BEFORE & AFTER
Sonja Ahlers Ingrid Butterer Ryan DaWalt Teri Donovan
Angela Ferraiolo Kristen Heritage Tatyana Kazakova
Amanda Konishi Christy Langer Valerie MacIntosh
Renee Magnanti Jamie Mirabella Bill Pangburn Debra Pearlman
Stina Puotinen Bonnie Ralston Milena Roglic Elaine Whittaker
Hover and click on the images to see the after and detail images.
Before: Sonja Ahlers
After: Bill Pangburn
Before: Bill Pangburn
After: Debra Pearlman
Before: Angela Ferraiolo
After: Ingrid Butterer
Before: Ingrid Butterer
After: Elaine Whittaker
Before: Bonnie Ralston
After: Angela Ferraiolo
Before: Kristen Heritage
After: Bonnie Ralston
Before: Milena Roglic
After: Ryan DaWalt
Before: Ryan DaWalt
After:Kristen Heritage
Before: Amanda Knoshi
After: Stina Puotinen
Before: Stina Puotinen
After: Milena Roglic
Before: Christy Langer
After: Jamie Mirabella
Before: Jamie Mirabella
After: Christy Langer
Before: Renee Magnati
After: Amanda Konishi
Before: Debra Pearlman
After: Renee Magnati
Before: Tatyana Kazakova
After: Sonja Ahlers
Before: Elaine Whittaker
After: Tatyana Kazakova
Before: Valerie MacIntosh
After: Teri Donavan
Before: Teri Donavan
After: Valerie MacIntosh
Before and After: An Inquiry into the Transformation of the Aesthetic Object
Laura Horne
"Before and After," marks a decisive departure from conventional artistic presentation, transitioning from its initial conceptualization as "Art in Circulation." This new nomenclature more precisely frames my initial inquiry: not merely the continuous flow of art, but the discrete, impactful moments of pre- and post-intervention that redefine an artwork's very being. This project is an investigation into the inherent mutability of the aesthetic object and the profound implications of external influence upon its form and meaning.
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The project begins with the artist's foundational creation; the "Before." This initial offering, often perceived as the definitive statement of individual intent, is deliberately subjected to a critical process of letting go. The artist cedes authorial control, allowing their work to enter a transformative phase. This intentional disruption of the solitary creative trajectory compels a re-evaluation of artistic ownership and the inherent stability of the art object itself. It challenges the romanticized notion of a work as inviolable, instead positing it as a mutable entity.
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The subsequent phase, the "After," is the direct result of another artist's engagement. This wasn't meant to be a casual addition but a deliberate intervention, a new set of formal and conceptual decisions imposed upon the pre-existing structure. The resulting artwork, a composite bearing the traces of multiple creative consciousnesses, necessitates a recalibration of our understanding of authorship. The work is no longer solely the product of its initial creator but a synthesis, a dialogical outcome born from a structured, albeit mediated, encounter.
Historically, precedents for such disruption exist within the modernist avant-garde, movements that likewise challenged the sanctity of the finished object. The Surrealists' exquisite corpse demonstrated the unexpected forms that emerge when individual control is surrendered to collective, sequential intervention. The Fluxus movement's emphasis on process, event, and the de-emphasis of the precious artifact, foreshadowed the conceptual underpinnings of this project. "Before and After" utilizes a more structured framework than the often-spontaneous nature of these movements, it shares their foundational critique of static art forms and singular artistic authority.
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"Before and After" functions as an apparatus for examining the very constitution of the art object in a contemporary context. By demonstrating the transformative capacity of shared engagement, the project critiques the pervasive commodification of the singular artwork and focuses on the continuous, evolving nature of aesthetic meaning. The dialectical relationship between the "Before" and the "After" serves not merely as a visual comparison, but as a conceptual framework through which to understand art not as a fixed entity, but as a dynamic process of perpetual re-formation and re-signification. I aim to establish "Before and After" as an annual project, a commitment to transformation, fostering an enduring critical dialogue within the artistic community, continually re-evaluating the boundaries of artistic practice and advancing a more nuanced understanding of collaborative aesthetic production.
