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Artscope Magazine | May/June 2021

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exhibit

RETURNING TO “BREATH”: ZARAH HUSSAIN PRESENTS MEDITATIVE ART FOR A WORLD IN CRISIS AT THE PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM

// Artscope Online, Exhibits, Visual Arts

by Hannah Carrigan

A healing show made for a troubled time, Zarah Hussain’s “Breath” offers an age-old request: to slow down, to breathe deeply, and to get in touch with who and where we are. The multi-media exhibition at Salem’s Peabody Essex Museum, and accompanying online content, could not be timelier. Global and local communities alike are mourning the insurmountable loss of life from COVID-19; the climate crisis is systemically and sporadically resulting in air pollution and wildfires which threaten our airways; and the last words of George Floyd (and so many others across generations and countries), “I can’t breathe,” have sounded an alarm in our collective minds. In the midst of it all, Hussain’s vibrant, concentric patterns resonate deeply with our most fundamental needs for health, healing and peace. Through subject matter, mediums and methods which match the moment and the movement with equal … [Read more...] about RETURNING TO “BREATH”: ZARAH HUSSAIN PRESENTS MEDITATIVE ART FOR A WORLD IN CRISIS AT THE PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM

Exhibition Review: Sand T Kalloch “Proliferating” at Bromfield Gallery

// Artscope Online, Exhibits, Visual Arts

by Bronwyn Grover

“Proliferating” welcomes guests into a world of never-ending growth. Created as an experiment back in the summer of 2017, “Proliferating” has grown into a full-fledged exhibition. It is a must-see in person, as the pieces are brought to life by the subtle detailing within each creation. Kalloch uses a layering process to capture fine detail by allowing acrylic paint to bubble between layers of epoxy resin. Though resin is typically a time-consuming material to work with, Kalloch finds the process to be almost meditative, stating: “It provides a balance of structure and chaos that is fulfilling to me. It demands self-discipline and satisfies a desire to continually  improve my workmanship and developing new ideas.” Each painting in the series appears to be continuously expanding and growing, with an almost uniform cohesion in the detailing. Though the photos had no moving elements, … [Read more...] about Exhibition Review: Sand T Kalloch “Proliferating” at Bromfield Gallery

BEST OF ONLINE SHOWS: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ARTISTS MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER’S “FLOATING DREAMS” STRIKES A CHORD

// Artscope Online, Exhibits, Visual Arts

by Hannah Carrigan

One of four current National Association of Women Artists Massachusetts Chapter (NAWA MA) online exhibitions, “Floating Dreams” is poignant and peaceful — a welcome invitation to reflect and an engaging collection of works. The show explores, in tandem, the realms of the subconscious mind and the physical, tactile world. Full of pieces that one might not immediately associate with its theme, “Floating Dreams” challenges viewers to stay present and inquisitive among each contributing artists’ work. And this seems to be exactly what “Floating Dreams” is about: leaving ample space for interpretation; implying the slightly fantastical or subtly surreal; and allowing us to access our inner dreams, constant within us though scarcely recognized. In viewing the exhibition as a whole, the inspirational force of the natural world becomes clear. A few works feature obvious representations of … [Read more...] about BEST OF ONLINE SHOWS: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ARTISTS MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER’S “FLOATING DREAMS” STRIKES A CHORD

Catherine Bertulli in Dressed at Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University

// Artscope Online, Exhibits, Visual Arts

by J. Fatima Martins

“Dressed,” featuring artists Catherine Bertulli, Jodi Collella, Merril Comeau, Mia Cross, Nancy Grace Horton, and Marky Kauffmann, at the Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University through December 29, is another must see exhibition created by curator Jessica Roscio Ploetz. From the curatorial statement, “Dressed broadly addresses materials, imagery, iconography and memory, each artist experimenting with the fluidity of form while acknowledging gendered constrictions placed on the body. To be “dressed” implies a range of situations and experiences. Dressed is about adornment and identity.” Beyond subject, what is important about this exhibition is that it hosts work that is material and process diverse grounded firmly in and exemplifying contemporary aesthetic trends that are influenced by and continue the blending of maximalist versus minimalist approaches. Beautiful … [Read more...] about Catherine Bertulli in Dressed at Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University

CAPSULE PREVIEWS: November/December 2019

// Current Issue, Exhibit Openings, November/December 2019, November/December 2019

by Brian Goslow

With work ranging from paintings, mixed-media and graphics and sculpture, digital art and photography, the Rockport Art Association & Museum’s Experimental Group holds its 12th group exhibition, “Unexpected No. Twelve,” from November 2 through 17 at the Rockport Art Association and Museum, 12 Main St., Rockport, Massachusetts. “The Experimental Group is a creative forum whose main mission is to increase public awareness and to foster self-expression by bringing artists together to explore and share ideas that cultivate creative freedom.” The exhibition is followed by the Rockport Art Association and Museum’s National Show 2019 which opens on November 23 and continues through January 1. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sunday from noon-5 p.m. Elegant landscapes and still life paintings, evocative portraits and painted nudes, beguiling drawings … [Read more...] about CAPSULE PREVIEWS: November/December 2019

AN EERIE FEELING OF FAMILIARITY: JONATHAN MONAGHAN’S FUTURISTIC VISION IN LOWELL

// Current Exhibits, Featured, November/December 2019, November/December 2019, Visual Arts

by Isabel Barbi

As 2020 approaches, many years since “we were supposed to have flying cars” have past. Popular stories in film and literature like “1984,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “Back to the Future Part II” take place in a future passed, leaving us laughing at the ridiculous technology that doesn’texist yet. But “The Running Man” and “Blade Runner” both take place in 2019 (the latter starts in November), but the planet isn’t like that either. This leaves us wondering what’s to come, since various predictions were proven incorrect by time. Enter a world unknown, and known, in “A Trace by the Future,” where 2019 meets an unnamed year, on view at UMass Lowell’s University Gallery through November 21. Washington, D.C.-based artist Jonathan Monaghan’s exhibition featuring recent work incorporates pastels and fluorescents, pop culture and technology in sculpture, video, print and … [Read more...] about AN EERIE FEELING OF FAMILIARITY: JONATHAN MONAGHAN’S FUTURISTIC VISION IN LOWELL