Dai Ban, Susan Lisbin and Liane Nouri each use abstraction and the formal elements of their work to create and express internal relationships, interpersonal connection, and connections between people and nature. Dai Ban expresses a deep intimacy with his own intuition and creative flow. Nouri seeks to draw the viewer in closer with her subtle color interactions. Lisbin draws her inspiration from human relationships, communication, and emotion. The relational aspects of each artists’ work are presented through a minimal approach, abstraction, bold forms, and the use, or absence, of color.

Chief Curator and Gallery Owner Carrie Chen comments that “While the three artists in this show are from very different backgrounds, they each evoke a deep sense of connection, connection within oneself, and with others. Dai Ban’s strong

form is balanced and elegant, powerful, yet not intimidating. Liane’s foundational use of serial cubes is elevated to a meditative line, reflecting the colors of the landscape, natural light, moody clouds, or internal emotions. Susan's paintings and ceramics are decisive, playful, and full of confidence.”

Ban describes his current work, saying “In my work now, the form comes first. I avoid intentional thoughts. What happens then seems to emerge from some deep subconscious reservoir: maybe from childhood, maybe from an unconscious feeling in the moment, maybe from something beyond this lifetime. I just let it come out until the form feels right. There is a sense of freedom from conscious deliberation.” Ban’s sculpture is deceptively lightweight, building up his forms using materials like foam board, Venetian plaster, acrylic, pigments, and beeswax. His minimalist structures have a reduced palette. The angular shaped planes create spatial depth where light and shadow integrate into the work.

Nouri’s pieces are comprised of a series of deep, uniform cubes painted in a tonal color scale. The depth of the boxes, and space between each, allows the shadow of each box to become a part of the piece as a whole. The subject of her work is the nuanced color relationships inspired by the Hudson Valley landscape. Liane Nouri states of her work “The color mixtures are subtle in order to make the viewer look more closely. Is it a shadow or is the color different?"

Susan Lisbin’s abstract expressionist paintings and ceramic work explore the complex and subtle interactions between people through playful, abstract forms. Her colorful forms capture the surprising interplay of human relationships, the complexity of communication, and how we impact one another. “It’s important to understand how we relate to others,” Lisbin said. “My images function on a variety of levels to highlight these experiences, from humor to sexuality.”