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rate_review review calendar_today Friday, June 19, 2026

Exhibition Review: “Bellmer, Nauman, Pondick: Material Desire” at Nunu Fine Art, Nolita

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Nunu Fine Art in Nolita presents "Bellmer, Nauman, Pondick: Material Desire," a museum-quality gallery exhibition curated by sculptor Rona Pondick in collaboration with Sonnabend, New York and Ubu Gallery, New York. Running from March 6 to May 30, 2026, the show brings together works by Hans Bellmer, Bruce Nauman, and Pondick herself, exploring the human body as a site of discomfort, pain, and anxiety. Highlights include Pondick's dangling "Baby Legs" (1990), Bellmer's unsettling "La Poupée" photographs from 1935, and Nauman's early-1970s hologram studies, all arranged to create a cogent art historical dialogue.

The exhibition matters because it elevates curation as an art form, with Pondick's rigorous research and artist-driven approach positioning three divergent artists in a cohesive narrative about the human condition. By juxtaposing Bellmer's surrealist disfigurements, Nauman's visceral holograms, and Pondick's own body-part sculptures, the show challenges viewers to confront physical sensations of unease and anxiety. It also underscores the role of commercial galleries in mounting intellectually ambitious, museum-quality presentations that enrich contemporary art discourse.