Opening soon...

If you are in the DC Area, please stop by to see this exhibition [and pay me a visit]...

Gretchen Feldman: "stitches in time, etc."

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 10 from 5:30 until 8:30 pm

New paintings by NYC abstract watercolorist Gretchen Feldman will be featured in a solo exhibition at the Nevin Kelly Gallery from May 7 to June 1, 2008. Feldman’s abstract watercolors are influenced by images of the past (antique quilt patterns) and present (microscopic imagery from scientific studies).

CONTACT: Nevin Kelly Gallery 1517 U Street, NW Washington DC 20009 [e]: laura@nevinkellygallery.com [t]: 202.232.3464 [url]: http://www.nevinkellygallery.com and http://nevinkellygallery.blogspot.com

An IDEAL Mix-Up: Opening this Saturday

Please join us THIS Saturday, 26 January 2008 at 4pm for a lecture on Polish art by gallery director Nevin Kelly. Refreshments will follow the talk...

An Ideal Mix-Up: A Winter Group Exhibition at the NKG
January 16 - February 24, 2008


A group exhibition that includes works by the contemporary Polish artists that helped launch the gallery in May 2003 and the many local artists who have joined the gallery along the way. The exhibition celebrates both the gallery's origins and its development as a platform for showcasing emerging trends in local art. Unlike most group shows, which remain static during their entire run, works in this show will be hung and re-hung in stages as works are sold or anchor pieces are moved to share the spotlight. The exhibition will feature works by local artists Sondra Arkin, Joan Belmar, Ellyn Weiss, Mary Chiaramonte and Laurel Hausler and by Polish artists Edward Dwurnik, Darek Pala, Krzysztof Kokoryn, Pawel Król, Lukasz Huculak and Michal Zaborowski.

Laura M. Kuah, Gallery Assistant
Nevin Kelly Gallery
1517 U Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009

Tel.: 202-232-3464
Fax: 202-232-3465
E-mail: laura@nevinkellygallery.com
Web: www.nevinkellygallery.com
and http://nevinkellygallery.blogspot.com

IAM, therefore I create.

IAM has finally moved to their new, physical, studio space on W. 59th Street in the heart of mid-town Manhattan. IAM gathers artists and creative catalysts to wrestle with the deep questions of art, faith and humanity in order to inspire the community to engage the culture that is and create the world that ought to be.

Art has been and will continue to be society's existential statement, by answering the question, "Why live?" International Arts Movement works as a catalyst in the NYC area and worldwide to inspire people to hope, to engage deeply into the depth of culture, with the hopes of creating a world that ought to be. After all, in order for artistic excellence to pave the way for lasting, enduring humanity, this is what we "ought to be".

IAM founder and prominent artist Makoto Fujimura's art is described by art critic Robert Kushner as, "The idea of forging a new kind of art, about hope, healing, redemption, refuge, while maintaining visual sophistication and intellectual integrity is a growing movement, one which finds Fujimura's work at the vanguard." International Arts Movement is an outgrowth of this "forging", and desires to collaborate with other influences from all walks of life, empowering their work and growth.

To learn more, click on the link above or visit Mako's official website here. Here's to more purpose-filled creativity in the years to come!

Urban Landscapes

Bathroom Art?!!

Taken during a post-lunch visit to what might have been mistaken for a suave cocktail bar playing eerie, Eurotrash techno music... this was one of the coolest bathrooms I've ever step foot in. Now, going to the bathroom can also be an artsy experience. You too, can experience the fabulous ambiance of this bathroom, found inside Jersey City's hip Chinese/Thai fusion chain restaurant, Nanking!

No purchase necessary. Simply come with an open mind and something to put out...

101 Hudson St
Jersey City, NJ 07302
T: 201/333/6500

Warehouse turned Artsy

molto avanguardie!

Exhibition Review :: Milano (IT)
Galleria Gio’ Macroni
Franz Ackermann “From Eden to Lima”

Galleria Gio’ Macroni, where I had my first interview in Italy for a real job after graduation, consists of a very well-designed modern building with two floors and lots of professional gallery space. The dominate colors of this gallery are yellow and white, and boasts of a good use of exhibition space, as well as excellent lighting. At this stellar contemporary art gallery owned by a famous father-son duo, there is A/C (almost unheard of in Italy, still!) and a large, very professional staff to help out with the necessary gallery functions. It was evident, when browsing the gallery after my interview, that this was the type of environment I wanted to work in.


