Gina Keatley is an abstract expressionist whose work navigates the space between destruction and emergence—quietly powerful, structurally bold, and emotionally distilled. Known professionally as The Untamed Minimalist, Keatley is as much a builder as she is a painter: of series, of meaning, and of spaces—both internal and public-facing. As the founder of Bushwick Gallery, she has quickly become a defining presence in New York’s contemporary art scene, championing voices and visions rooted in depth and intention.
Her practice is rooted in dualities: ash and algae, erosion and bloom, void and vibration. With a refined palette—often favoring graphite, bone, and her signature mandarin orange—Keatley doesn’t decorate; she reveals. Through textured acrylics, layered surfaces, and sculptural restraint, each canvas becomes a site of excavation. It’s not just what’s painted—but what’s left uncovered—that defines her voice.
Currently Exhibiting in: Bushwick, Brooklyn
Instagram: @untamedmoderns
Her latest body of work, Ash and Algae, embodies Keatley’s unique way of working—slow, deliberate, elemental. The series, composed of seven canvases, reflects her ongoing study of transformation through natural forces. Drawing on references from volcanic terrain and marine regeneration, Keatley paints not as a documentarian of nature, but as a witness to its silent resilience.
Featured Artwork at Bushwick Gallery
Resurge Seam
Year of Creation: 2025
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: Two 48″ x 48″ panels (96″ x 48″ combined)
Edition Type: Unique, 1 of 1
Location: New York, NY
Price: $8,600
Description
A defining force within Ash and Algae, Resurge Seam opens the series with tectonic gravity. This commanding diptych balances gesture and silence—two square canvases that pulse with latent energy. The deep graphite-black surface, reminiscent of volcanic stone, anchors the viewer in weight and stillness. Yet from its depths, algae-green passages rise—delicate yet persistent.
These movements do not shout. They unfold, much like nature itself: patient, resilient, undeniable. Keatley’s use of oxidized orange—barely there, like lichen at a fault line—adds quiet emphasis, marking a return to life in its most essential form. With every fracture, there is rebirth. With every rupture, the possibility of regeneration.
Resurge Seam is not merely about survival. It is about the beauty of pushing through.
Exhibition Information
May 2025: Echoes of the Earth – Environmental Art
Curated by: Mekhi Deleon
Theme: Exploring the intersection of art and environmentalism, advocating for the planet through eco-art and other mediums.
Exhibition Dates: May 1 – May 8, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 1 | 6 PM – 8 PM
(for accessibility: full transcript below)
Let your gaze settle into Resurge Seam, and you’ll find a world quietly stirring to life.
Gina Keatley’s work hums with a deep, elemental rhythm—the gravity of stone, the breath of green renewal. Across the layered surface, algae tones rise like whispers of resilience, tracing pathways through shadow and silence.
In these twin canvases, transformation is not a distant dream—it’s happening here, now, in every fracture and bloom.
Resurge Seam is a meditation on the unstoppable force of life: steady, patient, radiant. A reminder that even from the heaviest stone, new roots will find their way to the light.