Winter Into Spring 2022 ::: John Fleischer, Hannah Lee Hall, Maiya Lea Hartman, Sarah Nicole, Erin Smith, an exhibition
of new art by 5 exceptional Twin Cities artists at HAIR+NAILS opening March 5, 2022. 

John Fleischer’s art practice works the spectrum from images and objects to actions and environments. In this show he shares new sculptures — tight bundles — embracing strategies such as compression, constriction, resistance, restraint, connectability, and flexibility bringing physical form to personal, social, and political tensions.

Hannah Lee Hall’s paintings are formed through an accretion of sand, paper, pulp, string, and detritus. She imagines these forms could have “lived inside the body”.

Sarah Nicole’s larger-than-life-scale liquid-y abstract paintings emit a fluid whimsy in her response to the natural world.

Erin Smith’s ceramic forms are inspired by “pocket rocks”, little treasures picked up on journeys both in cities and desert landscapes. Scaled up, the giant conglomerates have both a stunning fidelity to and fantastical deviation from their sources.

Maiya Lea Hartman’s contribution is a stunning single sculpture: a chair adorned with the artist’s braids. In Maiya’s own words: “What began as a meditation on the ritual of having my hair braided as a child quickly evolved to mean so much more. The act of braiding represents a labor of love for Black people. You spend hours sitting while having your hair braided-whether it be on a cushion on the floor or a chair in the salon. The braiding styles that we wear reflect not only a self-expression but a
protection and preservation of both our hair and ancestral tradition.”

Maiya Lea Hartman and Erin Smith were each featured in the HAIR+NAILS curated show “The Human Scale” at Rochester Art Center in 2021. Erin Smith has had two solo exhibitions in the HAIR+NAILS storefront (“LIVE NOODS” in 2017 and “LOST and FOUND” in 2019) and work in the group show “RIGHT NOW” in 2020/2021. John Fleischer’s work was included in the group show “HAIR+NAILS at 9 Herkimer” in Brooklyn in 2018 and in “FUTURE FUTURE” 2020. Hannah Lee Hall’s paintings were included in Island Queen Satan Flower’s guest-curated summer show at HAIR+NAILS in 2019. This is the first HAIR+NAILS show for Sarah Nicole.

Artist bios:

JOHN FLEISCHER:
John Fleischer has presented projects at venues such as the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (Grand Rapids, MI), Kunstverein Grafschaft Bentheim (Neuenhaus, Germany), the Rochester Art Center (Rochester, MN), Hair + Nails (Minneapolis, MN), Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe, Germany), Bielefelder Kunstverein (Bielefeld, Germany), and the Soap Factory (Minneapolis, MN). Fleischer holds an MFA from the University of Minnesota and is a recipient of the Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant. He lives and works in Minneapolis, MN.
http://www.johnjfleischer.com/
@jhnflschr

HANNAH LEE HALL:
Hannah Lee Hall lives and works in St. Paul, MN. She received a Bachelor of
Fine Arts with a concentration in painting from the Rhode Island School of Art
and Design (RISD) in 2010.
http://www.hannahleehall.com
@yyesbut

SARAH NICOLE:
Sarah Nicole lives and works in the Twin Cities. She received a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design (MCAD). She has exhibited her work at Miami Art Week with Good To Know, at Sure Space Gallery, Lanesboro Gallery, and Waiting Room Gallery. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Wasserman Projects.
@sarahnicolexxo
http://www.sarahnicolestudio.com

ERIN SMITH:
Erin Smith is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus in clay. Her practice relies heavily on process and exploration through tool making and material play. Erin earned a BFA in product design from Parsons School of Design and an MFA from NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University.
@erinlynnsmith
erinlynnsmith.studio