Sonja Ahlers
​​Sonja Ahlers's untitled work on paper combines ink, watercolor, and collage to explore themes of beauty, romanticism, and the line between fantasy and reality. Her contribution features an appropriated La Grande Odalisque, a "reclamation" piece that re-examines female nudes by famous male painters. Chosen for its historical weight and small scale.
Ingrid Butterer
​Brooklyn-based artist Ingrid Butterer explores the complex intersection of motherhood and violence through a diverse practice encompassing clay, fiber sculpture, earth art, and photo/video/performance. Her piece, Structure Seeking Behavior, an ink and pencil work, exemplifies her ongoing inquiry into these profound themes. Butterer's work has been exhibited widely, including at Lincoln Center and the Kyoto Shibori Museum.
Ryan DaWalt
Ryan DaWalt is a multidisciplinary artist who explores the electromagnetic spectrum, from visible light to invisible waves, integrating light, magnets, and color into his practice. His work aims to connect viewers with subtle bodily perceptions beyond the purely optical. DaWalt's piece, Egg, exemplifies his magnetic optics series, featuring hand-colored ferromagnetic pigments arranged within magnetic fields to create dynamic, textured surfaces. This small work, a "seed" with the potential to "hatch" into larger forms, reflects his two decades of engagement with magnetic forces and their interaction with our neuropsychic selves.
Teri Donovan
Teri Donovan is a Toronto-based mixed-media artist whose practice delves into issues of perception, memory, and identity, often exploring the complex entanglement of the past with the present. Her work frequently investigates the subtle patterns that shape thoughts and behaviors, and the ways in which familial and cultural milieus influence selfhood. For this project, Donovan departs from her typical approach, using paint as an ink-like medium to depict a solitary figure within an abstracted environment. Through a contrasting palette of cheerfulness against isolation, she draws poignant attention to individuals often overlooked, transforming a commonplace scene into a focused inquiry into human experience.
Angela Ferraiolo
Angela Ferraiolo explores the intersection of computational processes, artificial intelligence, and transformation. Her practice revolves around generating new forms by manipulating subtle shifts in algorithmic structures, embracing the idea that even minor parameter adjustments can lead to unexpected yet organic outcomes. Ferraiolo's role is to guide these evolving systems without fully controlling them, allowing the processes to speak for themselves. She creates compositions balanced between order and chaos, valuing restraint and inviting viewers to discover the intricate ways patterns emerge, dissolve, and mutate over time.
Kristen Heritage
Kristen Heritage is a figurative painter and textile artist deeply fascinated by the absurdity and complexity of daily life in industrialized capitalist society. Drawing inspiration from medieval art, cartooning, and 20th-century social realism, she explores the personal mythologies we construct to reconcile our realities. Her work imbues everyday objects and settings with metaphysical significance, portraying incursions of cosmic and mythological forces, and examining how technology attempts to control natural cycles to maintain unnatural standards of productivity. Heritage uses symbol and atmosphere to playfully reveal the emotional and psychic landscapes she navigates.
Tatyana Kazakova
A multidisciplinary artist with an MFA from the Moscow Art Academy, Tatyana Kazakova's practice embraces intuition and spontaneity. Her work, spanning reliefs, paintings, drawings, and collages, is deeply influenced by a childhood fascination with transforming patterns found in nature and everyday objects into living beings and narratives. Kazakova is drawn to the process of observing subtle details, allowing lines and forms to emerge organically into intriguing characters, weaving stories that bridge abstraction with imaginative figuration.
Amanda Konishi
Amanda Konishi, an artist and science illustrator, explores the intricate relationship between texture, form, mark-making, and objecthood. Deeply influenced by optical and textural sensations found in nature, she uses pattern, mark-making, and line to distill the essence of the natural world. Her work contemplates the inseparable link between physical tactility and visual experience, aiming to bridge the perceived void between the act of making and the final object.
Christy Langer
Christy Langer (b. 1980) is a Canadian artist based in Berlin, Germany, who graduated from OCAD University in 2004. Her multidisciplinary practice combines sculpture, installation, sound, print, and animation. Thematically focused on natural experience, Langer's work mediates the transition from tactile to visceral engagement with the viewer, often exploring materials and techniques to create evocative pieces that delve into the complexities of our relationship with the natural world.
