December 19, 2003 - February 12, 2004
"This legion, which curbs the savage Scot and studies the designs marked with iron on the face of the dying Pict," are the written words of the Roman poet Claudian that give the only insight as to the name given by Rome to the untamed Britannic tribes living North of Hadrian's Walls and one of history's nearly forgotten Dark Ages people: The Picts.
Perhaps the greatest mystery of Scottish or even European history is the people who once inhabited the lands north of Roman England, as far north as the Shetlands. Who were these fiercely independent people? Where did the come from? Which language did they speak? What did they call themselves? We first hear of them in the third century from a Roman writer in Spain, who describes their fierceness and battle skills of both men and women. The writer Eumenius, writes about them 200 years after Rome has been in Britain, and the name associated with the Pict is forever coined. To this day, we do not know if this is truly as in "pictus" (the Latin for "painted") or a Latin form of a native name. Because of the isolation of northern Scotland, history yields little, and the Roman Empire's expeditions into the north ended in little gains.
"We, the most distant dwellers upon the earth, the last of the free, have been shielded...by our remoteness and by the obscurity which has shrouded our name...Beyond us lies no nation, nothing but waves and rocks"...The above words by the Pictish chief Calgacus are recorded by the Roman enemy in the words of Tacitus and are a perfect example of the obscurity and legendary status held by the Picts almost 2,000 years ago.
In "Pictish Nation," F. Lennox Campello once again marries his interest in history with art. Delivering two dozen charcoal drawings that interpret and deliver Campello's vision of how Pictish men and women, and their tattooed bodies, may have appeared, this show focuses on Campello's life long interest in Pictish studies. An amateur historian who has appeared on television programs as a recognized Pictish expert, Campello has studied Pictish culture and art since discovering them as a teenager and more directly since 1989, when he began visiting Scotland regularly (he moved and lived there for three years in 1990), and is currently finishing a book on Pictish history and art.Borrowing from the designs in the unique Pictish standing stones that dot the Scottish countryside, Campello recreates, for the first time in nearly 1200 years (The Picts ceased to exist as an independent people in 845 AD, when Kenneth MacAlpin, Scottish by father and Pictish by Mother, usurped the throne of the Picts and Scots and proceeded to erase all traces of Pictish culture from Scotland), the unique Pictish designs of animals, objects and imaginary beasts. See some of the drawings here.The Picts were the "original" people of Scotland before being wiped out from history by the Scots and Vikings in the 9th century. As Europe's only matrilineal society, they decorated their bodies with a diverse assortment of tattoos whose meanings have been lost to history. The artist is a recognized Pictish amateur historian. A reception for the artist was held on Friday, December 19 from 6-9 PM. Read the Washington Times review here and the Georgetowner review here.
"Pictish Man"
F. Lennox Campello
Charcoal Drawing on Watercolor Paper
15x41 inches matted and framed to 21x47
$2000
"Pictish Nation"
F. Lennox Campello
Charcoal Drawing on 300 weight Rising Board
7.5x14.5 inches matted and framed to 16x20
$500
February 20 - March 17
Representing two generations of Cuban women photographers, Marta Maria Perez Bravo, Elsa Mora and Cirenaica Moreira are considered to be among the leading Cuban photographers in the world. Perez Bravo and Mora both dwelling deep in the rituals of Santeria within their photography, while all three use their own bodies to explore many issues of society, sex and morality. A reception for the artists will be held on Friday, February 20 from 6-9 PM.
Although the works of these photographers have been the subject of numerous museum exhibitions worldwide -- including shows at the Los Angeles County Art Museum, Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City, Bronx Museum in New York, Museo del Barrio in New York, St. Louis Art Museum, Fridericianum Museum in Germany, Telhai Museum in Israel, Museum of the Americas in Denver, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Pori Art Museum in Finland, Cuevas Museum in Mexico City, Alejandro Otero Museum in Venezuela, Fries Museum in Holland, Photography Museum in Colombia, Camilo Gil Museum in Mexico, Daros Museum in Switzerland, Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art in New York, Mucsamock Museum in Budapest, Lima Art Museum in Peru and the Monterrey Metropolitan Museum in Mexico -- this exhibition, (with the exception of Elsa Mora) will be their first ever exhibition in Washington, DC.
