PHXART Museum - Gallery Review

The state of Arizona has always been known for its aesthetic beauty. Nature’s captivating scenery filled with many varieties of the color spectrum gives whoever is experiencing it a sense of calm, and oneness with the world around them. The relationship between nature and visual art has been heavily documented, with the latter being able to mimic objects as they appear in real life – thus having a similar effect. During a time where isolation and separation became the “new normal,” the Phoenix Art Museum’s current exhibitions highlights the progression of art throughout history, as well the importance of human connection.

The PHXART Museum showcased the creativity of artists from across the globe. There was also a focus on various periods in time, and the shifts in style during each. Upon entry, the Steele Gallery’s special exhibition is the first that one will encounter. Entitled Fearless Fashion, this gallery houses a collection of original sketches, photographs, press clippings and over 80 ensembles by Rudolph “Rudi” Gernreich. Organized into seven sections, Fearless Fashion explores the social and cultural impact of Gernreich, along with chronicling his rise to prominence. This exhibition sheds light on the many facets of what art encompasses; for fashion is one of the genre’s forgotten forms.

Eastern culture has also been intriguing in terms of artistic influence. The first floor of the museum contained the Art of Asia Galleries, specifically the ancient artifacts of porcelain, ceramics, and Chinese textiles spanning over hundreds of years. China’s contribution to art is unquestioned and shows a dedication to the mastery of form. Its production, innovation, refinement, diversity, and global impact has allowed Chinese culture to claim the world’s longest and foremost ceramic tradition.

The Golden Temple: Center of Sikh Faith showcased the paintings, photographs and prints of Sikhism’s most prominent monument. It presents historical and contemporary works depicting the renowned site, which blended art and the architectural elements from the Hindu and Muslim heritage. The exhibition culminates with works by both Sikh and non-Sikh contemporary artists whose visual narratives draw inspiration from The Golden Temple and its intricate construction.

Following the theme of religion; drawing inspiration primarily from the stories of Christianity, the Ullman gallery’s Schorr Collection numbers more than 500 works, ranging from the 15th through the 20th century. Paintings such as Jacob de Backer the Younger’s The Last Judgement, along with Manfredi’s A Musical Pair were some standouts stored in this collection. The Christian faith has produced a multitude of narratives, and the works of art in Selections From The Schorr Collection bring those stories to life in amazing fashion. The biblical wars between good and evil are perfectly captured in many of the gallery’s paintings and serves as a visual representation of the history of Christianity.

The second floor of the Phoenix Art Museum spoke to the artistic endeavors of America, as well as many parts of Europe. The Western American Art section paid homage to the indigenous culture of this country; with many of its paintings and sculptures focusing on family, change, and unchartered territory. Arizona’s natural beauty was also on full display with portraits showing the states vastness and mountainous terrain. In conjunction with art that showcased Native American life, pieces either by or about people of African descent were viewable in this space. The amazing photography of life in America (and the struggle that comes with it) made the museum’s second floor one of its more worthwhile attractions.

The works of Narcissa Niblack Thorne were extremely fascinating to say the least. The detail and precision of her miniature artworks are a testament to the wide-ranging scope of what it means to be a true artist. Created at an exacting scale of one inch to one foot, several of the rooms replicated actual rooms found in both the United States and Europe, while the others were inspired by the architecture and interior design of their respective periods and countries.

The Lower and Third levels of the Katz were dedicated to Modern and Contemporary Art, while a section on the top floor focused on photography. Yayoi Kusama’s infinity mirror room, You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies, is a popular attraction at the PHXART Museum. The Violet Protest showcases the latest collaborative art project by Ann Morton, the recipient of the 2019 Arlene and Morton Scult Artist Award; whose work explores the political divides in the United States, the power of collaboration, identity, memory, perception, communication, and technology.

The Phoenix Art Museum is home to over 20,000 works in the public trust, from the art of our time to historical objects that illuminate the distant past. Whether an object in our collections or a traveling exhibition, art has the power to transform how we see each other and often, how we see ourselves.

Melissa Huang - "Another Day Another Girl"

It was a cold afternoon in Marietta, Georgia. The crisp air was magnified by the lack of sunlight due to the multitude of clouds present in the sky. Although gloom was in the atmosphere, the spirits of everyone in attendance for Melissa Huang’s Another Day Another Girl became the perfect dichotomy for what the exhibition itself represented. One’s emotions or personality may be affected by external forces, and whatever feeling, emotion, or action one expresses should not restrict their perception of who they actually are.

