This exhibition envisions fluid, alternative versions of reality

Distortion is an interesting effect, fraught with contradictory qualities. On one hand, it suggests negative connotations – of warping or misrepresenting the truth. On the other hand, it can be a process of transformation, and that’s not always a bad thing. A new group show opening in New York’s Privy Gallery on the Lower East Side explores the idea of distortion as a means of altering our perception. Inspired by and named after the Hindu concept of the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, Samsara is a mixed-media group exhibition curated by artist Zal Dormishian, exploring the illusory, fluid nature of reality.

Alongside Dormishian, the exhibition features work by Matt Weinberger, Armyan Nispel, Poyenchen, Oliver Leone, Luciano Picone and Ant Aguirre, who have responded to this idea of fluid, shifting perceptions and made work using custom liquid distortion lenses co-designed by the curator and designer Luciano Picon.

“We each move through our unique planes of reality,” Dormishian explains. The effect is a kind of siloed experience in which we take for granted that the world is as we see it. “Distortion, I have found, is an extremely effective way to break the illusion of sameness and allows one to express not just what they see, but the deeper emotions of how they feel,” says the visual artist and curator. “This approach mirrors the expressionist movement, when colour was first used creatively to evoke emotion rather than simply depict life as it literally appeared.”

An initial inspiration for the exhibition was a quote by graphic designer David Carson who said, “Don’t mistake legibility for communication.” This idea sparked Dormishian’s research into German expressionism and Hindu philosophy – two central themes woven throughout this show. “The parallels to German expressionism, where artists, diverging from realism, used colour and form not merely as aesthetic choices but as profound responses to the societal turmoil of their time,” Dormishian explains. “Similarly, Carson’s design philosophy, which deconstructs traditional norms to give rise to new forms of communication, mirrors ‘Samsara’ – the Hindu cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.”

By his own admission, the show is “eclectic”. Each artist has responded in very different ways, using their work to tell very different stories. “From a depiction of a high school suicide fantasy to a desire for human connection through dancing bodies morphing into one, the custom distortion lenses have brought out deeply personal works from every artist. My theory is that the lenses allow artists to shift these stories into a parallel world, distancing them from the trauma that might otherwise make them shy away from such subjects. This separation enables the artists to explore and showcase their intimate works with greater comfort.”

Visit the gallery above for a closer look at some of the works on display. 

Samsara is at Privy Gallery on the Lower East Side until November 10