Marta Maria Perez Bravo was born in Havana, Cuba in 1959 and studied at the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts from which she graduated in 1979. She then studied and received her postgraduate education at the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) also in Havana, from which she graduated in 1984. Her work has been exhibited worldwide, including in several international biennials and she has had more than one hundred solo and group shows in museums and galleries around the world. She is considered by many to be the leading Cuban photographer of her generation. Her photographs, which nearly always employ her body as the model, focus on the secret rituals, dualities, images and stories of the secret ìSanteriaî religion ! of Cubaís former slaves. She currently lives in Monterrey, Mex! ico, whe re she is on a teaching exchange program.
Cirenaica Moreira was born in Havana in 1969 and graduated from ISA in 1992. Formally trained as an actress, Moreira's work begins with a complex and intelligent tableau that she builds around the center character of her own image. Coupled with Cuban proverbs and sayings, they deliver sharp, intelligent criticism that touches many taboo subjects of Cuban society, such as sex, racism, emigration and freedom as they freeze a moment where the actress becomes the subject of the photograph. She currently lives in Havana, Cuba.
Elsa Mora was born in Holguin, Cuba in 1972, where she attended the Vocational School of Art and graduated in 1986. She then attended the Professional School of Visual Arts in Camaguey, Cuba, from where she graduated in 1990. Mora has exhibited her work worldwide and has been a visiting artist and visiting faculty to many American Universities and Schools, including The Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Institute of Boston. Her work often uses her own image to deliver cutting commentary on issues such as loss of freedoms and racism. For this exhibition Mora will show her most recent work, which was part of the collateral exhibition at the recent VIII Havana Biennial. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
"LLamando"(Calling)
Marta Maria Perez Bravo
Gelatin Silver Print - 20x16 inches
Signed and Numbered - $1500
"Macuto"(Talisman)
Marta Maria Perez Bravo
Gelatin Silver Print - 20x16 inches
Signed and Numbered - $1500
"Esta en sus manos"(It's in its hands)
Marta Maria Perez Bravo
Gelatin Silver Print - 20x16 inches
Signed and Numbered - $1500
"Mapa Facial"(Facial Map)
Elsa Mora
Archival Digital Color Print - 30x40 inches
Signed and Numbered
"Circulo Vicioso"(Vicious Circle)
Elsa Mora
Archival Digital Color Print - 30x40 inches
Signed and Numbered
"Consumir preferentemente ante de los 30 años de fabricacion"
(Consume Preferably Before 30 Years of Manufacture)
Cirenaica Moreira
Gelatin Silver Print - 19 x 15.5 inches
Signed and Numbered
"Una vez abierto el envase, conservese en frigorifico"
(Once opened, keep refrigerated)
Cirenaica Moreira
Gelatin Silver Print - 19 x 15.5 inches
Signed and Numbered
March 19 - April 14
The Fraser Gallery continues its commitment to dedicate its Georgetown space to allow young emerging artists plus artists who have never exhibited in Washington, to have an exhibition venue in the capital area, by introducing New England painter Julie Shelton Smith as she makes her Washington, DC debut with an opening on Friday, March 19 from 6-9 PM of her figurative paintings.
Julie Shelton Smith has exhibited, lectured, and taught in the New England area for the past three decades. She originates from Amarillo, Texas and received her BFA in painting from the University of Texas at Austin in 1969. She attended the Center of the Eye School of Photography in Aspen, Colorado in the early 70's before moving to the New England area where she now lives and works. In 1993, she received her MFA with honors from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Recent solo exhibitions of note include "Rebuilding The Body", in 2001 at the Newport Art Museum. Additionally, recent awards include partial funding for the "Rebuilding The Body" brochure from the National Endowment for the Humanities, RI affiliate and First Prize/Best in Show at the Newport Art Museum Juried Members Exhibition, 2000, and more. Her work is included in many public and private collections in the US.
