Our earth can’t live without holy rites. 

You can see this from the sky. 

Lots of hills to climb up and down. 

A straight ravine between. 

Snow figures engraved in stones. 

Show streaks of sun gone but

The white rocks shrink and grow

Grave at sunset.

Turn to the right

And you will fall to the left. 

One figure wears a beard 

Down to his chest

But Eros hates coverings. 

And prefers to be caught naked

With his bow and arrow. 

Embellishes

But clears the way for pathos. 

– Fanny Howe

ARDOR

Claudio Coltorti, Pauline Fransson, Blake Hiltunen, Sergei Rostropovich

January 19–March 1, 2023

Claudio Coltorti, (b. 1989, Naples, IT) is a painter living and working in Athens, Greece. Claudio attended l’École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris where he received his BFA and MFA in 2016. Claudio’s work has been included in exhibitions in Greece, Belgium, Naples, Japan, and Canada. This is the artist’s first exhibition in the United States.  

Pauline Fransson, (b. 1990, Nybro, Sweden) is a painter living and working in Nybro, Sweden. Pauline attended The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen where she received her BFA (2018) and MFA (2021). Pauline’s work has been included in exhibitions in Denmark, Sweden, and China. This is the artist’s first exhibition in the United States.

Blake Hiltunen (b. 1985, Exeter, NH) works primarily in sculpture, 

focused primarily on mold-making, casting, and metal fabrication. He earned his BFA with distinction in Sculpture and Art History from the Massachusetts College of Art in 2008. He earned his MFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2014. He currently teaches in the Sculpture Department at Pratt Institute and is a private consultant for three-dimensional design, fabrication, and finishing.

Sergei Rostropovich, (b. 1986, New York, NY) is a video artist living and working between Berlin, Germany and Paris, France. Sergei received his BFA in 2008 from EICAR (École Internationale de Création Audiovisuelle et de Réalisation), in Paris, France. Sergei’s work has been exhibited in France and Germany. Sergei is represented by New Galerie in Paris. This is the artist’s first exhibition in the United States.  

Olivia Edwards Gallery is a contemporary art space situated within an apartment at 83 MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village, New York. Established in 2022, the gallery is committed to presenting exhibitions by emerging and established artists from around the world. The gallery is open by appointment.