The Tower

The Tower brings together the work of artists exploring the various symbolic archetypes of the vertical structure, ranging from human aspiration toward the divine, to psychological connections with catastrophe. As a form, the tower carries the weight of historical and spiritual associations: it is the Tower of Babel, symbolizing ego and the friction of miscommunication; it is the sixteenth card of the Tarot, representing a moment of sudden upheaval, confusion, and extreme change; and it is the panopticon, taking on the form of a "godly" overseer—the all-seeing and unavoidable lens of modern surveillance. The tower is often associated with power and access, and several artists in the show examine and question how elevated vision may dictate authority and mobility. Beyond these traditional anchors, some artists focus on the structure’s intimate, queer, or positive associations, representing moments of clarity, "eureka!," transformation, and community resilience. Through painting, drawing, sculpture, textile, ceramic, performance, video and photography, artists in The Tower navigate these ideas through both abstraction and figuration, often leaning into surreal and metaphysical interpretations that transform architectural height into a vessel for human ambition and spiritual inquiry. From literal stone structures to psychological boundaries, the tower evokes our desire to transcend the earthly, and the simultaneous danger and freedom in forgetting our foundations.

Participating Artists: Tyler Akers, Amanda Ba, Elijah Burgher, Peter Cage & Nicholas Knight, Patrick Carroll, Kevin Cobb, Anthony Cudahy, Marc Armitano Domingo, Hank Ehrenfried, Edie Fake, Michael Cuadrado Gonzalez, Gordon Hall, Meredith James, Cindy Ji Hye Kim, Alli Lemon, André & Evan Lenox-Samour, Ian Lewandowski, Leeza Meksin, Nick Naber, Luke O’Halloran, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Tura Oliveira, Alina Perez, Alison Ruttan, Rachel Stern, and Sara Stern.

The exhibition is activated by a series of endurance performances by Peter Cage and collaborators. The artist will be plastic wrapped to a sculpture by Nicholas Knight on every Saturday of the exhibition. Please note these performances contain nudity. Performance dates: Opening Sept 12, 6-9pm, Sept 19, 4-6pm (substitute), Sept 26, 4-6pm, Oct 3, 4-6pm (substitute) Oct 10, 4-6pm, Oct 17, 4-6pm, Oct 24, 4-6pm (substitute), Oct 31, 4-6pm.

A digital catalog will accompany the exhibition, to be launched at a closing event in November. Contributors include Dr. Victoria Ferentinou, Assistant Professor at the University of Ioannina where she teaches art theory and history of art; New York based writer Paul Legault, who wrote a poetic "translation" and re-interpretation of W.B. Yeats The Tower; and an introductory essay by exhibition curator and OyG Co-director Adam Liam Rose. More information to follow.

Adam Liam Rose (b. 1990) is an artist and curator based in Brooklyn, NY. Rose’s art practice explores the visual language and architecture of “safety.” He was a fellow at the Bronx Museum of the Arts' AIM Program, The Drawing Center’s Viewing Program, and the Art & Law Program. Rose was awarded artist residencies at TNT Residency (Brooklyn, NY), the Lower East Side Printshop Keyholder Residency ( New York, NY), the International Studio & Curatorial Program (Brooklyn, NY), Fire Island Artist Residency (Fire Island, NY), Triangle Arts Association (Brooklyn, NY), Bemis Center for Contemporary Art (Omah, NE), Ox-Bow School of Art (Saugatuck, MI), A-Z West: Institute of Investigative Living (Joshua Tree, CA), the Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT) and the Chicago Artists Coalition's HATCH Residency (Chicago, IL). His publication 'Between the Bars' (Genderfail Press, 2021) is in the artist's book collection of MoMa Library, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, PRATT Institute, and The Frick Fine Arts Library in Pittsburgh. Rose received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago ('12) and an MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts (‘17). He has acted as a co-director at the artist-run gallery Ortega y Gasset Projects since 2019. There, he curated group and solo presentations including: “The Displaced Image,” featuring the works of Anthony Peyton Young, Felipe Baeza, Ilana Harris-Babou, Joeun Kim Aatchim, Peter LaBier, Phoebe Osborne and Tommy Coleman (2021); “The Mother of Sighs,” a solo exhibition by Robert Hickerson (2021); “Take Root in the Air,” a solo exhibition by Darryl DeAngelo Terrell (2023); and “Study for a Scene,” a solo exhibition by Sara Stern (2024), among others. He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY www.adamliamrose.com @adamliamrose