Joe Bertino Transforms Art Deco Relics Into Icons of New Life in "Thaw Pieces"

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - EntSun -- Brooklyn, Spring 2026: Thomas VanDyke Gallery and Push Collage are pleased to announce "Thaw Pieces", the solo exhibit by artist Joe Bertino. The exhibit will be open from March 12 through March 22, 2026.

Using man-made objects as an allegory for the natural, the series features eighteen works colliding Art Deco artifacts of interior design, to suggest organic regeneration: a vase sheds its skin to reveal its skeleton; a thermos hangs from a lamp like a sprouting seedling. All around, an abundance of muted, cool colors are punctuated by minute swellings of warm pastels—pinks and yellows, evocative of the rouge of a cheek or yolk of an egg. Thaw Pieces examines the minute, precious moments of new life emerging that may go unnoticed as we focus on our daily survival through an oppressive climate.

The inspiration for Bertino's series was the catalog American Modern, featuring Art Deco household goods from 1925–1940. The artist owned two copies of the book, one significantly older than the other. The contrast between the older copy's yellowed, faded pages and the new edition's crisp, white pages at first evoked the obvious consideration about the passage of time and physical deterioration. Flipping that notion, Bertino layered the old on top of the new, creating "windows into vitality", suggesting the process of new life springing forth from the death of one's past. His series matured into a meditation on the cyclical nature of the seasons—a reminder that the death and isolation of Winter should not be seen as a burden but a necessary sacrifice to cultivate new growth in the Spring.

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Thomas VanDyke Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located in Brooklyn, New York, working with artists local to New York City and from around the world.

Joe Bertino is a Brooklyn-based visual artist working exclusively in collage. His work has been exhibited in NYC, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and London. This is his second exhibition at Thomas VanDyke, and his first solo exhibition at the gallery.

Thaw Pieces is free and open to the public from March 12 – 22, Thursdays through Sundays only, from 11–7 PM. The address is 434 39th St, Brooklyn.

Opening Reception on Saturday, March 14. Roundtable discussion with the artist on Sunday, March 15, as well as Sunday, March 22. All events begin at 2 PM. Light refreshments will be served. For additional information, please contact pushcollage@gmail.com.