"A Hand Some Pair/Pare"
Oil on Panel
60 x 48 inches
$3,500
"Figure Study No. 37"
Oil on Canvas
12 x 9 inches
$800
"Figure Study No. 31"
Oil on Canvas
12 x 9 inches
$800
April 16 - May 19
Considered by many to be Washington's most innovative young figurative sculptor, this will be Adam Bradley's third solo exhibition at the Fraser Gallery. His previous two exhibits generated high critical and collectors' attention. See more works by Bradley here. The new body of works advances the definition of contemporary figurative sculpture by adding a dimension of active participation to it. In "Sappho," the figure falls down the hill, and is reset via a hand crank; "Please" has two racks around her back that push in to her body and pull her around in a "hug." A reception for the artist was held on Friday, April 16 from 6-9 PM.
"Centerpiece" (Eve and The Snake)
Found Objects
Adam Bradley c. 2002
May 21 - June 16
Without a doubt one of the premier Cuban artists in the world, Sandra Ramos' work deals with racism, migration, freedom and many taboo subjects of Cuban society and has been collected by museums worldwide. This will be Ramos' gallery solo debut in the United States. Although her visa has been denied by the US Department of State, a welcoming reception for the artist in abstentia was held on Friday, May 21 from 6-9 PM and this show became the best-selling show by the gallery ever. See more work by Sandra Ramos here. You can read the Washington Post review here and then read the Washington Times review here and the Washington City Paper review here.
Ramos has written about this exhibition:
""Sea of sorrows" continues a very marked line on my work, related to migrations. This series emphasizes the thesis of the shipwreck as one of the most recurrent events in the life in the contemporary society, in any place of the world where the space among the dreams, aspirations and men's utopias become more and more distant illusions. Physical shipwreck, sentimental shipwreck. Economic shipwreck, political shipwreck.
Here I use again the pioneer girl character, (a sort of self-portrait: symbol of the innocence and the idealism,) locating her in marine and urban landscapes and in situations of a poetic subjectivity, where to escape seems to be her only objective.
In my work the sea has been a recurrent symbol because I try to respond the question of what we are, to define the Cuban being and capture the essence of our cultural and social history. In this search the sea becomes the natural element that by drawing the shape of the island, defines the personality of the creatures that inhabit it. The sea and the island form an inseparable unit that defines the history of the Cubans."
"Orilla II"
Digital Print circa 2004
19.5 x 23.5 inches (50 x 60 cm)
Edition of 20
$1800
"Botella Desnudo"
Oil on Canvas
18 x 21.5 inches (46 x 55 cm) circa 2004
$5,000
"Botella Isla"
Oil on Canvas
18 x 21.5 inches (46 x 55 cm)
circa 2004
$5,000
"La Maldita Circumstacia del Agua por Todas Partes"
(The Damned Circumstance of Being Surrounded by Water)
Sandra Ramos
1993 Mixed Media Print - 2nd Edition of 50 c.2003
Signed and Numbered
$3,000
"El Bote" (The Boat)
Calcography circa 1993 (Second Edition 2003)
22 x 27 inches (56 x 69 cm)
Edition of 50
$3,000
"El Fin de la Inocencia" (The End of Inocence)
Calcography circa 1993
22 x 27 inches (56 x 69 cm)
Edition of 20
$2,500
"Quizas Hasta Deba Partirme en Dos" (Perhaps I should split in two)
Calcography circa 1993
19.5 x 23.5 inches (50 x 60 cm)
Edition of 20
$2,000
June 18 - July 14
New paintings by New Hampshire painter Margaret McCann and New York's John Jacobsmeyer.
Jacobsmeyer studied at the Univ. of New Hampshire and the Yale School of Art. He has been a past National Endowment for the Arts award winner and has had two highly successful solo shows at the Fraser Gallery. He currently teaches at the New York Academy of Art in New York City and maintains a studio in Brooklyn.
McCann also studied at the Yale School of Art and Since 1980 she has taught at Washington University, Yale, University of New Hampshire, University of Pennsylvania, Suffolk University and Boston University. Margaret McCann lived in Rome for 8 years, where she taught at Rhode Island School of Design, Cornell, St. Mary's College / Notre Dame, Loyola University, Trinity College and the Tyler School of Art. This will be her Washington, DC debut.
