DIVINE INFLUENCE:
PAST AND
PRESENT
Contemporary Abstract Art and Sacred Sculptural
Works
from the Merton D. Simpson Collection of African and Oceanic Tribal
Art
WILMER JENNINGS GALLERY at
Kenkeleba
219 East 2nd Street
(between Avenues B & C)
November 14 to December 31,
2010,
Opening Reception: Sunday,
November 14, 2010, 3 - 6
pm
Gallery Hours: Wednesday to
Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm and by appointment
New York,
NY November 1, 2010 --The Wilmer Jennings Gallery at Kenkeleba is pleased to present:
Divine
Influence: Past and Present, a spirited showcase of works by 10 contemporary abstract
artists, juxtaposed with works of African sculpture and reliquary figures
from the world famous Merton D. Simpson Collection of Tribal Art.
The featured
artists are: Jordan Betten, Stephan Fowlkes, Gregory Coates, Natalie Giugni,
Naury Joaquin, Charlotte Kâ, Larry Compton Kolawole, Merton
Simpson, Francine Tint and Agni Zotis. Curated by Juliette Pelletier, Director of the Merton D.
Simpson Gallery, and Corinne Jennings from the Wilmer Jennings Gallery,
each work of art was selected for its perceived influence or interpretation of
the ancestral or the spiritual realm.
In the contemporary works, whether through bold use of
materials or sweeping strokes of paint, the exhibition aims to ponder our
magical connection to the divine through the medium of art. In contrast, most
tribal sculptural works served a direct, divine purpose, and were not
necessarily intended as "works of art." Most were thought to be made for
ceremonial use, and as vessels for divining the wisdom and guidance of ancestral
spirits.
The exhibition
will feature a selection of rarely seen paintings by Merton Simpson.
This winter, Simpson will be honored by the William Halsey
Institute. In celebration, also included in the exhibition
will be William Halsey's 1986 mixed-media painting "Afterglow," a personal gift from Halsey to
his lifelong student and friend, that was recently rediscovered in the Simpson
Collection. Both artists created several spiritual works with
Mali hunting cloth, acquired from Simpson's travels in Africa.
For more about Merton Simpson, visit mertonsimpson.com.
to view an online
gallery of artists' work
Kenkeleba programs are made possible with funds from the New York State
Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative
communities in New York State's 62 counties; and supported, in part, by public
funds from the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership
with the City Council, and many generous friends.