Another Day Another Girl is an exploration of the multiplicity of identity. The way that one is perceived by others as opposed to the way that they perceive themselves can vary with the people they encounter, or the situation they may be experiencing. A different version of person exists in the minds of one’s family, friends, colleagues, strangers, and digital audience – none of which encompasses the complete identity. At the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Georgia State University MFA candidate, Melissa Huang, uses oil paintings, prints, sculptures, and video art in order to focus on themes such as personality versus persona, technology, and social media’s effects on the search for the establishment of ‘self’.

Upon entry into the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art’s upper deck, the first pair of paintings visible are two self-portraits of the artist herself. Don’t Look and Split hung side by side; Melissa’s gaze similar in both but giving two entirely different emotions. The first was one of curiosity, even trepidation at times, while the latter gave the feeling of acceptance – either of oneself or another. Her beautiful usage of blue and red hues represented the warmth of acceptance and the coldness of rejection – two opposing emotions expressed by the same individual. The exhibition’s main room housed the majority of Huang’s pieces, and the placement of each work of art gives the viewer a deep sense of introspection. Its openness allows one to fully take in the gravity of each individual piece.

In 2020, Melissa showed interest in moving away from self-portraiture, which resulted in her painting portraits of Mattie and Kylie, both close acquaintances of hers. In consideration of how she could apply the concepts of self-portraiture in other people, she continued replicating the figures on canvas with some interactions of the figures as well as by establishing an ambiguous space. For the portrait of Mattie, whom by personality is very introspective and thoughtful, Melissa wanted to create a painting that showed her inner and outer beauty. The Kylie diptych immediately commands attention, partly due to it being in the direct line of sight of anyone walking into the main gallery; but also due to the bright orange background contrasting with the young woman’s fragmented blue face. “Here I have captured Kylie’s portrait in pieces. I painted her in outfits and poses I felt captured her personality,” Melissa said. “The background is a simple abstracted line drawing of the topography of her favorite state park. I actually think the small blue fragmented face in the portrait best depicts Kylie’s character. Something about her smile and profile painted alone feel true to who she is.”

One of the most intriguing facets of Another Day Another girl is how Melissa Huang utilized digital media in her solo exhibition. The Most Beautiful Women (placed between Kylie and Young and sweet) is perhaps Melissa’s most visually interactive piece. It this particular digital art piece, she uses “deepfake technology,” which is when an artist takes a person in an existing video and replaces their likeness with someone else’s likeness using artificial neural networks and machine learning. Did You Take It Yet and One Month In serve as digital diaries into Huang’s life as both a woman and an artist, especially during quarantine.

For many creatives, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about an unexpected change regarding their process. Some say that it signaled a unique surge of inspiration; while others experienced a block in creativity – for Melissa, it was the latter. During the months when artists were most affected by quarantine, Huang started experimenting with data moshing images. Her husband and frequent collaborator, Drew Tetz, enjoyed a specific sculpture that she glitched; suggesting that it should be transferred into a 3-Dimensional design. It was this meeting of the minds that brought about Venus de la Void; a beautiful installation of resin cast, wall-hanging sculptures that outlined the entrance into the gallery’s second room. What is important about these sculptures are that they are what initially brought Melissa out of her creative block. “During this pandemic, I felt like I was going really stir crazy; so starting the collaborative project with Drew was a good way for me to kick start the creative process again,” stated Huang. “For this installation in particular, we wanted to do something larger scale, and this seemed like a great opportunity to do so. We also worked with another friend who is a master at mold-making, and she set us on the right path and helped us make molds of these 3-D printed models.”

The exhibition’s second room contained some of Melissa Huang’s most provocative works. Headspace was an exploration of the ideas surrounding the act of looking, self-objectification, identity, and bad faith; all of which have nuanced Huang’s artistic practice. With one’s digital presence being so important in this day and age, the way people present themselves online and on social media in some instances has become more important than the physical representation. Throughout this process, Huang stated “I found myself questioning the ways in which my digital image is constructed and shared with the world, and further asking how I can disrupt that healthy pattern.” Hold Me Touch Me and 2019’s Another Day Another Girl exhibited the various personalities of Huang – both in self-perception as well as the way others may see her – a perfect embodiment of Another Day Another Girl as a whole.

"Compositional Constructs with Social, Political, and Spiritual Overtones..."

Compositional Constructs with Social, Political, and Spiritual Overtones – A Selection of Methods and Content from 1990 to 2020: Larry Walker at Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Georgia.

