MORE EXHIBITIONS / ART TALKS
TRANScendence: An Exhibition of Emerging, Contemporary Art by African American and Other Underrepresented Artists
Exhibition Dates: June 2 – September 17, 2016
Opening Reception: Thursday, June 2, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
THE GALLERY at Berkshire HathawayHomeServices Properties
695 Bloomfield Ave, Montclair, NJ 07042
"TRANScendence", is a group exhibition of works by artists Dwight Carter, Dominant Dansby, Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr., Stefanie Nagorka and Margaret Rose Vendryes. Curated by Roger C. Tucker III, Director, Tucker Contemporary Art, the exhibition showcases 10-15 works in various media, including painting, photography, prints, collage/assemblage and ceramics.
Consider the moment where circumstance presents opportunities. Consider the moment where form cooperates with substance. Consider the moment where boundaries are fluid. Consider the moment where the extraordinary is the rule. Consider this moment TRANScendence.
Dwight Carter's photographs take us on a fantastic international journey where Egypt serves as the backdrop for African-American dancers in classic ballet poses. Light plays with darkness as history interjects in this contemporary moment.
Dominant Dansby's jazz-influenced collage/assemblages, composed of layer-upon-layer of paper and his recycled drawings, displays the work of an artist attuned to the power of the small to transform into a macro vision of delicacy mixed with dynamic determination.
Bishop Donald Hilliard, Jr.'s work explores the world of deep emotional and spiritual connections that has guided his ministry to touch and transform lives in the United States, Africa, and Central America. An assortment of oils, acrylic and mixed media work, Donald's abstract expressionist style melds color, form and context.
Stefanie Nagorka's work makes tangible the intangible. Her clay wall reliefs are metaphors for the many and ever-evolving aspects of human feeling and consciousness. Each piece is meant to evoke feelings, thoughts and visceral impulses.
Margaret Rose Vendryes' work plays with place, performance and power. In Africa, masks (many depicting powerful female deities or ancestors) are worn almost exclusively by men. She gives dynamic female performers agency and protection replacing their psychological mask with a literal one.
These works lead us to question and consider our own assumptions about what it means to TRANScend.
Image: Margaret Rose Vendryes, "Kifwebe Jody, African Diva", 2013, 20 x 20 inches. Signed and numbered archival pigment print. $580