Valerie MacIntosh
Valerie MacIntosh is an accomplished artist whose paintings and mixed-media works are deeply rooted in her interest in people and the impact of culture. Her practice has evolved from portraiture to an examination of broader social issues, notably through her "west-meets-east" series which blends traditional Chinese landscapes with Western influences. MacIntosh also captures urban life in her Commuting Life - Relief sculptures, consistently aiming to provoke both aesthetic appreciation and thoughtful reflection.
Renee Magnanti
Renee Magnanti is a multidisciplinary artist based in New York City, known for her distinctive work in encaustic, prints, and print-weaving. Her practice is deeply inspired by world textiles and often incorporates text directly into the image. Magnanti frequently explores patterns as a leitmotif, examining their conceptual and aesthetic qualities. She has developed a singular technique of carving in encaustic and a unique approach to combining prints with weaving, creating pieces that fuse traditional expressions with contemporary concerns. Her work frequently highlights the contributions of women to textile arts and global culture
Jamie Mirabella
Jamie Mirabella (b. 1971), who holds an M.F.A. from Rutgers University, constructs her artistic narratives through a meticulous process involving collage and photography. She often combines and manipulates diverse visual elements, building layered compositions that delve into themes of the eccentric and the uncanny. This method allows her to explore unexpected juxtapositions and create compelling works that challenge conventional perception. Beyond her studio output, Mirabella is dedicated to fostering creative engagement, often working as a teaching artist to share her passion for art.
Bill Pangburn
Bill Pangburn's practice encompasses painting, printmaking, and installations, primarily exploring the intersection of nature, structure, and spirituality. His work frequently utilizes the motif of rivers and water, combining precise execution with an abstract sensibility. Drawing from both Western expressionist traditions and Asian lyrical aesthetics, Pangburn's art invites contemplative engagement with visual landscapes.
Debra Pearlman
Debra Pearlman is a Brooklyn-based artist whose comprehensive practice encompasses painting, drawing, and printmaking. Her work is represented in significant institutional collections, including The Museum of Modern Art and The Brooklyn Museum. A recipient of notable grants and residencies, Pearlman has exhibited extensively, nationally and internationally. Her artistic inquiry consistently explores the ambiguity and metaphorical significance inherent in her subjects, which she transforms across various materials over time.
Stina Puotinen
Stina Puotinen is a Brooklyn-based artist, educator, and occasional curator, holding a BFA from Vassar College and an MFA from Manchester School of Art. Her extensive experience includes teaching at major NYC art institutions like MoMA and the Whitney Museum. Puotinen's multidisciplinary practice explores the (mis)interpretation of objects, communication, and relationships, alongside spontaneous collaboration and the creation of social space. Working in sculpture, installation, and performance, she frequently translates object-based work through diverse mediums such as photography, digital collage, painting, and textiles. Across her varied output, Puotinen consistently alludes to art historical sources, examining the coded language of objects, images, and color through visual and verbal double entendres.
Bonnie Ralston
Bonnie Ralston is a Brooklyn-based sculptor and experimental printmaker whose art is profoundly process-driven, exploring personal and universal themes of identity and transformation. Drawing inspiration from the natural sciences, her work often involves the meticulous observation of topics such as invertebrate metamorphosis and geologic time. Ralston's unique printmaking technique utilizes scavenged metal detritus, household acids, and salt solutions to create rich, organic patterns on paper, celebrating corrosion and disintegration as sources of unexpected beauty and possibility. Her practice, deeply informed by careers in graphic design and environmental education, consistently seeks to reframe destructive moments as opportunities for change.
Milena Roglic
Milena Roglic is a Canadian visual artist specializing in contemporary abstract painting and collage. With an MFA from York University, her practice is informed by international artist residencies and exhibited in Canada and Germany. Roglic's work explores dynamic compositions and is held in various collections, recognized for its compelling abstract forms.
Elaine Whittaker
Elaine Whittaker is an artist whose practice uniquely intersects art, science, medicine, and ecology. Working across installation, sculpture, painting, drawing, and digital imagery, she incorporates both traditional and unconventional materials—from pigments to live microorganisms. Whittaker's art explores the fundamental processes that shape organisms and the microscopic world of cellular ecologies, often investigating cultural fears surrounding microbes, epidemics, and infectious diseases in an era of globalization and climate change. Her recent work examines the body as a site of infection, reflecting narratives of hope and anxiety found in science and popular culture.