Larry Walker, Crouching Fears – Hidden Dangers, 2020.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Last month, the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art held an exhibition for the incomparable Larry Walker – a collage, mixed material and charcoal artist who’s work focuses on the urban environments he’s traversed during his 85 years on this earth. On September 19th, his solo exhibition, Compositional Constructs with Social, Political, and Spiritual Overtones – A Selection of Methods and Content from 1990 to 2020, contained a collection of paintings, portraits, posters, sketches and artifacts that embodied the struggle and plight that black men and women have experienced in the United States for hundreds of years.

Mr. Walker’s rural Georgia upbringing, along with his momentary stops in Harlem, Detroit, and California, allowed him create a body of work that translates throughout a multitude of generations; pulling inspiration from events of historical significance, all the way to modern film and television, and occurrences that permeate popular culture. It is also important to note the variety of mediums used in this exhibition - The Marietta Cobb Museum of Art’s gallery located in the faculty’s first level was spacious, and the emptiness of its lower entrance provided the perfect atmosphere to showcase the gravity of Larry Walker’s work, from top to bottom.

Larry Walker, Recessed Wall with Dream Catcher, 2019.

The opening visual of Compositional Constructs, is that of two pillars, wrapped in newspaper clippings, promotion posters and street signs; served as an ode to the precariousness of life in many of this nation’s impoverished cities, but a testament to its inhabitant’s creativity, and the aesthetic beauty of the “neighborhood” – as some people describe it. His piece entitled Recessed Wall with Dream Catcher, Wall Spirits and Other Secret Manifestations, finds Walker using mixed materials and collages that represent the “urban surfaces” that tackle difficult human struggles such as isolation, existentialism, and social inequity. He draws a connecting line between overlooked black settings, the traditional concept of the American landscape, and displays of the human spirit.

 A common theme in many the paintings throughout this exhibition is the silhouette of a man walking in the different stages of life. This image is symbolic of the various points in Larry Walker’s life when he exited one habitat after exhausting all of the creative resources that the location had to offer him, thus progressing into the next stage of his journey. He makes the uncertainty of new living conditions the most prevalent in Crouching Fears – Hidden Dangers. Compositional Constructs is a visual exploration of the life, times, and experiences of Larry Walker. Through his eyes, one can see the both the beauty and the pain associated with the black experience – a timely exhibition for the current state of our nation.

Larry Walker’s Compositional Constructs with Social, Political, and Spiritual Overtones – A Selection of Methods and Content from 1990 to 2020 is on view at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art in Marietta, Georgia, through December 13.

Justin Lyons - "Say It Ain't So"

We are living in strange times, and I often wonder when we will get back to a point of normalcy. Social isolation has not been entirely detrimental, it helped people place more of an emphasis on health, self-care, and life goals, just to name a few. However, human interaction is something that we not only desire, but its something that we need from time to time. Slowly but surely, places of business are opening back up to the public, and the remnants of life as we once knew it are starting to reveal themselves.

COVID-19 has had an extreme impact on not only artists, but art in general. A person’s creative process may not have been hindered, but their ability to get there work out to the world may have been altered a bit. Since art galleries and exhibits have been closed as of recent months, creatives have had to find new and unique ways to promote their work, many relying heavily on the internet and social media platforms. One of the first art galleries to reopen its doors in Atlanta was that of Maune Contemporary, located in the city’s Buckhead area. Founded by Heidi and Ramsey Maune, this gallery specializes in limited edition fine art prints and unique works by renowned international artists.

On the weekend of May 27th – 29th, Maune Contemporary showcased the work of Florida-base artist Justin Lyons. His narrative is riddled with written dialog, where words and letters are often crossed out revealing another clue into the message. It aims to give the viewer a reference point into a deeper understanding of a particular theme or subject, and to then explore on their own as to what they see and feel. His inspirations are most often triggered by a word, phrase or thought, with the intention to try to and tell a story without giving away too much as to let the viewer interpret their own connection to the piece. I had the opportunity to speak with Justin about his journey, his creative process, and the current state of the art world.

As an artist, how are you adapting to this pandemic?

It has been kind of funny because as an artist it is almost like you’re quarantined automatically by being in the studio all day. The routine has not really changed all that much – if anything, it forces you back in there even more. For the most part because of art galleries, and art fairs and museums being closed; as an artist that’s your outlet to get your work out. So that’s kind of been a little bit of a challenge, you know? Trying to find an avenue to get your stuff out there in a physical space for people to see. I have been adapting by going more online, doing the social media thing - Instagram, stuff like that – just to be productive and keep people’s eyes on it.

