“The Shape of Birds” takes the theme of displacement, remembrance and adaption from Nizar Qabbani’s poem “A Lesson in Drawing” which begins with “My son placed a paint box in front of me / and asked me to draw a bird for him. / Into the color gray I dip the brush / and draw a square with locks and bars. / Astonishment fills his eyes: / ‘...But this is a prison, Father. Don’t you know, how to draw a bird?’ / And I tell him: ‘Son, forgive me. / I’ve forgotten the shapes of birds.’” The artists in “The Shape of Birds” are from nine countries in the Middle East and North Africa: Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Azerbaijan. Some continue to live in their countries of origin, while others have immigrated to adopted homelands of Europe or the United States. The exhibition is arranged in three galleries: the large Ilgenfritz Gallery and its Corridor, the … [Read more...] about The Shape of Birds: Bridging the Cultural Divide Through Art
J. Fatima Martins
Hot Chicks at Silver Circle
Bigger is Better by J. Fatima Martins With cheeky intelligence, witty bravado, and a balance of innocence and sensuality, Silver Circle Art Center presents “Big Chicks,” a collaborative exhibition — featuring the contemporary traditionalist painter Alecia Underhill and the expressive and diverse sculptor, painter and illustrator Jean-Paul Jacquet — that addresses the contentious meaning of the word “chick.” In a preview of the show, Silver Circle noted, “After all, some people like chickens, some people like chicks.” Jacquet, who is a highly respected visual arts instructor at the prestigious Pomfret School in Pomfret, Conn. and one of the most intriguing visual artists working in New England today, is showing large-scale paper and fiberglass sculptures, some created specifically for “Big Chicks,” of highly stylized, voluptuous nude women (and one man) that are … [Read more...] about Hot Chicks at Silver Circle
South County Invitational
Showcasing Connections and Contrasts by J. Fatima Martins Sumo wrestling. It’s a sport. It’s a performance. And it’s art, explored in a three-part — photograph, video and sculpture relief painting — installation by Jocelyn Foye in “The South County Invitational.”. In “Sumo Wrestling Performance,Torrance Art Museum, CA” Foye uses sumo as source material to dialogue about the power of the body. The work is a documention and reinterpretation of an actual event, showing and exploring the movement, power and structure of human anatomy and how it affects and alters the surrounding environment as well as the material objects and other human bodies it touches. Foye’s installation is one of the most conceptually and materially interesting works included in an exhibition featuring over 35 works by 23 artists. They are: Kevin Gilmore, Nina Briggs, Jon Campbell, Chris Sancomb, … [Read more...] about South County Invitational