Simon Gunning: The River and the City
Installation views of Simon Gunning: The River and the City | October 2015 Exhibition at Arthur Roger Gallery
Press Releases
David Leventi: Operas and Prisons
In his second exhibition with the gallery, photographer David Leventi presents his images of the interiors of world-famous opera houses juxtaposed with images of the interiors of the last remaining domed prisons. Together, they are a study in contrasts – the lavish social theaters versus stark dwellings of incarceration and deprivation.
Simon Gunning: The River and the City
This exhibition, the artist’s fourth with the gallery, includes recent works on canvas and paper. The intricate compositions of the medium- to large-scale paintings reveal familiar scenes – ships lined up in the winding Mississippi river with its lush green borders flecked with buildings; industrial cargo lifts and cranes dotted with spotlights reflecting in the placid water; dogs and cats frolicking in streets lined with shotgun homes and jutting stoops; vendors selling fresh produce from over-filled trucks.
Bruce Davenport, Jr. – The Dapper Bruce Lafitte Introduces: Draw Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee
Bruce Davenport, Jr. – The Dapper Bruce Lafitte Introduces: Draw Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee| August 2015 Exhibition at Arthur Roger@434
Gordon Parks: Ali
Whitfield Lovell: First Impressions
Willie Birch – Seen and Unseen: Coupling
Bruce Davenport, Jr. – The Dapper Bruce Lafitte Introduces: Draw Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee
This is Bruce Davenport, Jr.’s second exhibition with the gallery. The four large-scale works are tributes to renowned heavyweight boxer champion Muhammad Ali. Each vivid color marker drawing, rendered in the artist’s celebrated style, is a variation of a common composition – an aerial view of a boxing match. Featured in the ring are the referee, Ali, and his opponent – Floyd Patterson, George Foreman, “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier among others. Surrounding the ring are meticulously rendered rows with throngs of spectators. Bordering this narrative are snapshots of Ali in action, along with memorable quotes such as, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” and “Your hands can’t hit what your eyes can’t see.”
Willie Birch – Seen and Unseen: Coupling
Willie Birch has always been a storyteller, sharing with us his observations of everyday objects and imagery that have had a direct impact on him, and subtly extracting the patterns and symbology inherent within. Recently, the artist has begun to specifically examine the interconnections between the examined elements and how, when coupled together, the initial meanings expand and create yet another layer – a language both seen and unseen. Birch explores the uses of spacing, repetition, geometry, and proportion to communicate how our unique modes of expression as a people identify us as individuals and as a community.
Whitfield Lovell: First Impressions
Whitfield Lovell: First Impressions is the artist’s third exhibition with the gallery. Included are the celebrated, bold assemblages of charcoal drawings on vintage wood paired with multivalent objects collectively illuminating the African American experience. Also exhibited, for the first time, are the artist’s lithograph prints – exquisitely detailed visages on wood veneer, vellum and vintage wallpaper flecked with floral and decorative patterns.