A La Tabla: Satisfy Your Appetite for Art

On the cusp of Park Slope and Bay Ridge, there is a neighborhood where you can bask in the exalted views of Lower Manhattan, Downtown Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the Statue of Liberty. Known as Brooklyn’s Chinatown, Sunset Park has the third largest Chinese community in New York City. Shops, residential buildings, and aging churches line the streets in a town with a menu of global cuisine to sate any tourist’s palate, be it Greek, Indian, or Ecuadorian food. But the food and the view are not why you come here.

In a turn of the century carriage house in industrial Sunset Park, Tabla Rasa Gallery is worth your visit. After years of experience working for nonprofit art organizations, Tabla Rasa’s directors Audrey Frank Anastasi and Joseph Anastasi now foster the growth of emerging talent in the art world. The Anastasis present professional art exhibitions while also promoting “educational & non-profit types of programs,” says Audrey, “such as free lectures, art talks, and screenings.” Previous group exhibits include the “Big Print Show,” “Past & Present,” and “Women’s Work: Homage to Feminist Art.” The voice of both new and established work resonates in a warm, non-intimidating space atypical of some of the stuffier, overcrowded, and overhyped art venues in Manhattan.

Stay for the evening of November 28, when the opening exhibition “Points of View” will showcase the creativity of ten eclectic individuals including Joergen Geerds, Cecile Chong, Griselda Healy, Anders Knutsson, and Sylvia Sleigh – whose work is shown in this story. The artists display their distinct interpretations of the landscape genre, so expect to lean into the artwork with intrigue. Personally, I’m looking forward to viewing the images of thousand year-old trees, idyllic pebbled beaches, and panoramic portraits of gritty and grand New York City. Don’t let the chilly signs of winter keep you from crossing the river and tasting something this aesthetically good.

How to Get There: Take the yellow line’s southbound R Train to 45^th St., walk to 48^th St., turn right and walk down to #224. (Exhibition reception November 28th from 5:30 – 8:00 p.m., 224 48 St., Brooklyn, 917.880.8337, visit www.TablaRasaGallery.com for gallery hours and upcoming events.)

featured image: Joergen Geerds Photography