william quigley - William Quigley / Nigel Barker / CHIN TWINS Show

IN JULY 2022 AB NY GALLERY HOSTED A COLLABORATIVE SHOW OF 33 NEW WILLIAM QUIGLEY PAINTINGS. INCLUDED WERE 9 UNIQUE WORKS FEATURING WORLD RENOWN PHOTOGRAPHER NIGEL BARKER'S EXQUISITE PHOTOS OF THE CHIN TWINS, HIS WIFE CRISSY AND HER SISTER KIMMY. INSPIRED BY THEIR ELOQUENT GESTURES, QUIGLEY COLLAGED, CUT AND SCRIBBLED ON BARKER'ʼS HI RES CANVAS PRINTS. THE ALLIANCE WAS INSTALLED AS ONE CONTINUOUS 76 FT DANCE FILLING THE ENTIRE SPACE FLOOR TO CEILING. THE IDEA FOR THE INSTALLATION CAME FROM 27 YR OLD PROPOSAL QUIGLEY PRESENTED TO CURATOR KLAUS KERTESS FOR THE 1995 WHITNEY MUSEUM BIENNIAL. INFLUENCED BY THE GRANDIOSE MONUMENTALITY OF WORKS LIKE NAIM JUNE PAIK'S 1995 ELECTRONIC HIGHWAY, MATISSE'S 1909 DANCE, WALTER DE MARIAʼS 1979 BROKEN KILOMETER, PICASSO'S 32 FT GUERNICA, AND WARHOL'S 1982 COLLAB WITH BASQUIAT, AB GALLERY SET THE PERFECT STAGE FOR THE CONCEPT, TRANSFORMING IT INTO A CHOREOGRAPHED AQUARIUM OF BOLD, BRIGHT COLOR. A MELODIOUS ABSTRACT SYMPHONY CELEBRATING THE EFFORTLESS SOPHISTICATION AND GRACEFUL MOVEMENTS OF THE TWINS. THE STREET-LIKE BOMBARDMENT OF FLUIDITY CREATED A PANORAMIC FISHBOWL OF VISUAL FIREWORKS. A CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE FILLED WITH EXPRESSION EVOKING MONET'S WATER LILIES. THE EXUBERANCE WAS QUINTESSENTIAL QUIGLEY, CONSISTENT WITH YEARS OF CHALLENGING THE AUDIENCE, GOING BEYOND ANY COMFORT ZONE, AND ADDRESSING INTELLECTUAL EXPLORATIONS OF WHAT HE DEFINES AS ART. - Arthur Hurtz, August 2022

QUIGLEY SAYS, “I WANTED THE WORKS TO FLOW IN SYNC WITH THE TWINS BEAUTIFUL DANCE GESTURES. THIS WAS TRUE ACTION PAINTING IN ITS PURITY. A DANCE DIALOGUE IN PAINT THAT EMULATED THEIR MOVEMENTS. THE IDEA WAS TO MAKE THE ENTIRE WORK SO OVERWHELMING, ONE WOULDNʼT KNOW WHERE TO START OR HOW TO LOOK AT IT. I WAS HOPING SOMEONE CAME IN A BOUGHT THE ENTIRE PIECE. THE RARE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE WITH NIGEL, ONE OF THE GREAT PHOTOGRAPHERS AND CREATIVE MINDS OF OUR DAY, OPENED THE DOOR TO CHALLENGE MY CREATIVITY AND WORK WITH SUBJECTS THAT WERE VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I NORMALLY PAINT. INTERPRETING THE TWINS VERY DIFFICULT ATHLETIC MOVEMENTS, MADE TO LOOK EFFORTLESS WAS THE STIMULATION TO TRY AND CAPTURE IN PAINT WHAT THEY ACHIEVE SO BEAUTIFULLY IN REAL TIME. NIGELS ABILITY TO FREEZE TIME WAS THE STARTING POINT. I WANTED THE PAINTINGS TO MOVE. THE PROCESS LED TO RISKS GOING BEYOND MY OWN LIMITATIONS AND "STRETCHING" THE SAFE AND USUAL PARAMETERS. THESE ARE VERY UNIQUE PIECES, SOME OF THE MOST AMBITIOUS WORK I'VE DONE ON A LOT OF LEVELS. "

