The June Kelly Gallery takes great pleasure in presenting Perspectives, an exhibition by Mark Alsterlind, an artist whose work Kelly first showed in 1989 and with whom she had subsequent shows through 2003.  Curious abstract improvisations of color, texture, and imaginative colocation of form reflect the artist’s enthrallment with imagination and the sensory elements of the natural world.  The exhibition will open at 166 Mercer Street on Friday, November 14, and continue until Saturday, January 31, 2026.

Alsterlind writes about himself and this exhibition: a young painter moves beyond pure imagination when he begins to apply perspective's logic to his work.  After many years of painting, hopefully, imagination will again become the main source of the creative process.  All the paintings capturing the daily journey in the studio will give new meaning to « perspectives ».

My show will showcase my explorations on paper and canvas, going back to my first exhibit with June Kelly.  The result is a partial overview of the different ways I have viewed our world over the past 36 years.  This exhibition will tell the story of all those efforts to look more deeply, and it is this that has kept me smiling and optimistic through thick and thin.

Most of the works have not been previously exhibited.  I will add some recent paintings and drawings that I will bring from France.  I have asked my son, Mathias Alsterlind, and David Quadrini, thank you for helping me tell my story.

After working in the Grotte de Lascaux, Alsterlind moved to Provence, where he established a spacious studio and grounds in Manosque.  His artistic practice is deeply Intertwined with Nature, which he says is “an integral part of my work.”  Alsterlind states he needs space and must maintain his freedom.  He often works on 50 to 60 paintings simultaneously, leaving his canvases outdoors for long periods.

“I like being outdoors.  And I want to work on works that express the passage of time, so I leave certain canvases outside, get back to them regularly, and let nature leave its mark; the rain, the light, the vegetation or the air all leave something on the canvases.  Some have been there for several months, some for years.”  Alsterlind may work patiently on a painting for as long as five years or more.  “So, the painting tells us something about what it’s been through.”

Alsterlind’s paintings do not rely on traditional Western art conventions; his sense of freedom allows him to continue creating mesmerizing color paintings that let environmental and ecological factors influence their structure, shaping the evolution of his work.  He redefines the laws of gravity to distort perspective while staying rooted in the paint's abstract qualities—vivid hues, rich textures, and natural elements.

Alsterlind, born in San Francisco, lives and works in Paris and Manosque. He received his Master’s degree in Fine Art from the University of Vauban in Nîmes, France, a BFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, and a BA from the University of Santa Clara, CA.  His work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions across France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, as well as in New York and California.  He is included in many public and private collections, such as the Bibliothèque Nationale de France; the Modena Museum in Italy; Saint Gobain Industries; Société Générale in Paris; Dresdner Bank in Germany; and the American Telephone & Telegraph Company in New York.