The exhibition Sound & Vision goes live at Morrison Gallery Jan. 22.
The work of visionary David Bowie is being celebrated at Morrison Hotel Gallery, with Sound & Vision, a web-exclusive Bowie retrospective as seen through the singular lens of Mick Rock. The exhibition goes live January 22nd at morrisonhotelgallery.comand select works from it will be on view at Morrison Hotel Gallery’s New York City location, at 116 Prince Street.
This online exhibition explores the enduring, collaborative masterworks of two prolific artists spanning more than 30 years. From Rock’s renowned imagery of a bombastic Bowie to rarely-seen moments of unmasked intimacy, Sound & Vision offers a captivating and comprehensive look into the proliferation of a beloved icon and the fundamental role photography plays in capturing the staying power of thin air.
Rock is often considered “The Man Who Shot the 1970s,” and the iconic lensmen had privileged access to Bowie. Rock met Bowie in 1972 and became his official photographer for a time, shooting some of the most defining images of Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust finery. Rock also produced and directed the music videos for Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” “Jean Genie” and “John, I’m Only Dancing.” Rock passed away on November 18, 2021, and this retrospective will unveil rare pictures and feature renowned works from the legendary British photographer’s archive.
F I N E A R T Work by Heath Kane and Walter John Rodriguez
About “Power Play”
The inaugural exhibition of the new 4 Flavors Art Consultancy. Trailing the political turmoil of the 2020 United States presidential election, this collection focuses on the political and philosophical musings of two international artists, UK-based Australian artist Heath Kane, and Cuban-American Walter John Rodriguez.
4 Flavors
Each artist creates portraiture using iconic political figures, for Rodriguez, fathers of the American revolution in wild, expressionist brush strokes. For Kane, updated versions of Queen Elizabeth veiled as Batman or romantic-era portraits adorned by Blue Demon Lucha libre masks.
When viewed in concert with one another, Kane and Rodriguez create a cross-continental critique on the global rise of right-wing isolationist governments, wealth inequity, social narcissism. A host of other societal ills, all presented through the allure of a subtle, recognizable smile, dripped in bright colors and glitter.
Because Kane and Rodriguez address these underlying issues through characters associated with cultural ideals, rather than repeating the pervasive Trumpian or Boris Johnsonian caricature, their work goes beyond contemporary discourse and into the realm of the philosophical, re-examining the original intent of the political structures for which these figures are known.
A UK based artist, born in Australia, Heath has always been fascinated by the mix of creativity and art. Now turning his attention back to art, his collections of work draw inspiration from his commercial art backgroundand origins of pop-art – a blend of design and art. His approach follows the practice of poster making and design, with a focus on creating simple, iconic, and memorable pieces. Within the artwork, he tries to distillsubtle but often subversive themes.
Heath Kane
Work included in this exhibition pull from two series. His large-scale “Portrait of Heroes” paintings are inspired by master Romantic-era portraits that reveal how classical art was often a means for wealthy individuals to portray their ultra-ego. It playfully suggests that the classical portrait artist was the photoshop and Instagram filter of their time, leading the artist to question: “Today we all have the ability to take selfies and live our lives through social media. But how much of what we share is real and how much are we all trying to heroize ourlives?”
The original hand-detailed screen prints from his “Rich Enough to Be Batman” collection “raise questions about wealth and social justice, through the idea that with enough money anyone can be a superhero.”
Walter John Rodriguez
Born in Havana in 1981, Walter John Rodriguez holds a studio in New York City. His love for drawing and painting developed at an early age in Cuba where he made every effort to learn artistic skills despite having limited resources. After immigrating to the U.S. his continued interest in art motivated him to seek formal art training graduating in 2002 with a B.F.A. degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Walter John Rodriguez
Rodriguez’s “Power Isn’t Love” series dives into the raw nerves of political discussion in the United States today, re-inventing well-known portraits of the American founding fathers through an updated, contemporary lens. Through these portraits, the artist incorporates accents of reassurance in the binding nature of our constitutional roots for a better society, while questioning faith in the inherent permanence these principles hold in today’s political climate.
In that sense, Rodriguez’s work is provoking a movement to understand all sides of the political spectrum. With close observance, viewers may feel empowered that a democracy like America’shas lasted over 200 years, but also encounter anxiety about the future.
The artist was most recently chosen for collaborations with “Inter Miami CF”; Miami’s professional soccer team owned by David Beckham and by the “Arsht Performing Arts Center” for “Hamilton” the play. He has participated in various art fairs across the United States such as “Art New York”, “Superfine” in L.A., and “Red Dot” in Miami and also completed the Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation (ESKFF) residency program at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City.
His work has been included in multiple private collections and group exhibits in Florida, California, New York, and New Jersey. He is co-founder and director of Rexer Gallery in Hoboken, NJ.
