Date/Time
Date - December 13, 2018
6:00 pm until 8:00 pm
Location
Flinn Gallery at the Greenwich Library
101 West Putnam Avenue
Greenwich, Connecticut, 06830
Left to right: Amy Talluto, Half-Gauze and Green (detail), 2017, oil on canvas; Elena Lyakir, Hypnos (detail) 2014, archival inkjet print; Rebecca Hutchinson, Four Square Lavender with Green (detail), 2015, fired and unfired porcelain paper clay, handmade paper, organic material. Images courtesy of Flinn Gallery
Members and guests are invited to join me at the opening reception for a special exhibition: Forces of Nature at Flinn Gallery. As many of you know, I have been an active volunteer with this gallery for a couple of years, this will be my first time as co-curator of one of their exhibitions. Co-Curator Claudia Schipper and I have been working on this for several months, and throughout we have admired the work of the three artists: Amy Talluto, Elena Lyakir and Rebecca Hutchinson.
There will be a few opportunities to see the show while Claudia and I will be there: for the opening reception, Art Lounge before the Greenwich Library Friends Friday Film, and both artist talks in January (Amy Talluto and Elena Lyakir) dates and times are below. I hope you will be able to stop in for one or more of these events – they’re all free of charge and do not require reservations, RSVPs are welcome! If there is another time that works better for you to stop by, if you contact me I’ll see if I can arrange to meet you there.
FORCES OF NATURE
December 13 – January 23, 2018
From the website: flinngallery.com
The beauty and wonder of nature provides endless visual influences and opens infinite possibilities for art making. Experiences with the natural world can evoke memories, enhance the meaning of imagery and inspire the creative process. Artists Rebecca Hutchinson, Elena Lyakir and Amy Talluto guide us through their visions in Forces of Nature.
The exhibition is curated by Laura Schroeder and Claudia Schipper.
Rebecca Hutchinson’s site-specific botanical compositions have been influenced by ecosystem dynamics and environmental concerns. Rebecca states “In nature there are diverse states of existence; the structure of nature, interactions between forces of nature, the resilience and the complexity of engineering in nature.” Large wall sculptures, made from porcelain paper clay, paper pulp, recycled and organic materials, pulp paintings in watercolor hues, and linoleum cut prints of flowers are part of this exhibition. She received her MFA from the University of Georgia, Athens and her BFA from Berea College. She has exhibited her work extensively in the US and abroad, and images of her work have appeared in numerous publications. Rebecca was recently included in Organic Matters, the fourth installment in National Museum of Women in the Arts Women to Watch exhibition series, which explored the relationships between women, nature, and art.
Raised in communist Ukraine, Elena Lyakir developed a passion for photography as a young child. In 1990 she immigrated to the U.S. with her family, seeking political asylum. “I see nature as the first and most fundamental source of essence and myth and I am inspired by both its beauty and nourishment, as well as its unpredictability and fierceness …. The emotional ramifications of my own displacement and diaspora relate to how I feel towards nature”. The exhibition includes several pieces from three of her photography series: Aves with birds as symbols of freedom and migration, The Olive Tree Chronicles which portrays ancient olive trees, photographed on a visit to the Mediterranean coast, and Locus of Memory, a series of in-camera double exposed images of landscapes. Elena has exhibited in galleries and art fairs in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Berlin, Paris, Lille, Sydney, and Istanbul.
In her oil paintings and drawings Amy Talluto works exclusively with landscape imagery. Her paintings depict lush, dense, deep woods that seem filtered through emerald glass, and are dark and magical other-worldly landscapes. Her drawings show trees of unusual shapes or in personified forms. “I seek out natural subjects that emanate a strong unique feeling. I discover these moments in forests as I’m walking or, on the side of the road, as I’m driving”. Amy received a BFA from Washington University, St. Louis and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York. She has exhibited her work across the U.S., and was awarded a 2018 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Painting from The New York Foundation for the Arts.
EVENTS
Thursday, December 13, 6 – 8 pm – Opening Reception for Forces of Nature
Friday, December 14, 6 – 7:45 pm – Art Lounge: Extended Gallery Hours prior to Friends Friday Film, Maudie
Sunday, January 6, 2 pm – Artist Talk with Amy Talluto
Sunday, January 20, 2 pm – Artist Talk with Elena Lyakir
Flinn Gallery, Greenwich Library, 101 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT