Simran Randhawa, Contributing Photographer

The Ely Center of Contemporary Art, a local contemporary art gallery, has opened its fall season with an exhibition called “Conceptual Romance.”

The newest exhibition — curated by Jared Quinton, the associate curator of contemporary art at Hartford’s Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art — brings together artists from a variety of backgrounds. Out of more than 600 submissions, 23 artists were selected, their work chosen to fill up every room of the Trumbull Street mansion. 

“We do our best to be a place that mixes local and national artists with local and national curators so that we show works that are diverse, and important personally but also connected to the overall human experience,” gallery coordinator Aimee Burg ART ’10 said.

From the doors, visitors were met by “The Farce of Venus’s Efflorescence” by Maria Yolanda Liebana, a mixed-media piece merging Catholic iconography and Latino culture. Deeper into the house were pieces such as Jessica Wang’s dreamlike film stills, Renata Daina’s hand-knotted Lithuanian textiles and a kettle made by Can Yağız ART ’23. 

For photographer Amartya De ART ’22, who received his degree from the Yale School of Art after leaving his home of Kolkata, India, the Ely Center is a playground for his artistry. 

While De was not featured in the exhibition, he mentioned that the gallery gave him a “space to process his film” and explore different aspects of his art, including social issues within and outside of New Haven, he said. 

Though the Ely Center’s building’s age and ownership arrangement brought about challenges — ventilation, humidity, limited funding and lack of resources — De recalls how Burg helped him produce his photographic print. 

Similar sentiments were echoed by New York-based artist Dario Mohr, who was also in a residency program at the gallery. As he put together 12 canvases to depict Jungian archetypes — a concept in psychology that theorizes that twelve basic ideas shape human personalities — Mohr said that the Ely Center residency broadened his perspective as he interacted with the New Haven community. 

Burg said that the interaction between artists and the local community is what matters to her the most. 

“While money is tight all around we try our best to level playing fields and be there for anyone who needs a safe and supportive place,” she said. 

Burg emphasized that the gallery is a “hub” where not only artists but other organizations from the community can engage with art. 

After Volume II, a local bookstore and concert venue, was displaced, the Ely Center and other organizations aimed to fill the gap by hosting concerts. 

“We, including our board members and dedicated volunteers, strive to continue to be a space for local artists and art enthusiasts to explore and experiment in their practices,” Burg said. 

As the gallery prepares to relocate this January, leaving its home on Trumbull Street behind, artists and staff alike are not mournful but rather excited to see what the Ely Center does next.

“Conceptual Romance” will be on display until Nov. 2.