Opening Reception August 2nd from 5:30-8

Matteo Neivert

Statement:

My artwork explores the powerful forces of nature and biology in real and imaginary compositions. A consistent thread in my work is the idea of change and evolution. In my work the forces of nature can be subtle or overt and exist as both scientific and phenomenological. I attempt to capture the magic of these forces and the relationship of the human condition to these ever changing environments. Many of my subjects are often meant as historical symbols of the eroding relationship between humans and nature.

Fragility and strength act as common themes. Interest in the scientific realms such as evolution, tides, gravity, growth, formation, replication, microbiology, physics, astronomy, and climatology converges in my work with plants, animals, and landscapes. I approach imagery and composition with a keen awareness of historical precedent. Recently my artwork has become more figurative and realistic to emphasize the narrative, theatrical, and beautiful aspects of simple objects and things such as ice, water, rocks, eggs, and shells. I am inspired by the boundless fodder that the earth, the universe, and the microscopic offer as imagery.

Peter Morgan

Statment:

My work is an exploration of the world through an investigation of location, representation, perception, taxonomy, and language. The pieces challenge what we know, and how we know it, through an illustration and celebration of cultural mythologies. 

The subjects are often archetypal depictions focusing on idealized understandings and desires of the subject, rather than their actuality. I think of my sculptures as platonic ideals collaged from a global encyclopedia. The encyclopedia is a place, where in theory all the information in the world is kept in a concise and easy to read format. Much in the same way as a viewer may initially approach my work.

Frequently I utilize shifts in scale, transforming everyday objects into vast landscapes, and conversely converting massive objects into toy-sized replicas. Through this macro/micro shift, the work compares experiences with such objects to representations via books and popular culture. Viewing the world though the lens of the absurd, I seek to challenge our cognitive processes, by creating connections between often seemingly disparate topics. Through the use of puns and analogies I create links between seemingly disparate entities via language and categorization. I am interested in how the mind makes connections and fills gaps of information to create a cohesive vision. Even though the vision may be absurd or fantastical, though these explorations I hope to come to a greater understanding of the world, how it is constructed, and why.

Martin Kahnle

Bio:

Martin Kahnle grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA and began painting in the late 1980’s.

Influenced by the regional work of Diebenkorn, Hockney, Harris, Katz, Botts and others, Kahnle’s last few years have had him articulating a series of abstracted landscape paintings inspired by living in the Blue Ridge of lower-Appalachia.

He moved to New York City in 1995 and fell first into advertising, then media, then data-tech, now living in Nashville, TN where he continues to paint from his private studio.