Embracing Uncertainty: Exploring and embracing doubt to promote creativity and self discovery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Embracing Uncertainty: Exploring and embracing doubt to promote creativity and self discovery 

Exhibition Dates: October 4 – 27 2024  

Location 1: New England Art Center (NEAC) at TAG The Art Gallery, 460C Harrison Ave, #C-2, Boston, MA 02118

Location 2: 450 Harrison Ave, space 37,  Boston  MA 02118

Exhibition Events:

– First Friday: October 4, 5pm – 8pm  

– Artist Reception: Sunday October 13, 2pm – 5pm  

– Artist Talk: Sunday, October 20, 4pm – 6pm  

The October exhibition, Embracing Uncertainty, organized by Claudia Fiks, draws on the philosophical ideas of Bertrand Russell, who believed that embracing doubt fosters wisdom, creativity, and growth. Russell argued that the pursuit of absolute certainty limits progress, while uncertainty can spark intellectual and artistic exploration.

This exhibition challenges artists to explore their vulnerabilities and the unknown within their work. It encourages both artists and viewers to see uncertainty as an opportunity for growth, reflecting Russell’s belief that accepting unpredictability can lead to new perspectives and innovation.

Embracing Uncertainty aims to inspire exploration of life’s complexities and the beauty found in the unknown. Artists present works across various mediums and styles, showcasing how uncertainty influences their creative process. The exhibition features a diverse array of art forms, including painting, photography, ceramics, jewelry, woodwork, glass, textiles, mixed media, and installations.

Guest curators are Julia Cseko, a Brazilian Boston-based artist and curator, and Joana Traub Cseko, a Brazil-based artist and curator, who will greatly contribute to the exhibition’s cross-cultural dialogue and creative exchange, enriching its exploration of uncertainty.

Art that embodies uncertainty often resonates deeply with viewers, prompting introspection and emotional engagement. The theme invites individuals to confront their own discomfort and ambiguity, encouraging self-reflection on personal and societal uncertainties. 

The exhibition’s 96 participants exhibiting simultaneously in two galleries , all TAG artist members, challenge viewers to reassess their perceptions of reality and explore abstraction through their varied works. As Russell suggested, accepting uncertainty while acting decisively enables growth and transformation. This exhibition affirms that uncertainty can be a driving force for artistic innovation, personal development, and societal progress.

This unique exhibition spans two locations within the SoWA Arts and Design District: TAG and Space 37. Both spaces will showcase works by TAG artist members, representing local and regional artists working in contemporary art across diverse mediums and styles.

“We’re thrilled to present such a wide range of artistic expressions,” says Claudia Fiks, Gallery Director. “I’m especially honored to collaborate with guest curators Julia Cseko and Joana Traub Cseko, whose international perspectives and artistic skills enrich the exhibition and broaden our artistic community.”

About the curators:

Julia Csekö, born in Colorado to Brazilian parents in self-exile during the Brazilian military dictatorship, Csekö was raised in Rio de Janeiro. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the ALAANA Creative County Grant, SMFA Traveling Fellowship, Collective Futures Grant, Be The Change Award, and local cultural council grants from Somerville, Randolph, and Newton. Csekö has also completed a Sculpture Space Residency and was awarded the Create the Vote MassCreative Fellowship. Currently, she serves as an Artist-in-Residence at the Boston Center for the Arts and as the City of Salem Public Artist in Residence. Her work is included in prestigious collections such as Tufts Permanent Collection, Emerson College, MAM Rio, Morris and Belkin Gallery, and CC São Paulo, among private collections. In 2025, Csekö was invited to return to MassMoCA as an A4A Alumni AiR. She earned her MFA from the SMFA at Tufts in 2013.

Csekö’s passion for cultural advocacy traces back to her BFA at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), where she participated in successful efforts to increase Brazilian national funding for arts and culture from 0.3% to 1%. She has since continued her advocacy work as an active Cultural Sector Arts Advocate in North America.

Joana Traub Csekö, a Brazilian-American artist, holds an MFA from the Federal University of Rio (EBA-UFRJ) and a PhD in Art from the State University of Rio (UERJ). Her artistic practice includes research on the modernist UFRJ University Hospital, which inspired the feature film “HU.” Her series “Passagens” (Passages) has been exhibited in several solo shows, including “Elegias Cariocas” at Luciana Caravello Gallery (RJ) and “Passagens – Outeiro” at Cabriola (RJ). Joana’s work is part of the Gilberto Chateaubriand collection at the Museum of Modern Art – Rio and the Rio Art Museum (MAR). Recent group exhibitions include “Horizontes: The Landscape in the MAM-Rio Collections,” “Manjar: Para Habitar Liberdades” at Solar dos Abacaxis (RJ), “Casa Carioca” at MAR, and “Parada 7 – Arte em Resistência” at Centro Cultural Justiça Federal and Centro de Artes Hélio Oiticica (RJ). Born in Denver, Colorado, Joana now lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Exhibition Events:

– First Friday: October 4, 5pm – 8pm  

– Artist Reception: Sunday October 13, 2pm – 5pm  

– Artist Talk: Sunday, October 20, 4pm – 6pm  

Exhibiting Artists:

Aaron Brodeur, Adrian Negenborn, Aisling Colleary, A J Belmont, Alz, Amalia Tagaris, Angelique Luro, Angus Schaefer, Anita Loomis, Anne Diamond McNevin, Anthony Dyke, Barbara Fletcher, Benjamin Archibald, Beth McLacklan, Beverly Sky, Bill Hecht, C E Morse, Caroline Grossman, Carrie Nixon, Cassie Doyon, Cathy Weaver Taylor, Chelsea Ning, Cicek Beeby, Cindy Kennelly, Claire Lima, Clyde D’Mello, Dan Dyer, DaNice D Marshall, Deborah Perugi, Derrick Te Paske, Dina Mordeno, Dot Bergen, Einat Cohen, Ellen Foust, Ellen Rounseville, Emily Sper, Eric Stark, Erica Bryant, Erica Licea-Kane, Erik Carter, Fernando Fula, Fleur Thesmar, Francine Zaslow, Gabriel Feld, Genevieve Flynn, Heather Binder, Jamaal Eversley, Janet Kawada, Jenne Rayburn, John Haiduk, Julie C Baer, Julie Peck, June Krinsky-Rudder, Karl Stephan, Kat Masella, Kathleen Zimmerman, Kathryn Almanas, Kathryn Parker Almanas, Kevin Dailor, Kimberly Gatesmam, Kris Laping, Kristen Freitas, Laura Menucci, Lisa Barthelson, Lois Arthur, Luba Shapiro Grenader, Margaret Shipman, Margarita Krylova , Marianne Jennings, Marilyn T. Pritikin, Mario Kon, Maritza Ranero, Matthew Bajor, Matthias Lupri, Meg Black, Meghan Mirasolo, Michael Benari, Michael Bourque, Michael Metcalfe, Michelle Feinberg, Mike Libby, Milo Milowsky, Monica DeSalvo, Nancy Alimansky, Nicholas Goodhue, Omar Vega, Patrick Goguen, R. Douglass Rice, Raquel Fornasaro, Rebecca Skinner, Renee Bitinas, Sarita Mishaan, Samantha Paris Estes, Sandra Mueller-Dick, Sepi Golestani, Sharon Ede Glennon, Sharon Whitham, Sidney Hutter, Simone Scholes, Sitka Gulergun, Susan F. Chamberland, Susan Aeschbach, Susan Morrison-Dyke, Tamara Gonda, Thomas Babbitt, Vanessa R Thompson, Yildiz Grodowski, Zeina Skaff Kahhale