FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"THE HEAT IS ON"
July 18- August 5, 2017
Reception Thursday July 20th, 6-8pm
Closing Reception, Thursday August 3rd, 6-8 pm
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN * DEB FLAGEL * MICHAEL RECK * RON MOORE *
JENNY BELIN * VERNITA N’COGNITA
Chelsea NY: Viridian Artists is pleased to present an exhibition of outstanding art by six artists who are part of Viridian Artists' Affiliate program. The show extends from July 18th to August 5th with a reception to meet the artists Thursday July 20th, 6-8pm.
"The Heat Is On" alludes to the often pressing circumstances of life, our drive to move forward, the need to do it now, and of course, hot topics like the environment. Art offers artists solutions and ways of dealing with "the heat" of daily life. But the art itself gives the viewers too methods and means to cope with life's surprises and pitfalls. These artists will help you bear it all by visually seducing you in a wide variety of ways. Take your pick and be cool!!
MICHAEL RECK has been working exclusively with spray paint and stencils for several months now and recently reintroduced color back into the mix after working primarily in black and white for the past couple of years. "As the medium necessitates working in front of an exhaust fan, I have been trying to produce as much as possible before the New York summer grows too hot to work (or breathe) comfortably."
DEB FLAGEL "My work is an accumulation of momentary glances encountered on a daily basis. As my eye records the environmental landscape that surrounds me, my mind begins to weave line, color and shape, constructing a sort of self identity...a personal cultural fabric."
Flagel holds an MFA in Visual Communication from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her professional background includes teaching, freelance design and restoration of commercial spaces and she has been an exhibiting artist since 2005. Her work has been shown in Chicago, New York, and places in-between. In addition, she serves as the Executive Director for Woman Made Gallery in Chicago.
Sculptor RON MOORE, when I ask for some words about his art, says “The Heat is On', is certainly apropos of our difficult, and continually upsetting times!! ~ Although my piece, which is entitled; 'Yearning's', may not be specifically aligned with those larger frustrations. ~ On a personal level, it attempts to represent the inner struggle(s), of trying to wrestle free from personal limitations. Then beyond that, to hopefully 'run and soar' with the spirit of artistic wildness, as long as time and inspiration allows.”
In this group of works by KATHLEEN SHANAHAN, nature-inspired forms are partnered with contrasting elements, resulting in new visual entities. “In their stacked formations, these forged visual associations resemble totems. Appreciation of both the micro and the macro elements in nature and our attentiveness to them, especially given global warming and climate change, is both apropos and crucial to our humanity.” For the artist, this kind of preoccupation and focus is a much welcome and paradoxical escape/responsibility.
JENNY BELIN’S drawings are inspired by 1950s/1960s swimsuit models. “As a feminist I am intrigued by the history of pinups: bombshell images of women were iconic at a time when sexuality was often perceived as a threat.”
VERNITA N'COGNITA continues to deal with the overabundance of stuff that would be thrown away if it were not made into art. These collages combine security envelope textures from junkmail with flipped and broken images from fashion magazines and other found fragments as the artist interweaves environmental realities and feminist fantasies in these works from the late 90’s 'til now.
Viridian's Affiliate Program is an important aspect of the gallery's mission to expand exhibition opportunities for outstanding under-known contemporary artists, those young as well as those older.
Gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday 12-6PM
For further information please contact the gallery at 212 414 4040 or viridianartistinc@gmail.com