Unlike most of the galleries I frequented this summer, there were two shows going on simultaneously at Galleria Gio’ Macroni. The one that took place downstairs displayed what seemed to be the chaos caused by typhoons and hurricanes in some South American country (Peru?). This exhibition, which took place in three galleries, consisted of big and small paintings (think abstract/morphed land and cityscapes), mostly painted with bold and daring neon colors, clutter of the actual damage caused by these natural disasters (think damaged palm trees scattered on the ground and a broken, deserted boat) and photographs (both color and b & w, mounted on a pedestal as a collage or in a horizontal line on the wall) of people, places, landscapes, street signs, religious icons, nightlife and scenes of everyday life. In addition, there were also pictures of rundown buildings, new and very contemporary urban developments, beaches, highways, airports and street art. The point to be proven seemed to be simply this: Material things and the geniuses of mankind are here today, gone tomorrow, for one can never predict what will happen tomorrow.

One of the most creative ways of combining mediums was a funky shaped, neon colored painting that was plastered to the wall. The painting itself plays out to be a conceptual image of twisted, circular branches floating into the trunk of the tree; the top part of the painting, which seems to represent a huge wave (duo-toned blue), has a peep-hole one can peer into and see, inside the wall, a (silent) video of people and monsters protesting, walking around a stadium, carrying flags, and cheering. There was also a float going around the stadium, with people dressed like Captain Hook in yellow and white costumes. This parade seemed to take place in Brazil, due to all the Brazilian flags and such. Could it be that these creatures, emerged out of the video and were the ones responsible for the damage? Could this be their celebration of victory?

But hey, remember that this IS contemporary art… which can be just about anything anyone feels like creating, RIGHT?!


As a whole, this exhibit was creatively imputed and in your face, chaotic yet boldly honest. Even though it was (as the British put it) “a right mess”, it emphasized what once was and what will never be again. This was an exhibit that you could feel with all that was within you, as you stand in the middle of sheer chaos. It forces one to stop and ponder on what is truly valuable in life, and which things are worth holding onto. It also questions the worth of art as something incredibly temporary, and asks why we put so much time, money and creative energy on things that could easily be wiped away within the blink of an eye.

WE <3 JOYS

Exhibition Review :: Milano (IT)
Allegra Ravizza :: ART PROJECT
JOYS; Personale




On virtually every other building in Milan, there is some sort of graffiti scrawled on it - some well-scripted and visually appealing; others, not so much. Some consider it an art form while others call it an act of vandalism. Many argue that its the only way to keep a culture alive, to communicate important messages to the masses. Graffiti may be unconventional and unsolicited, but it does not disqualify it from being a kind of art, a kind of expression. Graffiti in every major citiy of the world is similiar, yet also different; each culture develops its own creativity and skills.


I first came across Allegra Ravizza Art Project during the opening night of their exhibition, entitled JOYS (the pen name of artist Cristian Bovo, Padova, 1974), on 24 May 2007. Due to the amount of people and the delicious bellinis served that night, it wasn't until weeks later that I went back to get a closer look at the art of this JOYS fellow.


My first reaction to the work of JOYS was how different his work was from the works I've seen at other gallery openings of the same genre (meaning, Contemporary Art). It was so refreshing to stand before art that thinks outside the box. To me, this man has taken (Italian) penmanship to the next level, where the forms remain attached together yet one is still able to make out what these letters are supposed to represent. His sculpture represents an eclectic but cool three-dimensional approach to graffiti, better known as "art on the wall" (in the case of this exhibition, since it is mounted on the walls). Bold colors of red, yellow, blue and purple grabbed my attention. These sculptures were far beyond what the human mind could comprehend, and although I did not immediately identify the works as "script", I did feel that they could jump off the wall at any given time. I felt that his works have overcome the confines of two-dimensional space and because each letter was so precise, geometrical and so perfect, knew that he must have been influenced by mathematics and probably the works of M.C. Escher.