A reception for the artists will be held on Friday, June 18 from 6-9 PM.
"Yeti"
John Jacobsmeyer
Oil on Canvas
"Frida on my Mind"
Margaret McCann
Oil on Canvas, 36" x 24"
"Ecco Fanciulla"
Margaret McCann
Oil on Canvas, 14" x 9"
"Sogno"
Margaret McCann
Oil on Canvas, 9" x 9"
"La Paesista Grande"
Margaret McCann
Oil on Canvas, 14" x 9"
July 16 - August 18
Our annual worldwide call for artists. With nearly $1500 in cash prizes as well as a solo show for the Best of Show winner and group show exhibition opportunities for all other award winners. This year's competition was juried and curated by Kristen Hileman, Asst. Curator for Contemporary Art at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Gardens. A reception for all the accepted artists and the announcement of the prizewinners will be held on Friday, July 16 from 6-9 PM.
Best in Show - Andrew Devlin
First Place - Lori Earley
Second Place - Matthew Klos
Third Place - Lany Devening
Honorable Mention - Ho Jin Kwak
Honorable Mention - Dan Randall
Honorable Mention - Benjamin Ferry
"Bloated"
Gouache
Jan Clough, Macomb, IL
Untitled by Roland Delcol, Knokke, Belgium
Sub-Micron Revisit by Deena des Rioux, New York, New York
Karl by Lany Devening, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
"Teal Lot"
Oil and Charcoal on Paper, 11 x 5 inches, $600
Andrew Devlin, Fairfax, Virginia
"Burke Winter"
Oil and Charcoal on Paper, 4 x 11 inches, $600
Andrew Devlin, Fairfax, Virginia
Safer No. 2 by Joan Dobkin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Safer No. 3 by Joan Dobkin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
"Commencement"
Oil on Board, 22 x 16 inches, $12,000
Lori Earley, Middletown, New Jersey
"Aryn"
Oil on Linen, 16 x 12 inches, $8,000
Lori Earley, Middletown, New Jersey
"Laurie"
Oil on Panel, 20 x 16 inches, $1,200
Bruce Erikson, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
"Solitaire"
Oil on Linen, 40 x 32 inches, $3,500
Ben Ferry, Glen Echo, Maryland
"West 9th Street"
Watercolor and Ink on Paper, 21 x 34 inches, $1,500
John Gregory, Mesa, Arizona
"White Female No. 9"
Mixed Media on Plastic, 8 x 10 inches, $800
Nadine Heller, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Black Male No. 5"
Mixed Media on Plastic, 8 x 10 inches, $800
Nadine Heller, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"Carrefour"
Acrylic on Board, 14 x 11 inches, $2,000
Shea Hembrey, Newport, Arkansas
"Blue Eyes"
Goauche and Ink on Paper, 24 x 19 inches, $650
Hedwige Jacobs, Arlington, Virginia
"Daylight Studio"
Oil on Panel, 36 x 29 inches, $3,800
Matt Klos, Severna Park, Maryland
"Gourmet with Gadgets"
Oil on Panel, 21 x 11 inches, $1,400
Matt Klos, Severna Park, Maryland
"Oyster, Egg and Wind"
Mixed Media on Paper, 30 x 22 inches, $2,000
Hojin Kwak, New Paltz, New York
"Wednesday's Pattern"
Mixed Media on Paper, $1,600
Phyllis Kohring-Fannin, Lakewood, Ohio
Exquisite Corpse by Arash Mokhtar, Alexandria, Virginia
Curious Cargo by Marilyn Murphy, Nashville, TN
"Dean's Profile"
Oil on Board, 12 x 12 inches, $500
Helen Payne, Washington, D.C
"Kneeling Figure"
Graphite
Garrett Rambler, Leesburg, Virginia
Airplane by Dan Randall, Washington, D.C
HOLLY FOSS AND CATRIONA FRASER: PHOTOGRAPHIC LANDSCAPES
August 20 - September 15, 2004
American landscapes by Washington, DC photographer Holly Foss and Scottish landscapes by British photographer Catriona Fraser. Of Fraser's work the Washington Review wrote that she "saturates the spaces she photographs with an unforgettably intense aura of the holy," while the Washington City Paper wrote that "Fraser's grainy technique gloriously captures subtleties." Holly Foss, a Washington native, records the American landscape in beautiful, intimate works, some of which are toned. After opening night, the gallery will be closed for summer vacation and will re-open on September 7, 2004. More work by Catriona Fraser can be seen online here and more work by Holly Foss can be seen online here.
