Opening Reception: Wednesday, October 14th from 1–8 pm
Gallery Location: 195 Chrystie Street, New York, NY 10002
Hours:  Monday - Friday, 11 am–6 pm, and by appointment
Contact Info: saraht@voltzclarke.com, 917.449.9936, voltzclarke.com

 Voltz Clarke Gallery is pleased to present rosengarten, the gallery’s third solo exhibition with Heather Chontos. The exhibition will be on view from October 14^th through November 14^th, 2020. 

The title selected for the exhibition, rosengarten (Rose Garden), is in reference to a mountain range called the Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy. For Chontos, the vast range of natural beauty represents personal transformation and change that sparked inspiration for this new body of work. Chontos was drawn to the mix of cultures amongst the picturesque backdrop of the region. The Dolomites have a rich history of two European worlds, Austria and Italy, intertwined with the landscape of a perfect postcard portraying snowcapped mountains, flowing rivers, grazing cows and sheep, apple trees and vineyards. Heather Chontos explains what this special place means to her in the quote below.

“In the evening when the sun begins its descent, the light hits the quartz of the side of the mountain range and it glows pink. It is a magical effect that turns the light everywhere into a pink hue. It is impossible to ignore it and all of its warmth. This light truly captured a moment of vulnerability in me. It would soon be a feature in my every day life when I moved there this past autumn for a period of time. This light, this rose pink mountain would tower over me daily, it would witness a complete metamorphosis of a life that I was very familiar with and one that would become an entirely new roadmap. It captured a moment in time when I found great love and partnership, but also when my family would be torn apart, where choices became impossible and options none, where freedom would be removed and we would have to learn how to exist again.”

Heather Chontos was born in Tarrytown, New York and received her Bachelors in Art History from University College London in England. Chontos has shown her work nationally and internationally since early 2000, including solo shows with Voltz Clarke Gallery in New York and Palm Beach. Chontos completed an Artist-in-Residence at Palazzo Monti in Brescia, Italy and has been travelling in Europe ever since. Chontos is currently living and working in La Tour-Blanche, France.