MINI TALE
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Opening: Saturday, November 19th, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Exhibition: November 19th - December 8th, 2016
Participating Artists:
Amy Van Gilder, Dina Brodsky, Erika Sanada, Grandmondo Miniatures by Raphael Truffi Bortholuzzi, Gretchen Lewis, Mab Graves, Marina Dieul, Naoto Hattori, Robert Kraiza, Sean Chao, Simon Kangiser, Sugar Fueled-Michael Banks
On Saturday, November 19th, Flower Pepper Gallery is pleased to present, Mini Tale, an exciting exhibition that features renowned artists who use extraordinary detail to give their work a profound voice. These artists have found something truly breathtaking that can occur in a small amount of space. Their work is not meant to overpower their viewer, but instead it desires to draw them in close to engage in a dialogue that is all at once satisfying and on-going. There is a great reward to be found for merely slowing down, leaning in, and discovering the worlds and stories that can exist in miniature.
Participating artist, Mab Graves, is a master storyteller who incorporates rich narratives and symbolism in each piece she paints. Inspired by Science, Fairy-Tales, and 60’s Space Culture, her work is a lavish combination of her unique pop-surreal style and characters that are delightfully complex. Seeing her work means entering into a world of bubble-gum colors, haunting doe-eyed beauties, and dream-like situations that are both beautiful and strange. Perhaps we see these qualities best in her portraits, where each character reveals their personality that is quietly found deep within their eyes. Similarly, Naoto Hattori’s hyper-realistic subjects reveal their own hidden mythologies through their textured skin, their striking eyes, or their fantastical form. His process is fluid and jumps straight from his imagination to his canvas; allowing him to express “everything and anything,” he aims to have the same limitless imagination of a child. This philosophy, combined with his meticulously detailed style, draws us in and effortlessly transports us to a dreamier reality.
Erika Sanada’s sculptural work also walks the line between beautiful and strange. Her ceramic creatures are anything but normal as they deal with creepy abnormalities and interact with each other in unusual ways. Her work is a reflection of her childhood and her anxiety and is a way to confront her dark side. A wide range of emotion takes form in each piece. Pain, confusion, wonder, and comfort are embodied through her delicate material of choice. Each feeling is so easily identifiable because each feeling is so immensely relatable. Her sculptures breed empathy from you and for you through the bond of shared inner experience.
On the other hand, Sean Chao uses his stylized sculptures as a way to offer his audience a bit of joy as they delight in characters and movement that appear frozen in time. His diorama worlds have an illustrative quality that explores mechanics, nature, tradition, and narrative. Each piece is so lovingly made from a long list of materials that are seamlessly combined with great care. Sean Chao shows us the wonder that can exist in minute details and the satisfaction that awaits those who notice them. Likewise, Grandmondo Miniatures by Raphael Truffi Bortholuzzi elicits amazement by preserving memory and capturing the imagination. He often chooses to re-create places and objects that have been abandoned, which carry a sense of history, having been left behind and forgotten. He does not merely photo-realistically replicate, he aims to capture the soul of a place and the heart of each object. Every detail, mark and impression carries the weight of how and why it is there. By honoring what others have forgotten, he challenges us to re-examine our own surroundings and discover the beauty and history that exists all around us.
This exhibition is filled with work that is meant to draw us in closer, which is always met with great reward. There is satisfaction in discovery and there is delight when the intention and hand of the artist is revealed. Mini Tale is comprised of stories in miniature, and of worlds and wonders that are hidden and waiting to meet with us to leave us inspired.
The reception on November 19th is open to the public and on view until December 8th, 2016.
Organic Cold Brew Tea will be provided by Jin Tea Shop at the Opening!
Click here for Facebook Event Page to see the work-in-progress photos.
Many thanks to Eva Glettner for including Mini Tale in her article for AFAR! Click here to read the full article.