I can see JOYS' sculptures being used as a means of not only communicating the need to be creative and the survival of a culture, but profound words and phrases with the ability to spread a message across, be it something political, cultural, social or religious. Art that has a purpose, which also has a presence, is much needed in our seemingly nihilistic urban environments.

Colorful pipes, anyone?

Larger than Life... and then SOME!

EXHIBITION REVIEW :: Milano (IT)
Julian Schnabel, "Paintings: 1978-2006"
@t Rontanda di Via Besana

"My paintings take up room, they make a stand. People will always react to that. Some people get inspired, others get offended. But, that's good. I like that."

-- J. Schnabel, on Painting

This is no understatement. Julian Schnabel's paintings are massive and take up a lot of room. They are huge, larger-than-life and make us ordinary mortal beings pale in comparison within their presence. His subject matter ranges from portraits of both men and women (friends/colleagues of his over the years) to self-portraits, from his take on Oriental geishas to mixed media collages, recycled art and drip paintings. Born to immigrant parents from the Czech Republic, Schnabel grew up in Brownsville, TX for most of his formative years. At first, he struggled in the art world and worked as a short-order cook until his first solo exhibition in 1975, in New York City. This retrospective of his nearly 30 years of making art led him not only to participate in the Venice Biennale, but also to become a major figure in the Neo-expressionism movement in the mid-1980s.

His portraits are abstract, with elongated figures and much influence alluded to Picasso. His paintings show that he was clearly influenced by Pollock; his "found-objects" collages, by Gaudi. Unconventional religious iconography (a male AND a female Jesus?) are also included in his oeuvre. These works come in all shapes and sizes, which forces one to really ponder on what is going on in all of these works. I personally walked around this exhibit for a good hour, searching every quadrum of my brain to figure out how on earth these canvases were created. It was as if I was seeing Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel for the first time. WOW... did Schnabel use a ladder, or did he simply hang them on the wall and run into them with his paintbrush? Or were they laid flat on the ground and painted on, detail by detail?


It is important to state that sometimes: art is not about how beautiful the final product is, but more about the process it took to get there. You either like it or hate it: the choice is up to you. But, in any case, the closer you look, the more you will come appreciate the technique, skill and the amount of effort it took the artist to create these crazy works of massive quantities and sizes... whether or not you favor the subject matter.

After a thorough analysis of Schnabel’s works as a whole, I decided that my favorite technique was the globs of plaster paint over pieces of broken ceramic plates and saucers, used in his portraits, icons and landscapes, to help achieve tangible texture and taking the influence of Chuck Close to the next level. The wide variety of found and natural objects used by Schnabel, such as nestled together tree branches, as well as the incorporation of classical art materials such as pen & ink, conte' crayon and charcoal -- were more than enough to make my head spin in a state of awe.


The Rontanda di Via Besana is obviously the appropriate venue for such an exhibition. The huge, dome-like, former Renaissance basilica facility is extremely accommodating to the massive size of Schnabel’s works, the cool (and AIR-CONDITIONED) gallery space comfortable for its visitors and lots of natural light coming from the open windows above, along with the dim spotlights shining from above, exudes an essence of spirituality onto each work of art. Indeed a monumental location for a monumental exhibition.

celebrating 10 years of colourful explosion!

EXHIBITION REVIEW ::: Milano, IT
Günther Förg, 10 Anni -- Ala -- Förg
Salvatore & Caroline Ala Galleria

Wide open spaces. Think big, clear open windows, minimalist fonts used on the text panels + labels, white walls and amazing graphic design. This is the space gallery owners Salvatore and Caroline Ala are more than lucky to have. Now, think an incredible mixing of colors on the palatte before dabbing them on these huge, larger-than-life size canvases... and you now have the work of Günther Förg, a contemporary German artist, who has worked on these conceptual masterpieces for the last decade. The body of work he has created over this period of time is hard to narrow down to a single medium. Add in some of the friendliest, dressed in business casual attire, gallery assistants... who took the liberty to greet you at the door, hand you information about the artist, and even offer you water on that hot June afternoon (acqua naturale o frizzante) and you got what is perhaps the most professional art gallery in all of Milan!



