SLAG & RX is pleased to announce that it will be holding an artist talk featuring three remarkable artists: Chellis Baird, Tamara Kostianovsky, and Naomi Safran-Hon. This event will explore their shared fascination with the realm of textiles and its connection to their art. Each artist will offer insight into their inspiration and techniques.

Chellis Baird, born in the textile-rich city of Spartanburg, South Carolina, began with Mixed Media studies at the Art Students League of New York and then narrowed her focus with a BFA in textiles from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her artistic approach is a captivating fusion of painting, sculpture, and textile work, showcasing her deep fascination with mixed media. Throughout her creative process, she seamlessly combines the elements of construction and destruction. Initially, she weaves the canvas using various fibers, only to later unravel certain sections of the piece. This unique technique allows her to delve into the realm of texture and color, effectively evoking a strong desire for tactical engagement from those who view her artwork.

Tamara Kostianovsky, born in Jerusalem but raised in Buenos Aires, holds a BA in Fine Arts from the National School of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, and an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Tamara Kostianovksy’s textile sculptures connect themes of gender-based violence, ecological destruction, and consumption. Made primarily out of discarded clothing, the work offers environments where lush vegetation and exotic birds burgeon out of hanging carcasses, blending open bodies with flora and fauna in a textile landscape that both stages consumer waste and reimagines it as critical and generative material with the ability to exorcise consumer culture’s detritus.

Naomi Safran-Hon earned a BA at Brandeis University, followed by an MFA at Yale University. Safran-Hon’s thought-provoking artwork centers around the delicate nature of humanity, the concept of home, and individual as well as collective identities. She employs a diverse range of artistic mediums, such as drawing, photography, sculpture, painting, and textiles, to foster a deeper exploration that surpasses superficial observation. Her pieces strive to challenge viewers and engage them in a meaningful dialogue.

In this artist discussion, Baird, Kostianovsky, and Safran-Hon will shed light on their artistic journeys, and processes, as well as their links to textiles.

Learn More slaggallery.com

chellisbaird.com tamarakostianovsky.com/home.html naomisafranhon.com/home.html

Established in 2008, Slag Gallery resides in the heart of Chelsea, supporting its artists through all stages of their careers. Through catalogs, fairs, and exchange programs, Slag elevates emerging and established careers. Since its founding, Slag Gallery’s artists have featured in Biennials, internationally recognized museum exhibitions, and continue to show in prestigious institutions globally. Partnering with RX Paris in 2021 amplified Slag’s global presence and since then has broadened the promotional platform available to the galleries’ artists. Exhibitions at Slag Gallery have been featured in "The New York Times," "Artforum," ARTnews, "Brooklyn Rail, "Artnet News, "Hyperallergic," "The Wall Street Journal," "The Herald News," "Boston Globe," "Le Figaro," "The Art Newspaper," "Two Coats of Paint," "Architectural Digest Spain," "LA Weekly," "Stir World," "Stuttgarter," and many other publications.