As four women with incredibly different backgrounds and areas of expertise in the art world, together they form a comprehensive services network researching collections, curating exhibitions, handling framing and restoration, launching up and coming artists into major private and public collections, and training emerging art lovers how to acquire the perfect piece and install it beautifully on their walls.
Their dedicated exhibition space at 204 Bellevue Avenue in Montclair boasts museum-quality lighting, installation, and an outdoor courtyard, aiming to raise the bar for commercial art exhibition venues in New Jersey.
Heath Kane, Rich Enough to be Batman, 2020. 5 Color Screenprint on Somerset Satin 300gsm Paper, Neon Red and Diamond Dust glitter, edition of 10. 30 x 45”
Heath Kane, Come Speak To Me When It’s Over, 2019. Oil, acrylic on canvas, 49.6 x 62.2”
Walter John Rodriguez, Party Colors, 2020. Mixed media on canvas, 39.75 x 44”
Listing Information for the Exhibition
Gallery Director: Kathryn Waggener McGuire Artists: Heath Kane and Walter John Rodriguez Exhibition Dates: November 6–December 31, 2020 Gallery: Clerestory at MAXX, 204 Bellevue Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043, www.clerestoryfineart.com
Gallery Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 am–6 pm; by appointment
Painter, artist, and author Kelly Fischer has been a woman between worlds since she was 22 years old. More specifically, the day that the 22-year-old college student from Memphis met a young Swiss man on the second day of her study abroad. They got married, and she decided to stay. Since then, Fischer has spent her time split between Bern, Memphis, and New York City. Today, she works to define the differences between her worlds, and the similarities that link them, through her painting. Her current exhibition, Blending Worlds, is a combination of pieces that seek to articulate the feel and energy of her favorite parts of Downtown Manhattan and her home in Switzerland.
Blending Worlds is a combination between her Street Art series, inspired by NYC, and other pieces inspired by her time in Switzerland. Each piece of abstract art tries to capture the culture, energy, and interactions of the people wherever she goes. Especially the interactions; her goal, she says, is to make the lines and the colors so cohesive that everyone feels included. “It’s about connection. The lines, the circles, everything has to connect with each other.”
Street Art East Village NYC; 2018; 160 x 180cm; mixed media
Before her professional career as an artist, Fischer was an educator and administrator at a Montessori school in Switzerland. She started her professional career in the arts by creating children’s books–she has written 12 to date–blending two more worlds. Eight years later, she quit her education job and became a professional painter and children’s book author. She has blended those worlds as well, with an interactive exhibition of her best selling book, “The Most Beautiful Color of All.”
Chinatown
Much of Fischer’s current exhibition came from her Street Art series, which draws on the souls of different downtown neighborhoods. Each one, she says, inspires her a different way, affecting her style. Avenue B, in the East Village, was colorful and lively, with a lot of movement. “The East Village felt like there were no rules,” she said, which inspired her to push her artistic limits and try new things. Tribeca’s energy, she said, felt more like Switzerland. “People don’t think out of the box as much.”
Chelsea NYC; 2018;180 x 180cm Mixed Media
For Fischer, Downtown Manhattan is a home away from home. Seven years ago, shortly after she became a full-time artist, she stayed on Perry St in the West Village. She still gushes about it today. “It felt like home, and I knew that I wanted to spend more time there.” And she has, but she hasn’t limited herself to Perry St. She splits time between the West Village, East Village, Bowery, SoHo, and Tribeca. Cipriani’s is her favorite restaurant, and she loves the Bowery Hotel, especially the lobby. “It is the style of me.”
Cipriani’s, Fischer’s favorite restaurant in the city.
The exhibition’s host, the Swiss Consulate, is especially meaningful to Fischer, and her art. For the first time, she gets to express her two worlds, and she gets to do so in a building that does the same. After this show ends, catch Kelly Fischer in Madrid or Toledo for her next shows, or back in Downtown Manhattan for a short documentary exploring the influences behind her street art series through six exhibitions in four countries. The film was accepted at NYC International Film Festival and East Hampton TV Art and Film Festival.
The Sylvia Wald & Po Kim Gallery and Donghwa Cultural Foundation in NoHo, New York is now presenting the CONFLUENCE Benefit Exhibition. This junction of talent is equal rivers merging culture, memory, and tradition with art innovation converging in confluence. When two or more rivers intersect at a certain point, these bodies of water may converge and become a source of a new river. Sometimes a stark visual contrast between the two rivers continues, side by side, for miles – never mixing during that span, yet harmoniously flowing in coexistence until ultimately becoming one body of water. This exhibition, Confluence, aims to capture the peaceful, balanced river of creativity in the spirit of artists. This group show is comprised of eight working Korean and American painters and sculptors. Fine oils, acrylics, mixed media, Hanji paper, glass, photography, stone, and resin mediums are the painter’s extension to canvas and sculptor’s pedestals shown with unique expressions. “By bringing together artists from Korea and the US, distinct in their artistic styles, we aim to create a harmonious East and West dialog while celebrating cultural diversity through the arts. The exhibition is homage to this natural phenomenon as a confluence of both culture and art.” says curator Odelette Cho.
