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New Exhibitions: Aguado, Reimold, Thomas, Henry, Dann , by Haven Gallery on Jul 2, 2022 21:09:06 GMT 1, J. Henry, “Sine Metu" July 16th - August 14th, 2022 Haven Gallery is honored to present New York based artist J. Henry for her first solo exhibition, entitled “Sine Metu” at the gallery. “Sine Metu” is a collection of fifteen oil paintings that chronicle the adventures and tales of knights, fairies, putti and other mythological beings in the artists masterly trompe l'eoil style (trick of the eye). The title “Sine Metu” is gaelic for “without fear”, and embraces the tribulations our legendary protagonists embark on while they mingle with death, traverse tumultuous seas and battle fabled foes. With an emphasis on dualities, Henry focuses on themes of life and death, beauty and the grotesque, good and evil and other competing motifs ultimately creating harmoniously balanced compositions. Each scene represents micro events and details, executed with precision and potency, highlighting personal challenges and triumphs. Although small in scale and lush in detail, the impact of these stories and their subsequent lessons transcends the minutiae and commands universal reach. Upon closer inspection, one may discover each composition represents a window into miniature worlds full of botanical detail, relief architecture, sculpted forms of the grotesque and faux marble textures. Henry’s technique and narratives are historical and traditional - she finds inspiration from significant works of art, european architecture, fairytales and epic sagas of the past. It is through her use of academic painting and themes revisited that she refreshes these timeless tales into contemporary contexts while challenging old ideals and ultimately providing a modern lens revisiting these universal motifs and tenets.
Allison Remold, “One Need Not be a House to be Haunted" July 16th - August 14th, 2022 Haven Gallery is honored to present Los Angeles based artist Allison Reimold for her first solo exhibition, entitled "One Need Not be a House to be Haunted” at the gallery. "One Need Not be a House to be Haunted" features nine paintings and three drawings that examine the many layers of the human condition through the lens of old master works and transfigured through the artist’s eye-catching use of color, light and surrealistic play on astral navigation. Laws of science pay no mind as luminosity, viscera, history and the metaphysical all coalesce in Reimold’s vivid compositions. Life is painted in layers of emotion and transcends space and time. The past is suggested through historical art references and ghostly phenomenons. The artists mostly autobiographical sitters remain in the corporeal present while what is to come finds itself expressed through the overall narrative. By means of surrealistic tendencies, planes of existence commingle and co-exist, bringing our thoughts, emotions and experiences to the surface. Life and happiness are held up by the buttresses of death and sorrow. These dualities of being are always with us and it is through the acknowledgment of the darkness that we shine the brightest. Artist Statement This show explores fantasies of a divided self: beautiful bodies who persist at the boundary between good and evil, light and dark, the earthly and ethereal worlds. Inspired by the female subjects of medieval art, the Flemish primitives, Biblical narrative, and modern literature, every figure finds herself in some state of opposition--- a woman who is as she is painted, but who also plays host to her own creaturely others. Each will conquer and cradle, suffer and embrace, these externalized phantoms of her innermost conflicts. They give form to the poet Emily Dickinson’s adage that “one need not need a chamber/to be haunted.” These are the ghosts of the self behind the self.
Jesús Aguado "Dragons, Rabbits and Worms" July 16th - August 14th, 2022 Haven Gallery is honored to present, “Dragons, Rabbits and Worms”, a solo exhibition of eight new paintings by Spanish artist Jesús Aguado. “Dragons, Rabbits and Worms” is Aguado’s fourth exhibition at the gallery and will feature surrealistic portraits of chimeric beings as they pose and meander amidst their phantasmagoric worlds. Dragons, rabbits and worms are prominent in Aguado’s past works and play a dominant role in this series. Their representation of ferocity, cuteness and the grotesque are intermingled and exchanged, all the while twisting his narratives and creating a playful scene reminiscent of The Silent Age of animation depicted in historically inspired technique. His characters embody peculiarities that both woo, confound and delight his viewers and embrace motifs of the unconscious mind. ABOUT THE ARTIST Jesus Aguado graduated in Fine Arts and started working for different publishing companies. Several years have already passed and what encourages him most to go ahead is the constant search of new styles and ways of expression through drawing. Keen on comic, he’s already been awarded in several competitions (Elgoibar, Tomelloso, Portugalete, Salamanca). His illustrations are recognized by many schoolchildren because they appear in a lot of textbooks. Among other publishing companies, he collaborates with Anaya, Edelvives, Santillana, Siruela, Vicens Vives, Baula, Bruño, Casals, Kumon, Grimm Press (Taiwan) He has also worked for Junta de Castilla y León and Ser Padres Hoy magazine.
