NEW YORK, NY.- GR gallery is presenting COLLECTIONS, the first solo exhibition in New York by Nehemiah Cisneros and his debut with the gallery. The exhibition showcases an ambitious ensemble of twelve new paintings on canvas, the outcome of a year-long immersion in their creation. With this body of work, Cisneros reflects on the nature of collecting—approaching it as an act of obsession, liberation, and refuge—and transforms it into a visual document that takes the shape of his own recontextualized Wunderkammer. Much like a contemporary Renaissance cabinet of curiosities, his works assemble and reveal a constellation of objects and icons, each charged with intimate meaning. Together, they compose a symbolic and behavioral portrait of a generation of modern connoisseurs, mapping the desires, values, and contradictions that define his relationship with today’s culture.

COLLECTIONS consists in a suite of still life paintings that function as self-portraits conveyed through groupings of inanimate objects that represent Cisneros’ lived experiences and fascinations. The works reference 17th -century traditions of “Vanitas” paintings, where nature morte applied symbolic objects like skulls and withered flowers to represent the transience of life and earthly pleasures. Cisneros’ objects chronicle “nerd-core” fandoms of outlaw comix, hentai waifus, among a plethora of popular culture history pulled from Reddit and Deviant Art forums. Cisneros views each grouping in COLLECTIONS as “safe spaces, I turn to when reality presents challenges. The para-social relationships formed with fictional characters and their creators serve as an imaginary best friend that aids in coping with trauma.”

Nehemiah Cisneros has long investigated the imagery and history of cultural stereotypes to critique the power dynamics between authority and marginalized communities. Through a combination of historical and fictional elements, he exposes how mainstream culture, criminality, and the judicial system reinforce systemic inequities. With COLLECTIONS, Cisneros shifts his focus toward a more symbolic and self-reflective leitmotif, where inanimate objects are endowed with the capacity to bear both the burdens and the joys of navigating contemporary life. This body of work delves into psychological, rather than strictly social, dimensions, embracing meditative qualities while also exposing the artist’s Pop culture fixations. The result is Cisneros’ most conceptually sophisticated and technically refined series to date.