Fred Snitzer Fred/Merz &
Maria Martínez-Cañas PHOTO-GAZE

October 17 - November 14, 2024 

Opening Reception, October 17, 5–7 pm

The Neiman Center is pleased to present FRED/MERZ, an exhibition of sculpture by the Miami-based artist Fred Snitzer exhibited alongside PHOTO-GAZE, a photographic response to his three-dimensional work by María Martínez-Cañas. Snitzer's sculpture merges figuration with abstract, organic forms where materials contrast and dictate their use in various compositions. Whether free-standing singular forms or configured in poetic assemblages, what is laid bare is the mark of the artist's hand and eye for arrangement; the action of pulling, compressing, and kneading is evident in works of clay and small bronze objects as well as an innate sensibility toward configuration in works made of cut, discarded wood.

Snitzer and Martínez-Cañas have been colleagues and friends for the past 30 years. In her series Photo-Gaze, Martínez-Cañas questions the photographic gaze as way to create a dialogue between the photographer and the artwork, extending beyond mere documentation in search of a deeper engagement with narrative. 

Fredric Snitzer (b. 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) earned his MFA from Pennsylvania State University and a BFA from Philadelphia College of Art. He is pivotal in Miami’s contemporary art scene and founded his eponymous gallery in 1977.

María Martínez-Cañas (b. 1960 in Cuba) moved to Miami and then to Puerto Rico with her family in 1964. She received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her BFA from Philadelphia College of Art. Martínez-Cañas has exhibited widely in the United States and abroad. She is the recipient of a Fulbright Hayes grant among other prestigious awards and her work is represented in several public collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

 For further information, please contact the gallery at neimancenter@columbia.edu.

For more information, please feel free to email us or call 212-854-7641.