“I have worked in the fashion industry for over 30 years and my biggest blessing as a photographer and creator was finding not just one muse but two, 28 years ago! To be able to collaborate and photograph the same two people who themselves are so intimately connected is an artist’s dream,” said Nigel Barker. “Our body of work is thousands of images deep now and when we shoot it’s like a dance but one where you know every step yet it’s still always a surprise. We met William Quigley 15 years ago at an exhibition of photos I had in conjunction with the release of a documentary I directed called ‘Haiti: Hunger & Hope.’ I knew of Bill’s work and was thrilled he would come to see me. The more I got to know the man, the more I realized that was the kind of person he was: kind, generous, curious, humble, and collaborative. Funnily enough I have always hoped we would do something special together and this collection of images is the perfect example of all the things I love. In this series of pictures you will find movement, dance, strength, intimacy, passion, and drama combined with Bill’s drawings, painting, and doodling that represent to me, the mind, and soul, as if you were able to harness and illustrate your brain waves and emotions in ink. The series is powerful yet ethereal, striking yet calming, very much like my two muses.” -Nigel Barker, 2022

AB NY Gallery East Wall

West Wall

Back Wall

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AB NY Gallery

IT'S A BIT TOO LATE TO BE NERVOUS, 2022, 60 X 60 INCHES
MIXED MEDIA, OIL, DUGGAL PHOTO PRINT ON CANVAS

THEY EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS, 2022, 80 X80 INCHES
MIXED MEDIA, OIL, DUGGAL PHOTO PRINT ON CANVAS

SHE'S FIGURED IT ALL OUT 2022, 80 X80 INCHES
MIXED MEDIA, OIL, DUGGAL PHOTO PRINT ON CANVAS

IM GOING TO FINISH THIS, 72 X 72 INCHES
MIXED MEDIA, OIL, DUGGAL PHOTO PRINT ON CANVAS

THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF OUR DANCE, 2022, 72 X 68 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, CRAYON, CHARCOAL, DUGGAL PHOTO ON CANVAS

ANOTHER WORD FOR SCRIBNER, 2022, 72 X 72 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, CRAYON, CHARCOAL, DUGGAL PHOTO ON CANVAS

REALLY WANTED TO WRITE ON THIS, 2022, 40 X 60 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, CRAYON, CHARCOAL, DUGGAL PHOTO ON CANVAS

BIG WIGGLER, 2022, 60 X 60 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, CRAYON, CHARCOAL, DUGGAL PHOTO ON CANVAS

IVE ALWAYS KINDA BEEN LIKE THIS, 2022, 48 X 48 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, CRAYON, CHARCOAL, DUGGAL PHOTO ON CANVAS

STAY POSITIVE BUT TEST NEGATIVE, 2022, 84 X 40 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, CRAYON, CHARCOAL, DUGGAL PHOTO ON CANVAS

CHIN TWINS IN BLACK, 2022, 24 X 24 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, CRAYON, DUGGAL PHOTO ON CANVAS

SWAN DIVE, 2022, 72 X 68 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, PASTEL, CHARCOAL, DUGGAL PHOTO ON CANVAS

GOING TO ROLL WITH IT, 2022, 48 X 48 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, CRAYON, CHARCOAL, DUGGAL PHOTO ON CANVAS

GREEN SWIRL WIGGLER, 2022, 36 X 20 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, CRAYON ON CANVAS

NOT MUCH OF A WIGGLER, 2022, 36 X 20 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, CRAYON, CHARCOAL ON CANVAS

NO WORDS CAN EXPRESS THIS, 2022, 48 X 48 INCHES
OIL, ACRYLIC, CRAYON, SPRAY PAINT, PASTEL ON CANVAS