CURRENT EXHIBITION

The Rain Don’t Mind

April 3 – May 16, 2025
Opening April 3, 6–8 pm

EFA Studios
323 West 39th St., New York, NY, 3rd Floor
Hours: Tue–Fri, 12–5 pm

Shimon Attie
Richard Barnes
Rhona Bitner
Edgar Jerins
Greg Kwiatek
Nazanin Noroozi
Maria Rapicavoli

Curated by Deric Carner

The Rain Don’t Mind is a group exhibition exploring the complexity of violence and tragedy. It uses humor, glamour, and absurdity to approach heavy themes from unexpected angles. Featuring works by EFA Member Artists Shimon Attie, Richard Barnes (alumni), Rhona Bitner, Edgar Jerins, Greg Kwiatek, Nazanin Noroozi, and Maria Rapicavoli, the exhibition invites viewers to engage with narratives that resist simple interpretations, encouraging reflection on the ambiguity of life's darker moments.

The participating artists explore tragedy as a complex, often chaotic phenomenon as they engage with themes of responsibility, the role of the observer, and how we attempt to make sense of the incomprehensible. Through their work, the artists reveal how creative practices can become spaces for reflection, reconciliation, and even transformation.

Inspired by Milli Vanilli’s 1989 hit song “Blame it on the Rain,” the exhibition suggests that there may be a satisfying answer to the question of blame. Negative icons such as the Unabomber, Hitler or the US’s exit from Kabul lurk in our cultural imagination as unhealed trauma. New traumas and tyrants make these themes ever more relevant. The artists' engagement with dark iconography of war, terrorism, abuse, and death seeks a way to acknowledge and transform imagery.

Contact: Deric@efanyc.org