View of David Adamo and James Castle's 2013 exhibition at Peter Freeman, Inc.
A two-person show juxtaposing works by a young insider and a deceased outsider (1899-1977) may seem unlikely, but this combination sings. The artists are clearly united in art-making as an obsessive act. Adamo shows his recent works along with pieces he selected from Castle’s estate (now handled by Freeman). He set the stage for a spectacular yet subtle duet by covering the floor of the largest room with a parquet-like covering made of thousands of chalk sticks and installing five of his towering whittled-wood totems as well as two tiny, functional radiators. The Adamo objects command the space but don’t detract from the small, haunting pulp-paste portraits and other Castle drawings lining the walls.