet in his work. Crater brings us one giant step closer to the Moon, delivering an intimate yet gauzy view of the lunar surface that exudes cool mystery and the detailed precision of astronomical observation. 

Continuing in this vein, the aquaresin sculpture by Christopher Daharsh titled The Wandering Sky hovers above the audience, inspired by the comets and meteors that hurtle through the night skies. Like these vagabond rocks drifting through space and absorbing debris along the way, Daharsh’s practice looks to his environment for crowd-sourced mark making accumulated with the slow hand of time. Nick Irzyk’s gridded structures outline the architecture of three-dimensional space in which these celestial objects float. Each gritty oil paint cell is a world of its own, part of a greater fabric whose known qualities dissipate as they expand towards the edge of the frame and infinity. Though outer space may appear empty, there is abundant activity not visible to the naked eye. As radio waves pulse through space and land on giant radio telescopes, so too does Paola Oxoa’s work transmit intangible frequencies, feelings, and moments of awareness through its formal elements. Recent paintings like Dream seem to depict sounds or vibrations that communicate the message that inside and outside are all one, and all connected.

Tapping into the sublime power of the natural world and humanity’s place within its awesome expanse, some artists establish an atmosphere bordering on the spiritual. For months on end, James Teschner paints in a field near his home in the remote farmlands of central France. The resulting works focus on the setting sun, the moon, the sky, and those moments leading to night where the sunset unfolds, clouds morph, and planets and constellations move across the sky. Teschner paints amid this cosmic dance, connecting to the profundity of the universe with a sense that we are nearly inconsequential participants in these celestial happenings. Like Teschner, Margaret Thompson invites viewers to contemplate their place in the greater scheme of existence. Drawing from the wild terrain of northern New Mexico where she lives and works, Thompson creates layered meditations on the bonds between earth, body, and sky. Not merely depictions of the physical, her paintings offer a portal into the liminal spaces where cosmology, nature, and spirit converge. Toeing the line between the viewable world and invisible processes, Anders Lindseth looks to our nearest star and its intextricable link to our perception of time. Exploring the green flash mirage, the momentary threshold between day and night when the sun dips below the horizon, his paintings investigate both beginnings and endings. Our recognition of this phenomenon is nuanced as it occurs both in an instant and also forever as the emerald light persists along the edge of the Sun’s rays as the globe turns.

Making sense of one’s place and purpose here on Earth is difficult, if not impossible. Our interpretation of the natural world has led to all manner of myths, legends, and beliefs while continuing to stoke the imagination. For millennia, humans have looked to the stars for guidance and stability, viewing portents in the heavens and eventually connecting the dots within the shapes of the Zodiac. Since 2014, Edward Holland has been working on a series that explores the overlap between this astral myth-making and abstraction. He is interested in how viewers may interpret the gestures, colors, and scraps of collaged paper as one might draw meaning from the sky. Using the modern Zodiac as the geometrical foundation for each piece, Holland layers collaged elements that reinforce each particular sign, and alchemizes the elements into a complex whole. 

While Yevgeniya Baras’ paintings may not specifically reference the sky, she also strives to create logic from chaos, just as ancient astrologers sought stability from something as abstract as constellations of stars. Her untitled works foreground a desire for the audience to make sense of them by projecting order and understanding upon each canvas. Finding meaning in the seeming disorder of nature answers some questions about our existence, yet poses even more. Bridging the divide with a tenuous map through this convergence of ground and heavens, Raychael Stine’s sumptuous abstractions, floral motifs, and painterly marks coalesce into miniature galaxies and trompe l’oeil shapes that mimic three-dimensional collage. Connecting the artist’s hand, the earthly bloom, and the infinity of the universe, like Baras, she establishes a touchstone for further rumination about existence in both our immediate environment and the vastness of space.

The sky is inescapable. We are all existing within the atmosphere as it extends upward into space. Witnessing the Northern Lights, a shooting star, or even a murky sunset helps to remind us, however briefly, of our connection to the vastness of existence. The artists in this exhibition offer intimate, observational, and philosophical paths toward a richer understanding of the cosmos, where each bit of matter, energy, and form stands in stark contrast to the vacuum and helps to fill in the blank.

F_ll _n Th_ Bl_nks will be on view beginning Friday, May 30 through Sunday, June 29, 2025. The gallery is located at 48 Hester Street in the Lower East Side. Gallery hours are Thursday - Sunday from 12-6pm and by appointment. For more information, please email info@mypetram.com.