Eben Haines A piece from Eben Haines’ “After Flood” in Harvard Square.
A solo show by Boston-based artist Eben Haines called “After Flood” went up Saturday in Harvard Square in a side-street space the public can see for free at any time of day.
The exhibit combines Haines’ talents in sculpture and painting, incorporating his latest focus on the degradation and instability wrought by climate change. He’s filled the cozy space with large found furniture-based sculptures that feel ominous, arranged in strange orientations and strung together with twine. One piece incorporates quasi-religious imagery; the subject’s head is painted white, and an empty halo hangs in its place. It’s unsettling and beautiful – classically inspired, yet fit for our era.
It’s been almost five years since Haines’ “Shelter in Place Gallery” launched, an impressive and tiny pandemic-era exhibition space that continued platforming artists in a moment of closed museums. Co-run with Delaney Dameron, the project was acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts in 2021.
As part of the show, Haines and Behind VA Shadows have released an open call for other artists to submit to a collaborative virtual exhibition. The gallery’s temporary, collaborative return is more than welcome – an artful balm for uncertain times.
Behind VA Shadows 25/8 artspace, 2 Linden St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. Free.
Share your own 150-word appreciation for a piece of visual art or art happening with photo to [email protected] with the subject line “Behold.”
