PLURAL
Recent paintings and digital images by Willa Van Nostrand and Ben Sisto
The Gallery at City Hall
25 Dorrance Street, Providence, Rhode Island
May 18 – August 15, 2023
Reception May 18, 2023 from 4–6 PM
willavannostrand.com
bensisto.com
The word plural, rooted in the Latin pluralis, refers to a person or thing’s status as belonging to more than one; belonging to many. We also describe the fractional as plural—between zero and one, there exists an undefined, potentially infinite many. Willa Van Nostrand and Ben Sisto are each artists who, in different ways, are investigating this space—the meanings of authenticity and belonging within the context of infinity. Less about what plural is exactly; more what it feels like.
Willa Van Nostrand’s recent paintings evoke the visceral plurality of brushstroke, gesture and the associative meanings of each work. Is it a praying mantis? A butterfly? A palm tree? Or perhaps, a mental scan of everything you’ve ever experienced. The answers, she prefers to leave up to the viewer.
Ben Sisto’s September, Rhode Island uses generative AI tools to produce images from text-based prompts, drawing on the technical language of photography, natural science, and with loose reference to science fiction. Over the course of a year, a total of 576 images are being created and dedicated as public domain.
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Willa Van Nostrand (b. 1987) Willa Van Nostrand is an interdisciplinary artist, curator and mixologist working in Providence, Rhode Island. She works across painting, sculpture, performance and taste to engage the associative realm of the viewer’s mind. Willa has a BA in Theatre and Visual Art from Sarah Lawrence College and studied intaglio etching at Il Bisonte Printmaking Studio in Florence, Italy. Willa has worked with RISD Museum, Peabody Essex Museum and Light Space Studios in New York. She founded World’s Fair Gallery and Little Bitte Artisanal Cocktails, a garden-to-glass cocktail company in 2010. Willa’s projects have been featured in Vogue, Victoria Magazine, Art New England, CherryBombe, The Boston Globe and Salad for President. She is a staff writer for edible Rhody and Serious Eats. She lives and works on the Westside of Providence and can be reached at willavannostrand@gmail.com.
Ben Sisto (b.1980) is an artist and dad living in Providence. He is curator of the Permanent Collection series at Paper Nautilus Books, received a Rhode Island Council for the Humanities grant in 2022, and his Rhode Island QSL Archive was acquired by the Providence Public Library after being exhibited at AS220 earlier this year. In 2019, a documentary recapping his research on the origins of the song Who Let the Dogs Out premiered at SXSW. His personal and work-related projects have been covered by The New York Times, Boston Globe, Fast Company, Vice, Variety, and others. You can email him at ben.sisto@gmail.com.
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Both artists wish to thank The Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism (ACT), Micah Salkind, and Charlotte Abotsi for their time and assistance with this opportunity. Additional thanks to all workers and visitors to this building for sharing space.
The title card image for this exhibition is of Willa Van Nostrand’s Luna Moth, gouache on paper, 9” x 12”, 2023.
In conjunction with this exhibition, two prints are being editioned by Tiny Showcase. Ben’s is available now; Willa’s mid-June. More info at tinyshowcase.com.
