ARTS
Black & White Gallery
Project Space BY R O D N E Y S PA R R OW
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Shimon Okshteyn’s Legacy eloved Hamptons artist Shimon Okshteyn’s untimely death last year was a great loss to the art world, but his critically acclaimed legacy lives on. “The last time I spoke with him he told me he couldn’t wait to get back to his studio to explore his new ideas,” says his wife, Tatyana, the longtime proprietor of the Black & White Gallery / Project Space. Black & White Gallery / Project Space The Southampton space located in Shimon’s converted studio is the latest iteration of Tatyana’s gallery, which she founded in 2002. The gallery followed the trajectory of the New York art world nexus, from Williamsburg to Chelsea and later to Bushwick. “It’s like the Latin saying omnia mea mecum porto – all that is mine I carry with me,” says Tatyana. “Wherever
we lived, that’s where the gallery would go. The goal now is to preserve Shimon’s legacy and introduce the Gallery and its program to the Hamptons community.” Whitney & Brooklyn Museums Throughout Shimon’s successful career, his creative output evolved with each change in his immediate surroundings. A renowned art critic wrote, “ Shimon Okshteyn is a hidden intellectual who observes the world around him and shows it in his metamorphoses.” In the 80’s he arrived on the American art scene depicting the terrifying beauty of very modern sirens with impeccable precision. This period was inspired by his new life in the USA following his immigration from the former Soviet Union. In the subsequent decades, he became famous for his meticulously rendered still lifes in graphite and ambitious multi-media installations inspired by his move
to NYC from New England. During that period, he had numerous exhibitions in many prestigious galleries and museums, most notably at the Whitney Museum, Brooklyn Museum, and State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. Natural Landscapes of the Hamptons Over the years Shimon talked about how much he loved the natural beauty of the Hamptons, and that one day he would like to express that in his work. “ This has been his dream since the mid-’90s, and when we finally settled here three years ago, he began experimenting with abstracted landscapes- a new and exciting genre for him”, says Tatyana, “His creative shifts between genres have always been mysterious to me, especially his last shift from pop culture and nostalgia to poetic interpretations of the natural scenes in the Hamptons. To preserve Shimon’s legacy, the new gallery space, both indoors and outdoors, will be a