Hidden Gems, a group exhibition of works on paper representing the affinities of intergenerational thought, style and process, is currently being shown at the June Kelly Gallery and will remain on view through July 31.
From seed, tree, wood pulp, to paper…to art on paper, this collaboratively conceived summer installation reflects that final metamorphosis upon which the varied perspectives of 22 artists are presented. The exhibition threads together a compelling complexity of themes major to the artists.
The pairing of “hidden” and “gems” puts emphasis on contemplation of these works as possibly highly prized by the artists, strongly engaging, as well as perhaps politically defiant. While the works reflect a diversity of voices, they reveal a notable insight of relationships of artists who have no other ties.
Real or imaginative, figurative or abstract, documentary, didactic, the works in Hidden Gems highlight the thinking and individualism of each artist. In this grouping, a hanging mobile titled Snookie’s Snack Shack Inn by Toyce Anderson is the exception on an exhibition checklist where two-dimensional works dominate.
The works shown here are characteristically representative of the artists: Mark Alsterlind, Toyce Anderson, Benny Andrews, Elise Asher, Karin Batten, Stan Brodsky, Elizabeth Catlett, Carmen Cicero, Sam Gilliam, Su-Li Hung, Frances Hynes, Sandra Lerner, Norman Lewis, Chris Ofili, Howardena Pindell, Sarah Plimpton, Larry Potter, Debra Priestly, Robert Reid, Julio Valdez, John Wilson and Nola Zirin.