From his early Conceptual Art of the 1970s, Förg has come a long way from the simplistic monochromes and greys. Over the years, he has specialized in photography, sculpture, prints, drawings, and of course, paintings. He also makes installations and murals, in all of which there is a distinct reference to architecture, landscape and form. This rings true in that although Förg's work is minimalist in nature (due to the constant repetition of his designs), there is always something spontaneous that seeks to erupt out of the paintings and seeks to be different.

Just like what art experts believe to be Cezanne's last painting (of the garden outside his studio, unfinished), Förg's work appear to be "almost landcapes" and "almost cityspaces"; the colors, shapes and form bunch together to form an "almost" identified subject matter. It is as if his intention was to finish these paintings to look somewhat representational, but purposely left them "unfinished" in order to instill an air of mystery and wonder for those who view his work. In fact, if you look closely at his canvases, you might just catch a glimpse of where he was headed with his idea. This, my friends, is conceptual art at its very best: born out the mind, conceived by the brain and carried out in an exhasting expression of colors and forms, dancing off the canvas for all the world to see.

This show, which comprises of 19 works of acrylic on canvas (1o of which are in a large format -195 x 230 cm), 6 acrylic collages on paper, 8 pastel designs on paper e 3 square cross-hatched designs on paper... exhibits the work of this German contemporary artist at its very best, while one can truly grasp where he is coming from. It is no wonder that when asked about one of his watercolors, Förg responded with the following quote:

"I have always avoided subject matter. In the watercolors of windows, I was able to approach the subject matter of the window and even let some figures sneak in... Another frequent motif is the staircase, which is the result of one of my favorite movies, Vertigo. Unpleasant, but it haunts me."

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ARRRRRRRR.... some!

:: EXHIBITION REVIEW ::
AR Contemporary Gallery, Milano (IT)
Danny Rolph, "Happenstance"

A stunning mixed media and collage attempt. A variety of shapes, swirls and colors reminicent of the groovy 70s. Texture abound, and materials are mixed to create new forms the human eye can only begin to imagine. This is the artwork of Danny Rolph, heavily emphasized in his current exhibition: "Happenstance", his second solo exhibition in Milan.

A native of Great Britain, Rolph has been influenced by Italian culture since the days of his youth. Back then, he was interested in a combination of Italian design, fashion and football. Those interests never escaped him, and now has been linked by an astounding fascination with the country’s art, its colors, architecture, energy and most importantly, confidence. This exudes with full force in the body of work exhibited in this show.

When looking at conceptual art, and well, art in general, it is important to instinctively respond to what is before you, rather than making assumptions of what the artist's original intention was. That was the challenge I gave myself while viewing Rolph's works in this exhibition. I noted that several of the paintings were done in the form of a collage, that had a 3-D effect and that almost always, the artist used strong, bold colors on a white canvas, with a sharp grey background. I also found his shredded paper collage, composed in a variety of media (including glitter) to be extremely compelling. Just by looking at these works, one could immediately tell that they were meant to be an exclamation of sorts, a celebration of art, design and culture... but yet, at the same time, the bombardment of all these things together at once. My observations, of course, came pretty close to the artists' original intent, which was the following (taken from the AR Contemporary Gallery Press Release):

"Above all, the mixture of different paints, applications, outlines and collage generated a striking metaphor for the sensual bombardment of modern life by simultaneous sounds, smells, shapes and colours; by the continuous overlapping of fleeting glances, textures in movement, changing light and the memory of all that."




It is also important to note the successful exhibition design of Rolph's show. The use of space was terrific, because there weren't too many paintings hung together side by side, and allowed the viewers to walk around without feeling bombarded, even though Rolph intended to illustrate that very concept in his work. The space inabled the viewers to breathe easier while viewing the artwork. It was almost as if each painting were its own, hung on a single wall space individually, for each viewer to marvel at. The walls coincided with the mettallic effect found in most of Rolph's paintings, and the floor (the original color, I'm sure) was this shiny, grey slate color that dazzled and spiced up the atmosphere even more. There were no labels or wall text, only numbers -- which is, indeed, a very contemporary way of exhibiting artwork.

All in all, it was a very well done show that was both asethetically stimulating and pleasing to the eye. "Happenstance" is an imaginative route that will definitely open doors for British abstract painting from here on out.