(Guttenberg NJ) Guttenberg Arts Gallery is pleased to present MADE HERE: Summer 2021 a group show of our past Summer Artists in Residence; Krystle Lemonias and Kirk Maynard. On view by appoinment only September 4th - September 26th with an opening reception on Saturday September 4th at 7pm. The works included in MADE HERE: Winter 2021 were created during the artist’s 3 month Space & Time Artist Residency at Guttenberg Arts. To promote social distancing Guttenberg Arts Gallery is open by appointment only and virtually on their website. Patrons can schedule their visit or view the virtual gallery by going to www.guttenbergarts.org/exhibitions.
Krystle Lemonias is captivated by the resilience of Caribbean people to reconstruct some sense of cultural identity. “To see yourself and for others to see you is a form of validation,”- Mickalene Thomas. With this in mind, the accumulated experiences that have shaped Lemonias’ identity heavily fuels her work. Her art is a reflection of who she is, a multidisciplinary hybrid; they interweave non-linear oral narratives and historical accounts that each piece unfolds when closely investigated. The work contemplates the social complexities that the intersection of gender, class, culture, immigration, and heredity presents. At Guttenberg Arts, Lemonias used her time to create more fabric/print works and continued exploring domestic labor through the experiences of immigrant Black women. Her subjects are nannies, senior caregivers, and cleaners. I am currently using the clothes of the child my current subject has nannied for, sewn together to create compositions of her caring and engaging with the child. Lemonias then used West African iconographic adinkra symbols to tell a coded pictorial story of the scene.
Kirk Maynard expanded on his oil pastel series (entitled Periphery) into printmaking during his time at Guttenberg Arts. The series seeks to address the marginalization of black people in contemporary society. The constant suspicion of black bodies for existing in certain spaces has been an outsized theme for black people in America. The subjects in each work are personal copies and references, without the strong presence of facial features. The presentations are a commentary on the marginalization of black people in certain spaces that ignore their full humanity in the presence of stereotypes. The body language that is seen in the poses symbolizes an introspective look at existing in unwelcome spaces, where emotions can range from nervousness to resignation.
Exhibition: Sept. 4th, 2021 - Sept. 26th, 2021; Opening Saturday Sept. 4th with a reception at 7pm. Schedule your visit by going to www.guttenbergarts.org/exhibitions For more information please contact matt@guttenbergarts.org or 201-868-8585. Guttenberg Art Gallery is free and open to the public by appointment only.