After stopping for a chai, I headed to Irvine Contemporary to see Macro/Micro by New York artist, Oliver Vernon. I met Oliver and spoke to him about his new work which reflects the atomic structure of the universe and the human body. His paintings on canvas are inhabited by floating spheres which allude to vast spaces and inner worlds. His influences include references to surrealism, graffiti art, science fiction and computer design layering effects. Oliver mentioned his yoga practice as a source of inspiration for his current imagery. I was especially attracted to the sand sculpture in the middle of the gallery which was created on site by the artist. All in all, I loved this work and Oliver Vernon's concepts of layering, planes of space, vast spaces of the cosmos contrasted with small spaces as in microscopic images. It was a very rich territory of concepts to contemplate.
Across the street, Hemphill showed a beautifully transcendent selection of Leon Berkowiz's Colorfield Paintings, The Cathedral Series, along with Jason Gubbiotti, Wrong Way to Paradise & Portia Munson, Pink Project: Contained. Berkowiz's paintings were masterfully lit to bring out the luminosity of the color stripes. The canvases seem to have an inner glow that captivated me when I walked in the gallery. They are breathtakingly beautiful.
The Pink was contained in a plexi walled off area in the center of the gallery. It reminded me of a fun box at restaurants of days past, when you put in a quarter and a mechanical arm tries to grab a toy for you. Mine always came up empty. There wasn't a mechanical arm in this exhibition to dispense a treat. The treat was the visual appeal of all the pink objects and an implied feminist undertone.
Across the street again from Viridian Restaurant, in an empty storefront, Press Play : A Video and Performance ART Party was co-hosted by Project 4 and The Pink Line Project, a multi-media art party showcasing video and performance by 11 visionary artists working in New York, Washington, and Baltimore. It was the best happening that I've seen in a while, a wonderfully surreal and sophisticated atmosphere with Live Music by Aphrodizia. Large Screens were suspended on all the interior walls showing videos by several artists and creating an interesting mix of moving images. Giant Goldfish swam on one screen. A live hair cutting performance was staged in the center of the room. The "client" was bound in red pieces of tape while her hair was cut to watching eyes. The director of Project 4 was going to participate in the next "haircut" performance and I couldn't stay to watch her.
Project 4 Gallery Director, Anne Surak.Hope you enjoy the photoshots from tonight.
Good Show!Click to see Slide Show.
PROJECT 4
903 U Street NW
Washington DC 20001
t: 202 232 4340
info@project4gallery.com
www.project4gallery.com
THE PINK LINE PROJECT
t: 202 489 9793
philippa@pinkline.org
www.pinkline.org
Hi Anne, Thanks for coming to the party. Just wanted to mention that The Pink Line Project was a co-host of the Press Play party, as well. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Philippa, It was a great party. I made your link live and put contact info for The Pink Line Project and Project 4 at the end of my post. Thanks for co-hosting a fabulous event! Anne
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