The Sylvia Wald & Po Kim Gallery is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. It was founded by Korean-born artist Po Kim and his American artist wife, Sylvia Wald. In addition to preserving, maintaining and perpetuating the legacy of the founders’ uniquely accomplished artistic careers; the foundation aims to promote East-West cultural harmony through the arts by sponsoring and hosting temporary art exhibitions and other artistic events of established and emerging artists.
Yong R. Kwon
Sylvia Wald & Po Kim Gallery
417 Lafayette Street
7th Floor
Gallery Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 11 AM to 6 PM
The Confluence Exhibit runs from November, 15th 2018 to January 22, 2019
“Eternal Summer” is a group art show running until July 21st at Tribeca’s own One Art Space. A reception unveiling the collection will be held on Tuesday, July 2018, from 6-9 pm. The reception will attempt, as the gallery does, to encapsulate summer. In tandem with the art collection, the reception will create an interactive and visually immersive summer experience.
Every individual experiences the summer season in a highly personal and distinctive way. The show attempts to embody summer, in all of its facets, by showing works from a wide and diverse group of artists. “Eternal Summer” portrays summer, in its raw form, through artistic talents of all experience levels and backgrounds. Ishaat Hossain, the young curator of “Eternal Summer” explained, “There are no exhibitions like this one. There are plenty of showings in the fall, but very few in the summer. It’s inclusive, it encompasses the feelings that summer holds. We have artists here as young as 16, we have former models, a neurologist…. That’s how art should be. Art is for everyone at all times of the year.”
The diverse group of artists showcased in “Eternal Summer” will be present at the unveiling. Their art will be accompanied by other creations that also epitomize summer in all of its forms. “There will be slushy cocktails. I was thinking crushed ice, sparkling champagne. All the things that say summer. People will be able to walk into here and experience summer visually and with drinks. Coming into the gallery from the heat outside will only add to the experience”, said a One Art Space volunteer.
Cleopatra Browne, one of the artists, is featured in the exhibition alongside her daughter. Browne, who specializes in imaginative composition, affirmed that”One Art Space is a family. It is very inviting, and I am proud to be here.” She elaborated on the inspiration behind some of her work. ” I love nature. I love nature more than people. I portrayed mother nature as a woman. There is pollution, there are dead trees, but despite all that is happening to her, despite all the chaos around her, her face is still peaceful. There is still life. There is still hope. We have one Earth and we need to take care of it”. per Browne.
“No one is left out, everyone is included but all the pieces have one thing in common. They either celebrate or frown about eternal summer. Summer is not always comfortable, but that’s also a part of summer” said One Art Space Owner, Dan Giella.
Collectively, the pieces create an accumulation of all the emotions experienced in the summer months such as insanity, joy, discomfort, and excitement. The mediums used to express these feelings are as diverse as the group of artists themselves. Sculptures, paintings and photographs can all be found in “Eternal Summer.”
Before One Art Space opens their next dynamic exhibition, envelop yourself in a visual presentation of summer. It is that relatable, and familiar subject that already surrounds us.
Artists included in “Eternal Summer”
Allison Harrell, Becky Lloyd, Bergés Alvarez, Binna Kim, Brett Thompson, Cleopatra Browne, Debbie Dickinson, Eleni Giagkou, Elsa Marie Keefe, Evan Sebastian Lagache, Jessica Rubin, Jonny “Pens” Marto, Kam Chauhan, Katerini Bali, Katina Ansen, Keith Kattner, Lora Shapiro, Nancy Pantirer, Neil Kerman, Preksha Kapadia, R.M. Traub
In 1983, renowned pop artist, Roy Lichenstein’s famous Greene Street Mural was erected in art dealer, Leo Castelli’s Greene Street gallery and subsequently destroyed six weeks later. The enormous 18 foot high, 96 1/2 foot long mural has been resurrected at the Gagosian Gallery in Chelsea. Located on 24th Street and 11th Avenue, the replica of the Licheinstein’s incredible work spans the wall of the gallery with his other paintings and sculptures nearby.
Thirty years later after it’s original show, the mural has been created with the help of Lichtenstein’s former studio assistant and is almost identical the the original piece. The layering of recognizable objects—composition notebooks, Swiss cheese, a roll of toilet paper—alongside Lichtenstein’s trademark colors and brushstroke style creates a dynamic visual experience that should not be missed.
In a separate room are Lichtenstein’s drafts for the mural with cutouts of inspiration. Photos of the artist and his assistants working on the original mural are mounted on the wall.
Lichtenstein’s work is pop art mastery. Inspired by comic styles, his work contains bold lines and colors with hand painted Ben-Day dots for color gradient.
The mural, which opened on September 10th, will run until October 17th.
