By Tom Momberg
Gearing up for the Bayside Historical Society’s 15th-annual winter art show this Sunday, Queens artist Lisa Gindi had a hard time choosing what to display. She could only select two out of at least 100 she has stored in her apartment.
“I’ve already done two shows there before, so everyone knows I can paint bridges and skylines, and they all know I can do glitter and fashion, but if I do it again, I am going to bore the hell out of myself and everyone else,” Gindi said.
Gindi is one of about 50 artists from around the borough who are set up at the Castle at Fort Totten, 208 Totten Ave., for the annual exhibit. BHS said the show will have the greatest number of painters and photographers it has ever had, so each artist was limited on the number of works they could display.
The opening reception is slated for 2 p.m. Sunday, but the exhibit will be on view until Jan. 24. BHS Executive Director Alison McKay said.
The $10 admission fee for the opening reception includes cheese and wine, an awards ceremony and gallery talk. The event is free for members of the historical society.
Several other renowned and up-and-coming Queens artists like Willy Airaldi, Fred Rodney Decker, Maria Sausa, Clare Stokolosa, Susan Palumbo and Adam Hardy are planning to be there to talk about their work.
McKay said it is an exciting time for the annual show, which is put on in collaboration with the city Department of Cultural Affairs.
“There are new names and faces this year, which is exciting. It’s nice that there are a couple more emerging artists making northeast Queens more of a cultural center,” McKay said.
Gindi started working in 2008 on her mixed media collection called “Gindi Glitz,” which is named for her original glamorous collage style incorporating glass, rhinestones, sequins and glitter, but the collection is in transition. She said the work she is planning to display at Fort Totten reflects that.
A former Brooklyn public school teacher, Gindi said this is now her primary career. Since she is depending on the market of art buyers in the city, she is trying to broaden her style and appeal to more people.
Still, Gindi keeps the glitz in some of her art, but the concept has deeper roots in her young art career. When she was a teenager in the late ‘80s, she painted T-shirts decked out with bling and sold them on Manhattan Beach.
When she first came up with “Gindi Glitz,” the artist’s style was rooted in magazine collages she made. Almost everything she creates is based off what she has seen in or clipped from magazines.
In her most important piece on display at the Castle on Fort Totten, Gindi kept the style of collage, but it is not a mixed-media work. She cut out magazine clippings that represent different city scenes, but painted over them for a finished totally acrylic painting. The theme of the piece represents chaos in her own life, as the images are sliced and displaced throughout the canvas.
Gindi’s art ranges from $800 to $12,000 for original works, and $200 to $800 for reproductions on canvas. Visit lisag
“When things are falling apart, you feel like your whole world is shattered, but somehow you’re keeping it together and it is still all one big piece of hope,” Gindi said.
Reach reporter Tom Momberg by e-mail at tmomb
