Tides & Currents

SFA Projects is proud to present Tides & Currents, a group exhibition featuring four artists from our FLATFILE online exhibition program: Paul Behnke, Nancy Elsamanoudi, Kamonchanok Phon-ngam, and David Pollack.

February 13th, 2019 – March 10th, 2019
Gallery Hours: Friday–Sunday 1pm-8pm

Opening Reception: Wednesday, February 13th, 2019 from 7pm–9pm


The works on view invite an examination of societal and environmental forces as presented by the artists respectively. Pollack’s Harbor Series evoke tide markers or buoys and serve as encapsulations of the aquatic and atmospheric. Behnke’s paintings are anchored within an intersection of popular culture and religion but are rendered as informed abstractions. Phon-ngam explores eastern and western culture through collage and embroidery, an interaction of color, shape, and form in the natural world. Elsamanoudi takes on a twisted embodied subjectivity, the awkwardness of the body, and complicated or conflicted sexuality through drawing, line and mark-making.

FLATFILE® is an online exhibition of available small artworks from our favorite artists, updated regularly, with new collections released quarterly.  (FLATFILE.gallery)

Paul Behnke "Citadel of Faith and Power" (2018, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 50 x 48 in.)
Paul Behnke “Citadel of Faith and Power” (2018, acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 50 x 48 in.)
Nancy Elsamanoudi "Glasses" (2018, oil, acrylic, gesso and graphite on panel, 36 x 36 in.)
Nancy Elsamanoudi “Glasses” (2018, oil, acrylic, gesso and graphite on panel, 36 x 36 in.)
Kamonchanok Phon-ngam "woke" (2019, mixed Media on plastic sack, 24 x 15 in.)
Kamonchanok Phon-ngam “woke” (2019, mixed Media on plastic sack, 24 x 15 in.)
David Pollack "Harbor Series 2" (2017, oil on wood, 72 x 9.5 in.)
David Pollack “Harbor Series 2” (2017, oil on wood, 72 x 9.5 in.)

Paul Behnke was born in Memphis, TN and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from the Memphis College of Art.

Behnke’s work has been exhibited widely in the United States and internationally. He has had solo exhibitions in New York, Heidelberg, Philadelphia, Saint Augustine, and Memphis, as well as group shows in San Francisco, Honolulu, London, Dublin, Paphos, Glasgow and The Netherlands.

Behnke’s work has been reviewed in Hyperallergic Weekend, The New Criterion and The New Republic.He has edited Structure and Imagery: A Contemporary Art Blog since 2011 and was the co-director of Stout Projects an exhibition space in Bushwick, Brooklyn from 2015 – 2017.Behnke is currently based in Lambertville, NJ and Brooklyn, NY. 

David Pollack grew up in New England. He has spent the last 25 years in NYC. Currently based in Red Hook, Brooklyn, he gathers inspiration from the harbor, weather and surroundings. He has shown in numerous group shows in and around NYC including Life on Mars, David & Schweitzer Contemporary, and The Panting Center. He had his first NYC solo show at Stout Projects in 2016.

Nancy Elsamanoudi is a Brooklyn based artist. In 2014, she graduated with distinction from Pratt Institute with an MFA in Painting and Drawing. She has shown her work in NYC and elsewhere at various venues, such as Spring Break Art Show, The LeRoy Neiman Art Center, Bishop Gallery, Bowery Gallery, and Amos Eno Gallery. Her work has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar, Artcritical, Bushwick Daily, and Let Them Talk with Paul DeRienzo. 

Kamonchanok Phon-ngam is a Thai artist living in New York City. She earned her BFA from Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi in 2008 and completed her MFA from King Mongkut’s Insititute of Technology Ladkrabang in 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. At universities, she developed a sharp eye for abstract imagery and a knack for physical artwork making simultaneously. She has shown her work in NYC, Thailand and many countries in Europe & Asia.