The Bayonne Community Museum -
December 19, 2014 & December 20, 2014
Exposed.
Nicholas A Macchia’s solo exhibition, “Exposed” proved to be an extremely successful art show with many surprise guests in his birthplace and hometown. The artist arrived on-site, at The Bayonne Community Museum with 152 of his pieces (all surpassing 3 feet in any dimension) and edited them down to a very tight 48 pieces to fit the exhibition specifically for the time and place. He decided what this show was containing and looked like as a whole while inside of the space for a lengthy amount of time setting up. The artist removed 104 pieces in one day leaving a seamless concentration of what his message was.
Some of the work even revisited benchmarks in Macchia’s Career in newer fashions. For the first time ever, a piece in his private collection, never to be sold, and protected in an unknown climate controlled facility, was on public display to greet the many guests of the museum as they walked in. This painting, titled, “Three Woman As One In Constraints” was one of his earliest paintings with strong social tones that depicts three grey women connected at their limbs surrounded by an intricate abstract red maze-like design. (Seen Below)
“..This is arguably the painting that started it all.. Just everything. When I talked to the board members about the show, I had a definite vision and wanted to continue where this painting was headed when I completed it in 2003. I knew that I was going to surprise them with that piece. I’m unsure when or if anyone will witness it again.”
Opening night had a classy and stylish vibe as music from professional musicians whose music prospered the space so properly while custom-made desserts were served that fit the overall theme, perfectly, all in unison. "This was very different! In each corner, he had something going on! There were live music performances in one corner, a video he made on a large screen in the left rear corner accompanied by the tallest sculptures ever displayed here, a pastry chef showcasing her tribute and talents for the show as you walked in, and hors d'oeuvres in the opposite corner. The museum had yet to see this! It was a great show!”
The Artist stated, “I’m noticing a great shift in Bayonne currently and it had to be accompanied by me having an exhibition that showed the most thought-provoking and more controversial work for this time at Bayonne’s prized community museum. I want to see the artists of Hudson County and especially Bayonne that are close to me and to all artists to never be fearful to display what I displayed here. It’s a very bold statement. Some may call it bravery. I call it being an Artist. It’s a very “me thing” to do. I’m showing you what it is that drives me for a brief moment and taking it down almost like a “happening.” You had to be there to activate the art. It brought so many people together! It was a colorful portrayal of the very definition of what a human experience actually is and each piece of art I displayed really does have blood, sweat, and tears behind them. It’s now time to make change happen here, now, and everywhere. I initially arrived here with 152 works and concentrated them as a much more powerful exhibition of 48. That says a lot by itself. I have a large series of work attached to each piece shown. I also pushed myself to the edge, almost to a serious breaking point holding an artist residency to form a whole new series of paintings for this show specifically. I spent endless, sleepless, spans of time staying awake for 2-6 nights at a time creating. I didn’t ever need to do that but this is what I do best. I like to find out where my boundaries are and I actually, finally, found some. It was a simply amazing time of my life.”
