suspensions: a group salon about being suspended in space
10/1/20262 min read
brooklyn, ny — gallery 913 is pleased to present suspensions, a group salon curated by hobart pao, featuring works by zack federbush, lisa ludwig, hobart pao, sophia reyes, roycer, and zheng xue. running from 1 oct to 1 dec 2026, suspensions brings together six artists, creating a suspension space of artists and their work.
despite appearances, and though whether truly empty space actually exists, reality is 99% “empty” space,
whence life as we know it is arguably suspended in this “aether”. from the topological perspective, suspen-
sions are a way to embed entities in higher dimensional spaces, allowing us to create paths between points.
suspensions also carry the liminal notion of being in transition, in a space of transition, sometimes stopped
or stuck. in order to get somewhere, we must experience transitional states, which often involve discomfort
or uncertainty. the works in this salon all fit the suspensions theme by containing topological suspensions,
paths or loops made of paths. each work creates the context for the other works, each providing a different
perspective on suspension; pao’s curation showcases the diversity of ways to express the same idea, and does
not privilege any particular interpretation.
when the viewer-participant enters the space, on the main wall begins pao’s “service suspended”–an mta
service changes sign, followed by federbush’s “directional”, which asks the viewer ”which way should i/we
go”. the main wall is anchored by ludwig’s “common body”, a piece about being suspended between worlds.
following the typical increase of dimensions associated with suspensions, “common body” moves between
the microscopic and the monumental. accordingly, its two pieces are both joined and separated by pao’s
“series m” iMac-inspired color fields, emphasizing how technology both connects and disconnects us more
than ever. taken together, the wall asks, given these various options created by technology / transit and the
lack thereof, where should we go?
the secondary wall shows pieces that function together as questions and answers. federbush’s “paradox”
asks “how can you move on and stay in one place?” and is flanked by xue’s “seeds”, a universe of primordial
cellular forms, and roycer’s ghost in “cloudy walk”. one possible reading is that we can both move on and
stay in the same place through going in circles, and/or through memory. in the same line, federbush’s to
do list, “remember/let go” is flanked by “cloudy walk” and pao’s “pawn island”, a painting of a suspended
pawn. one possible reading is the idea that every chess game starts in the same starting position, and that
after a loss, we both remember the mistakes made and let go of them, starting a new game afresh.
the tertiary wall consists of three works about the topological notion of suspension spaces, in particular of the
circle. three interpretations are given–a commutative diagram showing the construction of the suspension of
a circle, followed by a three dimensional sculpture of the suspension of a circle as two conjoined cones, and
a painting of the bare structure of the suspension diagram–a commutative triangle.
the private opening reception will be held on thurs, 1 oct at 18:30. visits by appointment through 1 dec 2026.
gallery 913 is located at 9108 3rd avenue, apt 3f, brooklyn, ny 11209. the gallery’s mission is simple: bring
art closer to humanity, both to the artists and the viewer-participants. artists keep 70% of sales. no fees, ever.
for more information, images, or to schedule an interview, contact:
hobart pao
director, duality industries
email: dualityindustries@gmail.com
instagram: @gallery_913, @dualityindustries
(917)-657-6121