Mana Contemporary Studios- a discreet urban hub of working artists studios and exhibits of rare, greatly unseen artworks. I’ve personally spent a good amount of time at Mana, personally assisting with their open studios events, Project 270 voting campaign, and most recently visiting on a gallery crawl trip alongside my graduating peers.
Mana was founded by Moishe Mana, who emigrated from Israel in 1983. After starting any successful businesses in America including moving and document storage companies, Mana decided he wanted to store fine art, and Mana Contemporary was born. Moishe is a known advocate for Jewish artists, currently spotlighting breathtaking work by artists such as Yuli Aloni Pimor and Shuli Sadé.
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| Rosh Hashana at Mana Contemporary |
The first piece of art you’ll see when enter is a large grid of red squares hanging behind a long front desk- a three dimensional installation by Shuli Sadé. These squares are more than they may appear, noticing grids of intricate lines throughout the piece in somewhat thoughtful patten. It turns out this is not as much of an abstract piece but actually a carefully graphed city map. In another Exhibition Shuli demonstrates her attention to detail further with a stunning and massive city graphic, giving the impression of a keen Birds Eye view.
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| Shuli Sadé |
On your left is is a rarely before seen installation by Dan Flavin, an Iconic American light artist, known for breaking down walls in contemporary art history and creating larger than life creations light years ahead of their time. Created in the 70’s, this piece was only on view for a very short period of time only once before being put into storage. The piece was acquired by Mana for exhibition and is currently an anchor piece of their collection, turning heads as soon as one enters the venue. Of course, cell camera phones did not exist when this piece was created but in pictures today sone of the lights mysteriously change color. Definitely a very unique and distinguished artist, and reason enough alone to visit Mana. If one were to visit on an open studio days be sure to check the upper floors for another hidden Flavin piece.
The next exhibit is a true gem, masterfully combining ancient antiquities and with super fresh, bold and distinctive contemporary art- Chuck Kelton’s Transformations. Kelton is an artist and collector who in this display, pairs pieces of his artwork with traditional African Masks, a fascinating combination. Kelton creates his pieces in a darkroom, burning photo sensitive paper with chemicals creating abstract designs that flow with life. Each piece of work of course has an equally impressive historical mask, with each pairing flowing effortlessly. Each mask and art piece is on a different colored pastel background, making them stand out dynamically in one of the most well designed exhibitions I’ve seen. I had the chance to visit Chuck Keltons studio, where we talk together about historical items and I admire his collection. The large studio is filled to the brim with not just masks but all types of objects from history.
A staple of the Mana Collection is also their grand collection of original silkscreens by Andy Warhol. This is the largest collection of Warhols in New Jersey, containing both distinctly rare and widely familiar pieces alike. Everyone has seen the famous images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbells soup cans, but it’s unlikely that you’ve seen his series depicting the John F. Kennedy Assassination, which like the aforementioned Dan Flavin installation, has only been exhibited once since its creation over 50 years ago. Similar to the Flavin piece, Warhols work isn’t a day out of style and still greatly ahead of it’s time.
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