As budding professionals in the New York art world, Cristina Cruz and Neha Jambhekar bonded over gallery openings, spending every Thursday evening together tasting wine and art at receptions across Chelsea . Now, after nine years of friendship, the two have finally curated their own exhibition, launching a new curatorial platform, Jambhekar/Cruzto promote the work of emerging artists from underrepresented backgrounds.
“It’s the culmination of all the fun we have in New York, all the people we’ve met, and how we feel when we see art,” Jambhekar told Artnet News.
The duo’s inaugural show, titled “Really From», features a mix of South Asian and Hispanic artists, plus a Chinese artist. He stands at New York Cultural Cluba nonprofit space at the Oculus World Trade Center run by brothers Parker and Clayton Calvert that provides artists and curators with free exhibition space in partnership with the Westfield World Trade Center.
The idea of a curatorial collaboration was something Jambhekar and Cruz had in mind for a year or two, so when the opportunity arose to organize an in-person exhibition at minimal cost, they took it. .
Installation view of “Really From”, curated by Jambhekar/Cruz at the NYC Culture Club. Photo courtesy of NYC Culture Club.
“We realized it was something we were both passionate about. There aren’t enough people showcasing artists of color, which is crazy because New York is such a diverse city,” Cruz told Artnet News.
The title of the exhibit is a play on an issue that most people of color are all too familiar with. Of course, you may live in the United States, but where are you? Really Since?
“I usually say I’m from Florida. For Christina, it’s the Bronx,” said Jambhekar, who was born in India. Cruz’s parents are from Nicaragua. “These artists show us who they are through their practice and their work.”
Installation view of “Really From”, curated by Jambhekar/Cruz at the NYC Culture Club. Photo courtesy of NYC Culture Club.
Cruz and Jambhekar met through their work at (full disclosure) Artnet, where Cruz got her start as a gallery liaison, and Jambhekar was hired as a success specialist at an auction house in the auction, after completing his master’s degree at the New School’s Parsons School of Design in New York.
“I remember thinking there was another brown person, that was something very rare,” Cruz said. “Artnet was one of my first jobs in the art world, and it was nice to meet someone who looked like me who I could connect with.”
Installation view of “Really From”, curated by Jambhekar/Cruz at the NYC Culture Club. Photo courtesy of NYC Culture Club.
One day, over lunch in the office kitchen, Cruz suggested a gallery night to visit some of his clients. Soon, Jambhekar was transferred to the gallery department, further solidifying their Thursday night routine. (Artnet has promoted Cruz several times, most recently to a position as Product Owner; Jambhekar left Artnet late last year for a job at another high-profile global art company.)
After years of pounding the pavement on the gallery and art fair circuit, as well as connecting with artists on Instagram, Cruz and Jambhekar had a long list of artists they wanted to work with when they came up. the exhibition. They compared Instagram likes, arranged studio tours, and were thrilled, even surprised, to find the artists willing to join them.
It even included Jaishri Abichandaniby far the most established artist of the group, a talented Indian feminist painter and sculptor who had an impressive solo show in Los Angeles Contemporary Craftsmanship museum in 2022.
Jaishri Abichandani, Stephanie the angel (2023). Photo courtesy of the artist and Jambhekar/Cruz.
Its massive painting, Stephanie the Angel (2023), fringed with feathers, is a must-see, strategically placed at the entrance to draw passers-by into the gallery. (It’s the most expensive work in the series at $20,000; the others are between $800 and $9,000, with most being $4,000 and under.)
The range of works presented is impressive.
There are colorful and delicate carvings of Max Benjamin Sarmiento inspired by his childhood memories and visits to Ecuador, and a claustrophobic painting of the sight of a moving subway car by Angel Cotray. Zeehan Wazed contributed dreamlike canvases based on photographs his sister took in Bangladesh, while Pranav Sood features two acrylic paintings that incorporate cartoon faces into abstract geometric patterns.
Misha Japanwala, Portal of my Ancestors (2023). Photo courtesy of the artist and Jambhekar/Cruz.
Other artists to watch include Misha Japanwalawho makes resin and bronze casts of women’s body parts, and opened a solo show At New York Hannah Traore Gallery earlier in May.
“It’s about how Muslim women are so oppressed and covered up, and she’s trying to break those stereotypes,” Jambhekar said.
But most participating artists – the full list includes Aiza Ahmed, Kantinka Huang, Freddy Leiva, Melanie Luna, Visakh Menon, Anjuli RathodAnd Aparna Sarkar— have had few opportunities to work with galleries.
“We want to create a place for brown people so they can say ‘I’ve been on a show,’ just to give them some confidence for their careers. And we also want to make it easier for the emerging collector,” Jambhekar said. “Basically, we wanted to do something for our artist friends, and our collector friends.
Cristina Cruz and Neha Jambhekar of Jambhekar/Cruz in front of their “Really From” exhibit at the NYC Culture Club. Photo courtesy of NYC Culture Club.
Organizing an in-person exhibition was undoubtedly a monumental task, especially when the two women were working full-time. Going forward, Jambhekar/Cruz will focus on online exhibitions, with perhaps one in-person outing per year. But the experience was also proof that their many years in the business had paid off.
“We’ve worked with galleries for so long and we understand that world,” Cruz said. “Once we fought those feelings of impostor syndrome, we realized we had the expertise for it.”
“Really From”, organized by Jambhekar/Cruz, is presented at the NYC Culture Club, World Trade Center Oculus, C1 Level, South Concourse, 185 Greenwich Street, New York, New York, from April 17 to May 21, 2023.
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