Adam Hayes: Access to the Magnificent Room

October 18 – November 23, 2008

Number 35 is pleased to present the work of Adam Hayes. The show features a selection of recent works on paper and an site-specific installation. Drawing from both high-fashion photography and stills of Las Vegas casino exteriors, Hayes abstracts from images of gowns, pleats, cathedral ceilings and columns.

His drawings feature a moment: hair blowing, the space between drapery, a shadow of a neck. They turn in images of incomplete sashes and quick snapshots of fur collars. Although they are the forgotten remnants of something larger, they are complete statements of the majesty and costume from which they are derived.

Hayes's installations recreate the lighted facades of casinos designed to mimic classical architecture. The approach here is the same; he takes only the details that strike him and amplifies them for his viewer. The result is also coupled with a precarious light fixture illuminating a specific part of the installation. Here Hayes showcases not just the moment he's reconstructed, but also the construction itself.

“Lower East Side: Art Shoehorned Amid Charm”, The New York Times, Holland Cotter, November 14, 2008. Download PDF.