Out of the Shadows Lecture with Winston Kennedy

“The Hunted Slave in the Dismal Swamp”, 1865. Engraving by C.G. Lewis after an 1861 painting by Richard Andsell (1815-1885). From the moorland Spingam Research Center at Howard University, Washington, D.C.

This Saturday, June 2, from 2-5pm, Redux will host an illustrated lecture by esteemed professor, artist and art historian, Winston Kennedy entitled, Out of the Shadows: African American Male Imagery in Fine Art and Popular Prints. This lecture will focus on a number of artists from 1770-1946 who were instrumental in shaping the identity of the African-American male in history through figurative and representational printmaking. Artists to be mentioned include Paul Revere, Scipio Moorhead, James Wells and Meyer Wolf.

During this event, Kennedy will investigate the manipulation of truth/fact in relaying information while simultaneous pushing political agendas. It will begin with Paul Revere, master printmaker, at the start of the American Revolution and bridge to modern times. This lecture will facilitate a discussion on how these prints’ visual omissions collectively create cultural views and values that impact our modern society’s view on race, and on how similar methods are used today in the media to trend stories. 

The Redux Contemporary Art Center is located at 136 St. Philip Street, Charleston, SC 29402.  Admission for this event is $15 for members and $20 for non-members. For more information, please call Janie Askew, Executive Director, at 843-722-0697 or visit our website.  

Redux Artist Kirsten Moran: “Unearthed”

Untitled, by Kirsten Moran 30×30″, oil painting

Redux Studio Artist, Kirstan Moran‘s new solo exhibition, Unearthed will have an opening reception tonight at the Flagship Gallery, 475 East Bay Street from 5- 8pm. The exhibition will run through July 30, 2012. Kirsten was recently featured in the Art Mag and you can read her lovely profile here.

“Untitled, Artifact 5″, by Kirsten Moran, 20×16″, Oil painting

For more information please contact studio@kirstenmoran.com or call the Flagship Gallery at 843-724-3773.

Hackenwerth’s Tempest Opens Tonight at Redux

Artist Jason Hackenwerth will give an artist lecture at 7pm tonight. Photo by Sean Gilligan Photography.

Come to Redux tonight and meet NYC based artist, Jason Hackenwerth. His work has been featured in the Guggenheim Museum and the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. Recently, he was awarded a grant from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Jason is super cool and you won’t believe what he’s done with the place! Kids of all ages will be in delight. 

Artist Lecture: Fri May 18, 7;00-7:30pm
Opening Reception: Fri May 18, 6:00-8:00pm
Exhibition on view: May 18 – July 7, 2012

The New Realism

The digital age is undoubtedly changing our society in a multitude of ways. More poignantly, the line between fact and fiction is being blurred more than ever. Many artists are now addressing this cultural shift with unconventionally realistic work, pushing realism to an all new level. This very topic brings our attention to the Walker Art Center‘s current exhibition: Lifelike, on view now until May 27, 2012.  Not only do these works demonstrate technical mastery, they offer well thought-out conceptual statements that ask important questions about our modern society. They also demonstrate the value of art.

Below is one of the works on view, Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds) by Chinese dissident artist, Ai Weiwei. These sunflower seeds are not real but are made of porcelain using a traditional technique that typically requires 30 stages to complete. The artist chose sunflower seeds because to him they symbolize the Chinese people. Years ago during the famine under Mao, sunflower seeds were one of the few reliable sources of food, comfort and social interaction. Through this work, Weiwei’s sought to represent the relationship between the ruled and rulers. 

Ai WeiWei, Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds), 2009
New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York
Photo courtesy Carolina Nitsch

For this project, a total of one hundred million porcelain sunflower seeds were made. Each one was hand painted and it took 1600 people over 2.5 years to complete. Watch the video to see how they are made and learn more about this powerful, political work.

Cheers to Salvator Dali!

Not only is it Mustache May, but today is the celebrated birthday of Surrealist painter and character extraordinare, Salvador Dali (b. 1904 – d. 1989). Dalí grew a flamboyant moustache that became an iconic trademark of his appearance for the rest of his life, after being inspired by the seventeenth-century Spanish master painter, Diego Velázquez.

Portrait of Salvador Dali, 1954.

Dali is as well known for his bizarre and impressive surrealist work as his eccentric behavior. His painterly skill has often been attributed to the Renaissance Masters with his most notable painting being, The Persistence of Memory. 

The Persistence of Memory, 1931 by Salvador Dali

The Allure of the Tempest

Above: Artist, Jason Hackenwerth. His new show will be on view at Redux from May 18 – July 7, 2012.

New and exciting things are just around the corner for Redux! Next up: The Tempest, a site-specific installation by visiting artist, Jason Hackenwerth, that will be on view May 18 – July 7, 2012.  Known for his large-scale balloon installations, Hackenwerth’s work has been widely exhibited across the US and and abroad. He was recently awarded the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Inc grant.

For the Tempest, he will exhibit experimental sculptures cut from plywood and designed to fit together with a tongue in groove construction technique allowing the forms to be assembled like a giant puzzle and be held together by gravity.  Inspired by the iconic sculptures and mobiles of past masters, each of Hackenwerth’s works are an expression in the evolving language of sculpture.

Come to the Charleston Art Walk Tonight!

Charleston’s Downtown Art Walk is tonight, so come celebrate and support our vibrant art community against the backdrop of the waxing Super Moon!

The 2012 Super Moon will be visible tomorrow at 11:35 p.m. EDT.

It will be a great night to catch Redux’s “must see” exhibit, The Plantation (Plan-ta-shun) by Colin Quashie before it comes down this Sunday. This powerful exhibit has brought a wide range of visitors, including many school classes, as Quashie uses his artwork to raise questions that involve scrutinizing the power bases of our social system, causing us to examine our collective political perceptions. 

Colin Quashie, “Plan-ta-shun” comes down this Sunday. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this important show.

Also, several of Redux Studio Renters will be exhibiting their art work in the Redux’s Conolly Studio Gallery and/or other local galleries around town. Rebecca West Fraser, Jen Ervin, Kirsten Moran, Karen Ann Meyers and Charles Williams are just to name a few. It’s going to be a beautiful night!