What do you hope to achieve with the “Say It Ain’t So” Exhibit here in Atlanta?

I have a lot of collectors in Atlanta, it’s really just mainly to build a bigger base in the area. This gallery is amazing and so is the city. I’m just trying to solidify my work in multiple regions.

I notice you draw a lot of inspiration from cultural phrases and colloquialisms, what led you to that style of art?

So, my dad and my brother are both musicians. My brother is a songwriter, and I was always inspired by his lyrics – they were really deep and introspective. When I hear a song, I naturally gravitate towards its lyrics because its real emotion. A good songwriter will put their personal experiences within a song, and I was inspired by that. I am a self-taught artist, and I didn’t really have a grounding on how to do certain things. The phrases that you are referring to – I approach it like a songwriter. I take that approach and I mix it with a visual image.

Many of my friends that are artists struggle with this. As a painter, when do you know when a piece is truly finished?

That is a really hard question (laughs). For the most part, you can kind of feel it – you have to go with your gut. A lot of times, I feel like that’s when you get in trouble as an artist; you don’t listen to you intuition an you keep going… after a while you’ve done too much to the painting. Sometimes, less is more. I’ve become pretty good at not becoming attached to my paintings. To be honest with you, I’ve become more attached to the process than I have the outcome. Art has become my life, and I have fallen in love with the process of creating.

I for one, have always believed that art is essential to our way of life, even before this pandemic. Studies have shown that the creation of art can help people with depression, anxiety, and improved memory in elderly people. On the other hand, viewing art has given people a sense of happiness, satisfaction with life, as well as deeper cognitive functions. It is of the utmost importance to support not only artists like Justin, but to support the galleries and curators that allow their art to be seen. The normal human interaction that we’ve experienced may be a thing of the past, but the connection that the beauty of art provides is something that will be here to stay.

Caren Stansell - "Home Is Where The Heart Is"

-An art exhibit by Caren Stansell

“The idea of home is repeated throughout our lives as an innate instinct that dwells in us all. As an adult, home is a daily sought shelter and a place of ritual. It also becomes an arcane instinct to recreate the nostalgia of the first home experienced as a child. With that in mind, the definition of home has evolved as my path has led me back full circle; no longer a child but as a mother. The dichotomy that once existed for me is still present. The precarious nature of the family dynamic holds inherent qualities of deteriorating health, habits, and strained lines of communication.

This body of work explores ever evolving relationships that occur within a home. I have incorporated images of dwellings in various states of disrepair that convey the rebuilding of breakdown of these familial relationships. The deteriorating nature of these man-made structures symbolizes the nostalgic need to recreate a place to which one can never return; our first home. Printed matter and sculptural forms cohabitate the gallery space to bring confluence to my perception of house and home.”

— Caren Stansell

On August 25th, 2016, I had both the pleasure and opportunity of attending "Home Is Where The Heart Is..." a provocative art exhibit showcasing some of the pieces constructed by the talented Caren Stansell; an artist that works, lives and creates in upstate South Carolina. This particular body of work focused on almost every facet of home life; whether it be positive or negative. Smoking was a destructive habit that seems to be prevalent in her childhood, because the majority the pieces featured in #HomeIsWhereTheHeartIs were created with tobacco and cigarette butts, as opposed to paint and brush... genius, in my opinion. In my discussion with Ms. Stansell, it was very intriguing to learn what her process was in the creation of this exhibit. Everything that was used, from the portraits to the actual medium had something to do with home life; her home life to be specific. Each piece exuded a certain amount of pain and struggle, which to me, made it that much more beautiful.

Many of the distorted photographs of destructive memories and strained relationships truly resonated with me. In experiencing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, I understand the toll that stress can take on one both physically and mentally. Paper Plane Gallery, a new art gallery located in the heart of historic College Park, served as the primary lodging. It is an exhibition space focusing on new American works on paper, printmaking, and artists' books. The intimate space was the perfect setting for an exhibit that held so much emotion. This exhibit was very diverse in the turnout, with people from all ages and walks of life in attendance.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable and educational experience, and I would recommend anyone to attend. If you haven't already, check out Ms. Stansell's "Home Is Where The Heart Is" art exhibit at the Paper Plane Gallery in College Park, GA. The exhibit will be on display until October 6, so you all still have a little bit of time to view. You can get more information on this at www.paperplaneatl.com. Below are some of the pieces on display from the exhibit.

If you want to find more of Caren Stansell's work, check out her website, Facebook, or Instagram.

Be safe, and enjoy your weekend.

- Oak (@coolhandoak)