Parallel Visions

Gallery Exhibition/Event
Posted on February 15, 2012

March 8 through April 25, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 8, 2012, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm


Location: 3245 16th Street (at Guerrero Street), San Francisco CA 94103

San Francisco, February 21, 2012 — Parallel Visions, the latest exhibition at Creativity Explored Gallery, shows work by artists from five different arts and disability organizations in conversation with work made by selected artists at Creativity Explored. The resonance felt between these artists, working in disparate studios across the globe, is uncanny and inspiring. This show assembles a group of artists who emphasize drawing processes and repetitive mark making to create their work. A range of artwork is on view, though three distinct themes emerge: abstract works; figurative ink drawings; and, work comprised of poetic text and number systems.

The first group features artists with different approaches to abstraction. Simon McAuley from Project Ability in Glasgow, Scotland, explores how repetitive marks can create rich energetic textures. His work creates an interesting dialogue with Creativity Explored artist Hung Kei Shiu whose meditative ink on paper drawings form a lovely Morse code-like language.

John Colby from Gateway Arts in Brookline, Massachusetts, creates scratchy, abstract expressionist clouds that are similar to those of Thu Mai Tieu from Creativity Explored. The colored pencil on paper drawings of each artist are incredibly captivating in terms of intensity, depth, and their ability to reveal process and emotion.

Philippe Da Fonesca, a La Hesse artist from Vielsalm, Belgium, builds vigorous abstract compositions in stages, applying broad strokes of paint on white canvas and then adding gray and white washes, fine lines, and grids. His process intersects with Creativity Explored artist Pablo Calderon who also creates abstract paintings from concrete objects such as trucks and bicycles.

The next grouping of work involves artists working with text and numbers. Louis DeMarco from Project Onward in Chicago draws distinctive motivational-like sayings: “Never doubt the music inside you”, “You are unemptiable in all ways” on blue-sky backgrounds. The one-liners are not so different than work by popular Creativity Explored artist John Patrick McKenzie. One piece of his in Parallel Visions simply states “they are full of holy brilliant thoughts” in silver ink on black paper.

Yasmin Arshad from Gateway Arts has some things in common with Creativity Explored artists Daniel Green and John Patrick McKenzie. Each artist has their own system of categorizing words and numbers. Arshad is an architect of sorts, though her structured ink on paper drawings are built of text and numbers. Daniel Green also creates columns of numbers in many of his works, although his numbers are clearly dates (days of the week, months, days, years) and his materials are ink and wood. Melvin Way from HAI in New York, New York uses numbers in equation form. His pocket-sized works are made with blue and black pen on found paper, with the occasional scotch tape overlay. His two pieces in this exhibition, along with works by the above artists, will comprise a comprehensive, yet elusive survey of signs and symbols – sparking an interesting dialogue about numerical languages.

The last pairing involves compelling figurative ink drawings by Carol Lee from Project Ability and Kate Thompson from Creativity Explored. Lee draws intricate scenes of everyday urban life from memory – busy bars, shopping malls and bus stops. In Thompson's work, a dozen couples dance across one piece; a mob of men and women march across another. The drawings are charming and also a bit strange. Viewers will want to fill in the blanks and create their own tales.

“For the first time in our gallery, work by Creativity Explored artists will be seen as part of a larger context. We’re excited to share this extraordinary work from across the nation and beyond with Bay Area audiences,” says Amy Taub, Executive Director. As a whole, this exhibition is a survey of global contemporary trends in the arts and disability movement – through pairings and small clusters of work reveal intimate relationships and conjure their own fascinating dialogs. You won’t want to miss what this beautiful collection of work has to say.

Artists included in the exhibit:
Creativity Explored: Pablo Calderon · Daniel Green · John Patrick McKenzie · Hung Kei Shiu · Kate Thompson · Thu Mai Tieu · Marilyn Wong
Gateway Arts: Yasmin Arshad · John Colby · Roger Swike
HAI:  Melvin Way
La Hesse: Phillipe Da Fonseca · Joseph Lambert
Project Ability: Carol Lee · Simon McAuley
Project Onward:  Louis DeMarco · Adam Hines

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When
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 8, 2012, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Exhibition Dates and Times: March 8 through April 25, 2012; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm; Thursday 10:00 am to 7:00 pm; Saturday & Sunday 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Where
Creativity Explored Gallery, 3245 16th Street at Guerrero Street, San Francisco CA 94103 (Map)

Information
(415) 863-2108
www.creativityexplored.org

Cost
FREE

Creativity Explored is a nonprofit visual arts center where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit, and sell art.

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