Août Gallery is pleased to present the newest body of works featuring ten international artists who, even though they vary in their compositional rhythm, ultimately establish a connection through confiding in the intrinsic genuineness of their own work. From 6th October till XXth November, paintings of Imon Boy, Sally Kindberg, Celio Koko, Victoria V Nunley, Attilio Esposito, Mariah Ferrari, Drew Englander, Nina Park, Miguel Scheroff, and Charles Shedden aka OWVBICS will be on display.
As we are collectively exposed to identical ideas in everyday life, genuineness is an exceptional trait. Regardless, the artists in this exhibit can come up with novel ideas stemming from imagination, memories, or even reinventing the status quo. By reflecting the genuine self, barriers are dropped to access the core. Slices of oneself, stripped down to the au naturel (Esposito & Ferrari), are essentially set in stone (or rather canvas) and are exposed to the audience. Conveying messages, may they be cathartic (Koko) or sincere (Boy) in nature, these immutable works reveal the inner selves.
“Virtue and genuine graces in themselves speak what no words can utter.” — William Shakespeare.
Aligning with the perspective of Shakespeare, each one of the artists triumphs in transitioning thoughts into delicate brushstrokes. Showing honesty without additional elements (Park), as well as mundane objects all dolled up, conceivably losing the verisimilitude, nevertheless having a more powerful feeling of conviction in representing oneself (Kindberg), the genuineness is expressed uniquely by all.
As the earth is dominated by rhythm, from the big bang to the present, rhythm is the basal pulse that animates nature, poetry, music, and as seen here: art. Adhering to these cadences can be the difference between life and death. On a smaller scale, we attempt to stick to the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm of the artist fluxes as a sine wave, more potent at times but leisured by internal and external affairs during periods.
However, such epochs are crucial in the journey of discovering the unfeigned self to compromise on novel creations. At times of adversity, creating prospective conditions in a mischievous way to deal with weighty matters (Nunley), or objects morphed into each other inside deserted rooms as a sense of security (Englander), thoughts are put to rest. Moving with the flow while distorting reality (Shedden) or pushing against the grain and challenging the obligations imposed by society (Scheroff), patterns are scoured through different lenses.
“Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.” ― Maya Angelou.
Achieving the fusion of genuine and rhythm, the exhibition reoccurring distinctive facets of the artists invigoratingly navigate the title in their own way, reminding us of the importance of an unpretentious self. While the end goal is continuously sought after, it was the process we were yearning for: a dance between brush and paint.
— Asim Muhammad
About the artists
Imon Boy is a Spanish artist focussing on comically displaying self-referential memories and thoughts, accentuating vivid colours and refined finishings. Although his roots are in the street graffiti culture, the Malaga-born artist does not associate himself with the rules and rivalry belonging to those. Comparing his canvases to pages in his journal, Boy concatenates the worlds of graffiti and fine art with his touch on pop culture.
Sally Kindberg is a Swedish-born artist who highlights the overlooked, portrayed in a glamorous atmosphere. Taking photographic references, her fantasy and advertisement as a starting point, Kindberg subsequently relinquishes control to the creative process, orchestrating itself and finally becoming its own entity.
Celio Koko is a Belgium-Lebanese artist liberating surging feelings onto canvas. Living by the contemporary saying ‘Art has no rules’, the Dubai-based artist can submerge viewers with immense emotion, leaving them in awe concerning how the painting came about. The unmatched liveliness can be felt through the works, as Koko shatters any borders laid down before him.
Victoria V Nunley is a New Jersey-based artist utilizing the procedure of painting as a tool to process real-life events and set about on an internal emotional journey, illustrated whimsically. The protagonist, depicting herself, encounters circumstances to overcome or simply accept. Often solely focussing on the protagonist and an attribute, Nunley maintains a densely packed timeframe, which continues its narrative in one’s mind.
Attilio Esposito is an Italian artist who orchestrates an intrinsic play between light, colour, and movement. By the use of plasticine, Esposito sculpts rudimentary forms which are transferred to canvas. Each of these creations can be seen as pieces of expression of the artist, attributing to the metaphysical interplay.
Mariah Ferrari is a Milwaukee-based artist unraveling the sensory experiences in the body, which we otherwise never take the time to consider. Traversing the understanding of touch and its relation to colour, Ferrari transforms the impalpable into the palpable of arms and legs, with water droplets delicately dominating the works.
Drew Englander is a Ventura-born artist rendering domestic spaces displaying distorted, everyday objects on the skirt of reality. With isolated rooms pulsating a sense of security, the Brooklyn-based forms buoyant sceneries to establish a strange familiarity, but as a getaway from the dynamic metropolis of New York.
Nina Park is a South-Korean artist who expresses her view on everyday life in a charming way. Fueled by the monotonous routine of her days, simplicity is a vital factor in her work. Park is inspired by the changing of seasons, together with the outfits of people on the streets, to come up with sincere illustrations accompanied by an animal companion.
Miguel Scheroff is a Spanish artist exploring the concerns, thoughts and ways of understanding the world of the last generations. Containing elements of himself, the paintings are an aggregated imagination of pop cultural references. Pop culture awakened the creator inside Scheroff, who attributes the inspiration to video games and anime aesthetics.
Charles Shedden, aka OWVBICS, is a Brooklyn-based artist who renders his creations in various media and styles. Meeting challenges head-on, the renaissance man examines everything from highly calculated works to assembled illusions and unreal female figures. Slightly aiding the viewer in the right way, Shedden leaves the rest determined by the audience.