WORK IN PROGRESS”
December 2011, Reception: December 2, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Khaki Gallery Boston is pleased to present “Work In Progress,” an exhibition of works by six artists, including John Martino, Wally Gilbert and introducing four new artists: Farnaz Mobayyen, Ali Farhoodi, Jeff Ringdahl, and Christian Demare.
The title “Work In Progress,” is not only the subject of one of John Martino’s black and white photographs, but also describes the six featured artists’ most recent works in progress from a wide range of mediums, including color and black and white photography, painting and sculpture.
John Martino’s black and white photographs are in the tradition of “street photography.” As he says: “Photography for me is a means to transform the world, not to reproduce it. Although the subjects of my images consist largely of ‘chance moments’ and ‘found objects’ from the world outside, the photographs themselves are works of fiction. As such, their aim is not to document or confirm, but to suggest and entertain…” In contrast to Martino’s black and white photographs, Wally Gilbert’s four 18×27″ color photographs from his most recent work “Grass Series,” welcome the viewer with their strong and vibrant colors – which are consistent with the artist’s use of bold colors in creating intriguing abstract designs. As Gilbert explains about his work: “These images are studies in extreme color, based in the natural world. I seek an essence beyond the ordinary…”
In “Movement Heh,” Farnaz Mobayyen’s colorful and bold painting; the artist uses the letter “Heh” from the Persian alphabet, as the main element of her painting. As she describes: “In this series, the art of Persian calligraphy is not exploited rather I incorporate the alphabets in my paintings as pure abstraction, exploring their forms and shapes to create flow and movement throughout my work.” Complementing Mobayyen’s painting are a group of nine 15×10″ color photographs by Ali Farhoodi from his “Sublime Series.” Farhoodi captures pictures of objects and elements that are elusive, beautiful and real, but frequently go unnoticed in our fast-paced and visually cluttered environment. As he explains about his work: “These images are comprised of angles, forms and compositions that seem unreal, unfamiliar, and even exotic but always harmonious…”
Jeff Ringdahl’s sculptural works “The Bog Series,” is a colorful and provocative statement about life, death and the unseen energy that is the life force. In his words: “My work is an effort to explore expressions of ever evolving life force, that dynamic energy that cannot be created or destroyed, …A documentation of the stages of deterioration, of the physical form is profound and sometimes disturbing…” On a separate wall is a preview of the dark, lush, and mysterious photographic world of Christian Demare – in his eight 10×10″ photographs arranged in groups of four. According to Demare: “Stopping for a moment, seeing, trying to take the time to look at things humbly; between contemplation and meditation. Trying to offer a view of the immensity of things,..This reality that contains all the tragic and the magic. All the light and the incredible hope. The torn hearts and the dazzling nature…My art is figurative even if sometimes the subject disappears; my art is narrative even if the stories are fragmentary. The images are nothing other than furtive traces and testimonies; a few clues left here and there…”
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