Thursday March 12, 2026 Opening Reception 6pm – 8pm
March 10 – March 28. 2026
12pm – 6pm

Atlantic Gallery
548 West 28th St Suite 540
New York, NY 10001

Functional Aesthetics: Contemporary Art in Use, curated by Raluka Anchidin, brings together inventive, hand-made, and uniquely designed works that expand the definition of functionality in contemporary art and everyday life, exploring the intersection of art, craft, and design. Pottery that transforms into feel-good art, headwear that doubles as sculpture, furniture that merges aesthetic experimentation with everyday use: these are the types of practices we aim to highlight, reminding us that art is not only something to be looked at, but something to be lived with.

Functional Aesthetics: Market Meets Salon will take place on Saturday 3/14, 1 – 5 PM. This event is designed to bring the artworks to life. Visitors will experience the pieces in use — drinking from a ceramic cup, trying on jewelry, or sitting on a piece of furniture — turning the gallery into a living space shaped by the work itself.

Eventbrite Link: Artists free Guests $5 Market Salon

Christina Maile – Solitary Bee Houe #! Blue

Artist Statement
As urban spaces expand and old trees, meadows, and undisturbed soil disappear, solitary bees are left with fewer places to nest. Unlike honeybees, they don’t live in hives or produce honey; instead, each female builds and provisions her own nest. Their role in the environment is immense. Solitary bees are the most effective pollinators of native plants, gardens, and food crops.

My approach to building these bee houses was shaped by an unexpected discovery: a neighborhood guitar maker (Carmine Street Guitars) was crafting electric guitars from wood salvaged from renovated townhouses in New York City. I was struck by his brilliance in honoring the material’s history—wood that once stood as trees, becoming beams and floors sheltering families, transformed into instruments that were a home to music.

Inspired by that idea, I began using the salvaged wood he offered me, allowing the natural shapes, grain patterns, and irregular edges of each piece to inform the structure of the bee houses. Rather than cutting everything into uniform blocks, I let the wood’s former life guide the design. This is the beauty of transformation. The material carries memory of its transformation. What once held sap now holds sound; what once framed rooms now frames small chambers where bees will lay their eggs. The beauty lies in the continuity of purpose – a refuge and a narrative of reuse, resilience, and the enduring desire to shelter life. – Christina Maile