Ronadale is a new experimental space and residency situated in the woods of Craryville, New York. The inaugural project, which opens on saturday, October 4th, is a two-person exhibition of artists Chadwick Rantanen and Hélène Fauquet.

I first encountered Hélène Fauquet's work at Ulrik gallery in the winter of last year, and was instantly hypnotized by the deceptively simple presentation of an accumulation of bejeweled and adorned frames containing photographs of soap bubbles. The installation made me think of Chadwick’s line of inquiry—what I saw as a kind of shared fascination with the aesthetics of a broader, more populist form of novelty, decorum, and enchantment. Chadwick's challenging, dark, and inventive work has been an often-understated yet incredibly influential presence in the genre of contemporary sculpture. Being intimately familiar with his practice since pursuing our MFAs at UCLA, I am proud to present an ambitious installation of his work in the greater New York area, the first since his previous exhibition with Essex Street gallery in 2016.

When the idea of Hélène and Chadwick exhibiting together came up, it became clear that both artists were in fact very interested in one another’s work, and the process of staging the exhibition unfolded naturally, with the two spending time and developing ideas on site throughout the months of August and September. Their projects are presented in a generative proximity—short of collaboration, but well beyond a mere juxtaposition. At once a kind of autopsy and reanimation of the mass produced, the objects in this show posit questions around our shared vitality and the often melancholic, banal, or simply beautiful channels through which products find their way. Chadwick’s emaciated system of wires, fulcrums, and conduits, which echo both the distribution of information and nutrients in a body, and Hélène’s bubbles—an index of breath momentarily captured in a fundamental form—activate a strange and intimate connection with the viewer. In the words of the philosopher Peter Sloterdijk: "There is a solidarity between a soap bubble and its blower that excludes the rest of the world." The secluded site of the exhibition space, surrounded by views of the surrounding forest and illuminated by continuously shifting sunlight, allows for a singular encounter with their work, setting it apart from a traditional exhibition environment.

Please join us for the opening of this special exhibition on Saturday, October 4th. The opening will be held between 12pm and 6pm, with drinks and lunch by Hannah Black, the co-founder of the beloved Lil Deb’s Oasis in nearby Hudson, New York.

RSVP is essential to info@ronadale.com
Any questions or inquiries can be directed to the same address.

can’t wait to see you there
Sanya Kantarovsky