Homecoming

January 10th, 2023 - February 11th, 2023

Josiah Ellner, Debora Koo, Elena Redmond, Rachael Tarravechia

Homecoming inaugurates the gallery's now permanent exhibition space and aims to showcase the strong community of artists that Tchotchke has built over the last two years. The aptly-named group show embraces the end-of-year tradition of giving superlatives as a fun way to mark the closure of one chapter and the start of another, as well as an opportunity to highlight the different personalities and talents of each artist.

Participating artists include Josiah Ellner, Debora Koo, Elena Redmond, and Rachael Tarravechia. Each artist is represented by Tchotchke Gallery.

Josiah Ellner (b. 1996, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but grew up in Xi’an, China. Growing up in a city of more than nine million people with scarce green spaces and little to no wildlife, Ellner always felt disconnected from the natural world. Despite these feelings of alienation, his relationship with nature is a focal point of his practice. From his experiences of encountering and engaging with nature, Ellner weaves together playful narratives that capture intimate moments of this connection. Through careful abstraction, Ellner can heighten and fully portray the whimsical and awkward interactions he has with the environment around him. Currently, Ellner is attending The School of the Art Institute of Chicago to earn his Master of Fine Arts.

Debora Koo (b. 1990, Seoul, South Korea) is an oil painter based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her interest in art began at Smith College where she studied Studio Art. Afterward, she continued her studies at Ewha Woman’s University in Seoul where she got her MFA in Western Painting. Koo’s oil paintings encompass a wide range of subject matters and styles. However, if there is one thread that pulls her work together it is the idea of responding to and expressing emotions and experiences through painting. She draws inspiration from mundane events, media, human desire, motivation, apathy, and helplessness. The banality of the images depicted, sometimes in bright, saturated colors and other times faded and pale, become surrogate self-portraits, memories, and hopeful futures. This can take the form of a carefully staged still life representing identity, appropriated media images of idealized love and romantic relationships, or food that can give a sense of belonging, physical satisfaction, or contrarily an invitation for discomfort and sweet temptations.

Through a multi-layered oil painting practice, Elena Redmond (b. 1998, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) uses self-portraiture to explore themes of privacy, desire, vulnerability, and power. Redmond’s themes are scrutinized by the artist’s investigation of infamous pop culture moments and virality in the Internet Age. With this approach, she examines her afflictions and affection towards growing up online, questioning predominantly where the body stops and the internet begins. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2021, Redmond relocated to Brooklyn, New York where she currently resides.

Acknowledged for detailed and meticulously adorned large-scale interior paintings that highlight and focus on narrative, Rachael Tarravechia’s (b. 1995, Charlotte, North Carolina) work showcases dreamy interiors that feel familiar through the use of tchotchkes and iconic design elements. Tarravechia invites viewers to look beneath the surface of the pink paint and embellishments, questioning when the idyllic becomes somewhat suspicious. Her work examines the threshold of private versus public, popular culture and media, repetition and patterns, the investigation of luxury goods, and the expectations that go along with it. Tarravechia’s work is part of the permanent collection at The SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, GA.

Press

Brooklyn Magazine, From Url To Irl: Online Gallery Tchotchke Finds A Physical Home In East Williamsburg
Art Currently, Tchotchke Gallery Opens New Space in Brooklyn
COOL HUNTING, Tchotchke Gallery Opens Its First Physical Location in Brooklyn
Brownstoner, Tchotchke Gallery Aims to Make Art Accessible at New Williamsburg Space
Hyperallergic, Eight New Art Spaces to Visit in Brooklyn