The project space

The Project Space at ABFA is a 15 x 15 ft. area dedicated to a rotating program of experimental projects and special exhibitions. The intimate environment challenges perceptions of scale and space through installation considerations and juxtapositions. The space serves as a playground for exhibition ideas which may be outside of our gallery’s central program. The space allows us to invite artists whose work we find compelling and innovative.

Artists represented by ABFA have an opportunity to exhibit smaller bodies of work, a new series, or works from their studio that bring us further into their process; creating a channel of communication that connects artist and viewer. The Project Space is located at the back of our first floor main gallery.

If you would like to submit a proposal for the Project space, please email your project proposal with images to:

info@anthonybrunelli.com

Current Exhibition:

Animalia: Paintings by Ester curini

EXHIBITION DATES: 5 July - 24 August 2024

Opening Reception with Artist: Friday, July 5, 6-9PM

Mid-Exhibition Reception: Friday, August 2nd, 6-9PM

Known for creating photorealistic animal portraits set against stark white backgrounds, self-taught Italian painter Ester Curini has explained that isolating the endangered species on a blank canvas allows her to concentrate on a subject’s essential characteristics, and, at the same time, on what is essential to her as an artist.  This allows the animal to be in the main role rather than a supporting one.  Curni does this to give them a strong and powerful voice. 
Curini states, "Animals need that voice, now more than ever, because they are so often mistreated.  The annihilation of wildlife has become an emergency that threatens our planet.  The mistreatment of domesticated farm animals is rampant as well."
Curini's paintings reinforce that the only possible way for humans and animals to thrive is finding a compassionate way of coexistence. Her subjects appear anthropomorphic with their human poses and matter-of-fact gazes, often turned directly back at the viewer.  She captures each animal’s individuality and character with amazing intimacy and vision. The viewer is forced to confront the animals directly, considering their physiognomy, unique colors, and elegant gestures.
“My aim is to raise awareness about their importance in our ecosystem,” Curini says. “They have been hunted, trapped, and poisoned. Specifically, the Mexican Gray and the Red wolves. They are the most endangered species in North America.”
The center of her work is capturing the unique energy, essence and the spirit of each creature she paints in order to connect the urban population with nature.

Ester Curini (b. Casale Monferrato, Italy) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Curini is a self-taught painter and has exhibited in many notable galleries including Bernarducci Meisel Gallery (New York, NY), Evoke Contemporary (Santa Fe, New Mexico), Imago Galleries (Palm Desert, CA), Plus One Gallery (London, UK), and the Salmagundi Club (New York, NY). Curini has also exhibited her work in museums such as the Nassau County Museum of Art (Roslyn, NY) and the Ringling Museum of Art and Design (Sarasota, FL). Her work has been featured in domestic and international publications such as American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, Poets & Artists Magazine, and International Artist’s Magazine. Curini’s paintings are included in the Seven Bridges Collection (Greenwich, CT) and the Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation (Jersey City, NJ).