Gallery Episode is pleased to present “Being Among Others – the City,” a solo exhibition featuring American artist Robert Birmelin, a local resident of Leonia for 50 years. Robert Birmelin has attended the Cooper Union, the Yale University School of Art, and the Slade School of the University of London and has been the recipient of many grants and fellowships. His extensive artistic career includes 43 one person shows in galleries and museums throughout the United States and internationally. His work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, The Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC and others. “Being Among Others – the City” is a mini retrospective, focusing on the theme of being among others. They are based on his experience of observing, and being part of life in midtown New York City, where he maintained a studio for many years. The paintings were done from the 1980s to the 2000s.

The movement and activity of people in the streets of New York City are the central subject of Robert Birmelin’s paintings. His crowd paintings invite the viewer to almost enter the crowd themselves and become a part of the bustling movement of the street. While the urban environment and the people in it are the visual subjects of his paintings, what Birmelin is also capturing is moments of time. The detail and blur of figures depict the experience of the viewer’s eyes moving through a constantly changing environment – how one’s attention moves through time to create the blur and overlapping of images. “The Expressway – a view from the Bridge” is one painting from Birmelin’s series of four panel paintings. These paintings capture one event with small gaps between each panel – which Birmelin equates to “beats in time.” As one’s perception shifts through a moment in time, there are details that are in focus while others are lost. These paintings also feature life si
ze figures to establish a relationship between viewer and figure within the space. Birmelin’s paintings are a perceptual experience.

Robert Birmelin is pleased to have this opportunity to acquaint the Leonia community and others with an important chapter in his 70 years as an artist. “Being Among Others – the City” will open on March 26th, with an opening on Saturday, March 30th from 4 to 6pm. The exhibition will be on view from March 26 to April 13.