The scents of the WetLab, including those of sacred fungi and healing tinctures concocted from disappearing landscapes, emanated from the soft glow of the building’s front door, beckoning visitors to explore the gallery for the last time. The front porch of the WetLab on Governors Island was teeming with life on October 30th as visitors gathered to bid farwell to the WetLab’s Fall 2021 exhibition, Contretemps. Gallatin students, teachers, and alumni, NYU community members, Governors Island artists, as well as art enthusiasts on a guided tour of Governors Island art attractions, traversed through the gallery’s two floors. Visitors marveled at the sinuous curves of clay and pools of brilliant blue glaze in Rhea Barve’s ceramic sculpture, the vibrant green sprouts miraculously shooting up from a wet work glove by WetLab Artist in Residence Tessa Grundon, and the sediment cores of Simon Benjamin, whose work unearths the palimpsest of Governors Island underground histories. The artwork of the exhibition was doing tremendous work by not only forcing visitors to consider how we engage with the collective loss of time and disaster by human hands but also in causing visitors to ruminate on what makes these intriguing pieces of art, art? Members of the group art tour engaged in vibrant conversations on why these works are considered art instead of botanical displays or a science exhibition, and although the conversation was lively, no concrete conclusions were drawn. Outside the gallery, visitors enjoyed tacos, drinks, dynamic conversations, and even a short serenade from a visitor who brought their guitar. Contretemps. has officially closed, however, you can still learn more about the exhibition, the artists, and the artwork that brought it to life on our website. Be on the lookout for an upcoming post regarding reflections on Contretemps. with input from the exhibition’s artists.