Haven Gallery is pleased to present, “Reflections and Dreams”, a solo exhibition of new sculptures by UK based artist Zoe Thomas. “New Works” is Thomas’s second solo show at the gallery and features nine clay sculpted dolls that surrealistically merge the world of humans with the animal kingdom. Serenely painted faces are embraced by wings, an owl mask or an entire animal ensemble. Humanity peacefully co-exists with animals in the souls of her dolls as they exude a sense of tranquility and peace. A reminder of our natural roots and the undoubted connection of all living things. ARTIST STATEMENT I was lucky to be brought up in a creative family, who always encouraged my creativity and taught me a wide range of crafts, from around the age of 10, I had a clear idea that I wanted to be an artist when i grew up. After graduating with a degree in illustration, I quickly realised that working to someone else’s brief wasn’t for me and so I joined an arts collective, rented a studio and taught myself to paint. My paintings at that time, were semi auto biographical, but rather than include my own image in the works, I created puppets and dolls to photograph and they became my vehicle of self expression. I exhibited for a number of years until taking a break to start a family and dedicating my time to bringing up my children. I continued to make dolls and over the years, my process and style developed. More often now, I work with clay, paper, textiles and paint to create art dolls as well as sculptural wall art. I love the variation that working with so many materials allows. I approach my work in a playful, intuitive way, often without a clear finished piece in mind. I might start with a theme, an experience or emotion, always making the face first, then sculpting and discovering each piece in the process. I hand paint each piece with oil paint and enjoy this final step, when they seemingly take on a life of their own. The faces of my dolls have a quiet, pensive expression, gazing out at the viewer. They have been described as whimsical, emotive and melancholic. I like to think of them as characters from untold stories, echoing the dreamlike worlds and dark forests of the fairy tales that I loved to read as a child. I often include symbols, thematic and anthropomorphic elements in my pieces, to help create an ambiguous narrative, inviting the viewer to create their own meaning. I am inspired by folklore, mythology and our inherited symbolic language of the unconscious. I hope to evoke this world of mystery, wonder and fear, as well as to convey a disquieting yearning to reconnect with it. I live in Cambridge UK, and work from home, in a small studio at the bottom of my garden. Over the past two years, I have been able to spend much more time creating my art, and am excited to see how my work evolves in the future.
J. Henry, “Sine Metu" July 16th - August 14th, 2022 Haven Gallery is honored to present New York based artist J. Henry for her first solo exhibition, entitled “Sine Metu” at the gallery. “Sine Metu” is a collection of fifteen oil paintings that chronicle the adventures and tales of knights, fairies, putti and other mythological beings in the artists masterly trompe l'eoil style (trick of the eye). The title “Sine Metu” is gaelic for “without fear”, and embraces the tribulations our legendary protagonists embark on while they mingle with death, traverse tumultuous seas and battle fabled foes. With an emphasis on dualities, Henry focuses on themes of life and death, beauty and the grotesque, good and evil and other competing motifs ultimately creating harmoniously balanced compositions. Each scene represents micro events and details, executed with precision and potency, highlighting personal challenges and triumphs. Although small in scale and lush in detail, the impact of these stories and their subsequent lessons transcends the minutiae and commands universal reach. Upon closer inspection, one may discover each composition represents a window into miniature worlds full of botanical detail, relief architecture, sculpted forms of the grotesque and faux marble textures. Henry’s technique and narratives are historical and traditional - she finds inspiration from significant works of art, european architecture, fairytales and epic sagas of the past. It is through her use of academic painting and themes revisited that she refreshes these timeless tales into contemporary contexts while challenging old ideals and ultimately providing a modern lens revisiting these universal motifs and tenets.
Allison Remold, “One Need Not be a House to be Haunted" July 16th - August 14th, 2022 Haven Gallery is honored to present Los Angeles based artist Allison Reimold for her first solo exhibition, entitled "One Need Not be a House to be Haunted” at the gallery. "One Need Not be a House to be Haunted" features nine paintings and three drawings that examine the many layers of the human condition through the lens of old master works and transfigured through the artist’s eye-catching use of color, light and surrealistic play on astral navigation. Laws of science pay no mind as luminosity, viscera, history and the metaphysical all coalesce in Reimold’s vivid compositions. Life is painted in layers of emotion and transcends space and time. The past is suggested through historical art references and ghostly phenomenons. The artists mostly autobiographical sitters remain in the corporeal present while what is to come finds itself expressed through the overall narrative. By means of surrealistic tendencies, planes of existence commingle and co-exist, bringing our thoughts, emotions and experiences to the surface. Life and happiness are held up by the buttresses of death and sorrow. These dualities of being are always with us and it is through the acknowledgment of the darkness that we shine the brightest. Artist Statement This show explores fantasies of a divided self: beautiful bodies who persist at the boundary between good and evil, light and dark, the earthly and ethereal worlds. Inspired by the female subjects of medieval art, the Flemish primitives, Biblical narrative, and modern literature, every figure finds herself in some state of opposition--- a woman who is as she is painted, but who also plays host to her own creaturely others. Each will conquer and cradle, suffer and embrace, these externalized phantoms of her innermost conflicts. They give form to the poet Emily Dickinson’s adage that “one need not need a chamber/to be haunted.” These are the ghosts of the self behind the self.
