Subway stations may seem unlikely places to encounter the divine, but amid the rumble of trains, the crush of commuters and the cavernous underground passageways, Salisbury artist Mike Selbach finds moments of unexpected beauty.
In “Subway Saints,” his solo exhibition opening Thursday, Nov. 12 at the Warren Family Gallery at Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, Selbach transforms ordinary commuters and familiar transit spaces into sacred moments.
Through carved, two-sided wooden sculptures and expressive woodcut prints of New York City subway stations, Selbach captures both the individuality of the people who pass through these spaces and the shared experience of moving through the city. His work draws on decades of experience in sculpture and printmaking, with a distinct focus on the expressive possibilities of wood. Influenced by German Expressionist printmakers, Selbach brings a striking interplay of color, texture and perspective to his work, finding connections between the ancient art of woodcarving and the rhythms of contemporary urban life.
An opening reception will be held Thursday, Nov. 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The exhibition runs through Dec. 20 at the Warren Family Gallery, 245 North Undermountain Road, Sheffield. For more information, email the curator at victoria.selbach@gmail.com or call (516)220-9909.