Standing Stones No. III
Catriona Fraser
B&W Infrared Silver Gelatin Print
11x14 matted and framed to 16x20 inches
Lonesome Lea, West Virginia
Holly Foss
Sepia Silver Gelatin Print
11x14 matted and framed to 16x20 inches
September 17 - October 13
The Washington, DC solo debut of this acclaimed Bay area photographer with an opening eception as part of the Canal Square Galleries season openings this coming Friday from 6-9 PM, catered by the Sea Catch Restaurant. Shurley manipulates photography via a diverse variety of darkroom skills to create a fascinating series of photocollages that are blend of the unusual, the odd and the contemporary. His work is in the collection of several public institutions and museums including LACMA. Shurley has had six solo exhibitions at the John Pence Gallery in San Francisco and in 2003 was selected as the Best of Show winner at the Second Annual Bethesda International Photography Competition juried by Philip Brookman, Curator of Photography at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Opening reception was on Friday, Sept. 17 from 6-9 PM and the show was reviewed by Louis Jacobson in the Washington City Paper here.
"Tipping Towards Yang" by Hugh Shurley
Photo Collage - $3,200
"Lucky" by Hugh Shurley
Photo Collage - $3,200
"Crossing Guard" by Hugh Shurley
Photo Collage - $3,200
October 15 - November 17
The Washington, DC solo debut of this Bay area artist being recognized as one of the new young masters of contemporary figurative painting. Malone, who is originally from New York, moved to Washington, D.C. in the early 1990s to study at the Corcoran School of Art. One year at the Corcoran quickly grew to three, at which point Malone decided to pursue a graduate degree in figurative art at the San Francisco Academy of Art. Today, Malone is not only a respected Bay area artist but also a faculty member at the Academy of Art where he teaches anatomy and figure drawing. Opening reception Oct. 15 from 6-9 PM.
"Introspector"
Douglas Malone
Oil on Canvas - 36x30 inches
$3,600
"Confinement No. 6"
Douglas Malone
Oil on Canvas - 36x32 inches
$3,600
"Triad"
Douglas Malone
Oil on Canvas - 40x40 inches
$3,800
November 19 - December 15
Considered by many in Cuba to be the best of the new crop of young Cuban artists emerging after the blossoming of Cuban art in the 1990s, Garcia Marrero, who lives in Havana and not yet 30, has already had a sold out exhibition at her Los Angeles gallery and has placed her work in several important collections and museums worldwide. Opening reception was on Nov. 19 from 6-9 PM. See available works online here, and read the Washington City Paper review here.
Main Wall Installation of Head-Shaped Paintings on Wood
"Orden" (Order)
Aimee Garcia Marrero
140 x 200 cm (55 x 78.75 inches)
Oil on Canvas, c. 2004
Sold
"Conciencia" (Conscience)
Aimee Garcia Marrero
40 x 127 cm (15.75 x 50.75 inches)
Oil and Thread on Canvas, c. 2004
Sold
"Enigma"
Aimee Garcia Marrero
60 x 80 cm (24 x 32 inches)
Oil, Metal and Thread on Canvas, c. 2004
$3500
DECEMBER 2004 - F. LENNOX CAMPELLO
December 17 - January 19, 2005
New charcoal drawings by F. Lennox Campello. An opening reception was held on Friday, December 17 from 6pm - 9pm. See the exhibition online here.
"Lillith Birthing Demons"
Charcoal on Paper
8 x 20 inches
$500
"A Man to the Right"
Charcoal on Paper
6 x 9 inches framed to 16 x 20 inches
$300
"Salome"
Charcoal on Paper
13 x 9 inches framed to 20 x 16 inches
$500
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