Jesús Aguado "Dragons, Rabbits and Worms" July 16th - August 14th, 2022 Haven Gallery is honored to present, “Dragons, Rabbits and Worms”, a solo exhibition of eight new paintings by Spanish artist Jesús Aguado. “Dragons, Rabbits and Worms” is Aguado’s fourth exhibition at the gallery and will feature surrealistic portraits of chimeric beings as they pose and meander amidst their phantasmagoric worlds. Dragons, rabbits and worms are prominent in Aguado’s past works and play a dominant role in this series. Their representation of ferocity, cuteness and the grotesque are intermingled and exchanged, all the while twisting his narratives and creating a playful scene reminiscent of The Silent Age of animation depicted in historically inspired technique. His characters embody peculiarities that both woo, confound and delight his viewers and embrace motifs of the unconscious mind. ABOUT THE ARTIST Jesus Aguado graduated in Fine Arts and started working for different publishing companies. Several years have already passed and what encourages him most to go ahead is the constant search of new styles and ways of expression through drawing. Keen on comic, he’s already been awarded in several competitions (Elgoibar, Tomelloso, Portugalete, Salamanca). His illustrations are recognized by many schoolchildren because they appear in a lot of textbooks. Among other publishing companies, he collaborates with Anaya, Edelvives, Santillana, Siruela, Vicens Vives, Baula, Bruño, Casals, Kumon, Grimm Press (Taiwan) He has also worked for Junta de Castilla y León and Ser Padres Hoy magazine.
Haven Gallery is pleased to present, “Reflections and Dreams”, a solo exhibition of new sculptures by UK based artist Zoe Thomas. “New Works” is Thomas’s second solo show at the gallery and features nine clay sculpted dolls that surrealistically merge the world of humans with the animal kingdom. Serenely painted faces are embraced by wings, an owl mask or an entire animal ensemble. Humanity peacefully co-exists with animals in the souls of her dolls as they exude a sense of tranquility and peace. A reminder of our natural roots and the undoubted connection of all living things. ARTIST STATEMENT I was lucky to be brought up in a creative family, who always encouraged my creativity and taught me a wide range of crafts, from around the age of 10, I had a clear idea that I wanted to be an artist when i grew up. After graduating with a degree in illustration, I quickly realised that working to someone else’s brief wasn’t for me and so I joined an arts collective, rented a studio and taught myself to paint. My paintings at that time, were semi auto biographical, but rather than include my own image in the works, I created puppets and dolls to photograph and they became my vehicle of self expression. I exhibited for a number of years until taking a break to start a family and dedicating my time to bringing up my children. I continued to make dolls and over the years, my process and style developed. More often now, I work with clay, paper, textiles and paint to create art dolls as well as sculptural wall art. I love the variation that working with so many materials allows. I approach my work in a playful, intuitive way, often without a clear finished piece in mind. I might start with a theme, an experience or emotion, always making the face first, then sculpting and discovering each piece in the process. I hand paint each piece with oil paint and enjoy this final step, when they seemingly take on a life of their own. The faces of my dolls have a quiet, pensive expression, gazing out at the viewer. They have been described as whimsical, emotive and melancholic. I like to think of them as characters from untold stories, echoing the dreamlike worlds and dark forests of the fairy tales that I loved to read as a child. I often include symbols, thematic and anthropomorphic elements in my pieces, to help create an ambiguous narrative, inviting the viewer to create their own meaning. I am inspired by folklore, mythology and our inherited symbolic language of the unconscious. I hope to evoke this world of mystery, wonder and fear, as well as to convey a disquieting yearning to reconnect with it. I live in Cambridge UK, and work from home, in a small studio at the bottom of my garden. Over the past two years, I have been able to spend much more time creating my art, and am excited to see how my work evolves in the future.
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