Saturday, March 24, 2012

Co|So Exhibitions :: 23rd Annual Student Show

On display in Co|So’s Red Room Gallery, the 23rd Annual Student Show is generating a great deal of excitement for a few talented young artists.  On view thru March 29th, the exhibition features eleven works of various subject matter and media including oil painting, photography, ink on canvas, pyrography and spray paint.  The works were selected by jurors David Brown, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs of Graduate Programs at the SMFA and Miriam Stewart, Curator of the Collection of the European and American Art Division at Harvard Art Museums.

Jeremy Horseman, Triptych: The Helicopters, oil on panel, 72 x 24

First prize was awarded to Jeremy Horseman for his Triptych: The Helicopters, a narrative focused on the origins and outcome of violent disputes.  Horseman’s work centers on both modern and biblical accounts of war, and questions the instinctual nature that drives lust for conquest. The subdued pallet and anonymity of the figures highlight the senseless violence and travesty of war.  Horseman’s choice to create the work as a triptych enhances the narrative:  foreboding helicopters descend upon a city silhouetted against the sickly green sky, an intimate collection of soldiers engaged in battle from behind old walls, and lastly the helicopters exit over a sea of wrapped corpses. Horseman elucidates the reference to conflict in the Middle East by including  architectural outlines of domes and minarets, in addition to the contemporary uniforms of the soldiers. Horseman’s resolution to refrain from painterly extravagance allows the somber commentary of Triptych: The Helicopters to shine.

Stephanie Owyang, Hong Kong, digital photography, 24 x 16

Stephanie Owyang's digital photograph, Hong Kong, won second prize.  In this photograph, Owyang captures the busy lifestyle of Hong Kong and conveys the over stimulation of colors, traffic, and signs that abound in the densely populated metropolis. The mood and atmosphere of Hong Kong infuse the photograph, as the viewers attention is simultaneously drawn to numerous parts of the image. The lack of negative space reflects the overwhelming feeling that an individual might experience when actually present in this environment. Owyang states that she enjoys capturing photographs that reflect her experience of the places she visits without making them about herself. The essence of Hong Kong is the visual experience of the city, and lacks an overtly personal depiction of the artist.
Brooks Turner Follow on Us and Hide Us, no.10, ink on canvas, 37 x 64

Fall on Us and Hide Us, No. 10 by Brooks Turner received third prize in the annual student show.  Measuring 67 x 38 inches, this large-scale ink on canvas commands the viewer's attention.  Reminiscent of dynastic Chinese landscapes, this work seemingly portrays a path that draws the viewer into darkness. In his work, Turner explores ideas such as isolation, loneliness, absurdity, and the subconscious.  The dramatic size and perspective of Fall on Us and Hide Us, No. 10 emphasizes the feeling of monumentality, and asks the viewer to contemplate his/her place in the foreboding landscape.

The 23rd Annual Student Show will be on display until March 29th in the Red Room at the Copley Society of Art.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Co|So Exhibitions :: Art & Design of the 20th & 21st Centuries

Co|So Special Event :: AD 20/21 Art and Design Fair

This weekend, March 15-18, the Copley Society of Art will be exhibiting works at the Art and Design of the 20th and 21st Centuries & the Boston Print Fair.   AD 20/21 will be held at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts in the South End.  A collection of work from galleries and art dealers from New England, the East Coast, and Europe will be on display and for sale at this one-of-a-kind event.  Co|So attended AD 20/21’s Gala Preview to benefit the Boston Architectural College.  At this Gala, a lifetime achievement award was be presented to interior designer, Vincente Wolf.

Co|So is one of over 30 exhibitors at the 5th Annual Fair offering modern to contemporary fine art.  The fair also includes exhibitors who feature vintage and contemporary studio furniture, decorative arts, jewelry, and sculpture, as well as exhibitors at the Boston Print Fair.  This is the only show and sale of its kind in New England, and, as a first time participant, the Copley Society is excited to offer drawings, paintings, and photographs from a number of our artist members.



Co|So's booth is similar to the gallery, with all genres and media hung side by side to display the wide range of our artist members.  Black and white photographs by Mark Chester and Tony Schwartz will be hung amongst impressionistic oil paintings by James Kubiatowicz and Paul Schulenberg.  Abstract acrylics by Jacques Walther and Pippip Ferner are set against the hyper-realist drawings of  Kate Sullivan.  Other artist members that will be featured include: Nancy Colella, Jennifer Day, Ellen Granter, Rick Fleury, Jon Allan Marshall, Robert Pyle, and Edwin Rudd.  AD 20/21 looks to be a wonderful weekend filled with a great variety of contemporary and modern art and furniture - come stop by the booth to see what the Copley Society's artists are up to!

Follow @cosogallery on Twitter and Copley Society of Art on Facebook for photos and updates during the Fair.