Asya Geisberg Gallery presents “Near Enemies,” the first solo exhibition of Susan Hamburger with the gallery. The show pairs medieval-style banners, inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s armor collection, with imagined helmets made of papier-mâché and paper clay. Hamburger examines the decorative traditions of Western European armor, reinterpreting the ornate artifacts of military pageantry with a mix of admiration and critique. The sculptures, baroque yet impractical, highlight the absurdity of glorifying war and empire.
The exhibition grew out of the artist’s prolonged museum visits during the pandemic. Her paintings feature heraldic banners adorned with tassels, sewn gold borders, and symbolic herbs—beautiful but potentially poisonous, or “near enemies.” Each banner includes subtle, hollow motifs pointing to the empty promises of proclamations of power. Across the works, Hamburger explores the tension between decoration, meaning, and function.
Her sculptures push ornamentation to the extreme, incorporating floral, animal, and fantastical elements. Placed on pedestals within a painted architectural installation, they suggest royal pomp while prompting viewers to consider who produces these objects, who is excluded, and whose power is celebrated.
The title “Near Enemies” references both social and philosophical ideas: the closeness of frenemies, and the Buddhist notion of virtues paired with subtle opposites, like compassion and pity. Hamburger continues her practice of transforming humble materials to mimic refined ones, layering critique and play within the decorative. The exhibition reflects on excess, spectacle, and the historical weight of visual power.
Exhibition Information
Location: 4.5 Cortlandt Alley between White St. and Franklin St., New York, NY 10013
Website: asyageisberggallery.com
Hours: Please check with the gallery for current opening hours (typically open for exhibition times and by appointment).
Exhibition Dates: October 24 – December 20, 2025
Featured Work
Susan Hamburger
Helmet (Spikes), 2023
Papier mâché, celluclay, paperclay, wood stand
16 × 11 × 8 in (40.64 × 27.94 × 20.32 cm)
Installation view
