Friday, May 26 -- 7 - 10 PM
Opening Reception For
Camouflage - Wanderlust
A Biographical Representation of Life in the Forest
The Endless Quest - Unimaginable Animals
Light Grey Art Lab will be launching a series of new exhibitions centered around the theme of wanderlust and the natural world, featuring a huge variety of work including illustrations about remaining unnoticed in Camouflage: Hiding In Plain Sight, new work from Light Grey Art Lab’s most recent Iceland Residency program in Wanderlust, photographs of the open road and outdoor survival in The Endless Quest and A Biographical Representation of Life in the Forest, respectively, and a series of paintings inspired by field guides with Unimaginable Animals. The opening reception is Friday, May 26th from 7 to 10 PM.
Camouflage: Hiding In Plain Sight
In the animal kingdom, moving unseen is a vital skill. Some creatures spend their entire existence in a constant struggle to remain undetected, whether to avoid predators, stalk prey, or live in harmless symbiosis. In our daily lives, the ability to camouflage ourselves may not always spell the difference between life and death, but it can be important to our social interactions and emotional well-being. Dealing with the desire to blend in, to assimilate, to fade away into the background is a universal feeling, and Light Grey Art Lab’s newest group exhibition, Camouflage, is all about hiding in plain sight.
Camouflage invites over eighty artists from around the world to explore what it means to be invisible. In the natural world, camouflage can present itself in stunning and ingenious ways and many of the Camouflage artists were eager to explore this evolutionary phenomenon. National Geographic photographer Matthew Cicanese’s macro images of a spider perfectly blending with its surroundings is a near optical illusion of pattern and detail, while those on the other end of the spectrum chose to explore a more human and emotional side of camouflage. Struggling with notions of personal identity and cultural norms, the idea of camouflage can provide an uneasy balance of safety and deception. “I have always been shy, and as a student, I was wracked by impostor syndrome.” notes participating artist Jenna Kass. “So I wrapped myself up in that feeling, let it rip me apart, and lied myself into confidence.”
Wanderlust: The Iceland Residency Exhibition
Artists are no stranger to wanderlust, as creative inspiration is often derived from the heightened senses while exploring unfamiliar territory. Iceland holds a particular draw due to its combination of breathtaking and often hostile landscapes, geological wonders, and quiet isolation. An artist’s unique reaction to new experiences, conversations, and exploration is at the heart of Light Grey Art Lab’s newest show, Wanderlust: The Iceland Residency Exhibition.
Wanderlust is the culmination of Light Grey Art Lab’s 2016 Iceland Residency, where over a month-long stay in Iceland, more than thirty artists traveled through Iceland to explore, learn, and create together. The residency provided an opportunity for unbridled creative and natural exploration, as well as an incubator for collaboration and idea sharing.
Work featured in Wanderlust celebrates the rugged and epic Icelandic landscape, the flora and fauna of the countryside, the quiet moments of reflection, and quite often the spirit of the other creatives who shared the journey. Bill Robinson's plein air paintings present a spontaneous and unedited view of the Icelandic landscape, while Betsy Bauer explores the characters and folklore behind the trolls and hidden folk of Iceland, and Alexandria Neonakis’ work feature a series of calming vignettes from the plants, textures, and various Icelandic mise en scène.
A Biographical Representation of Life in the Forest
Photography for Matt Moss came out of necessity, as a medium for recording what he was doing at that present moment. Moss is an outdoorsman and naturalist from the UK who, specializing in forests and their associated species, works as both a forester and nature guide. As a naturalist, Moss spends his time in the outdoors educating people in topics such as ecology, conservation, and environmental issues. As a forester, he is able to make decisions on how land can be managed in ways that enhance and benefit wildlife.
A Biographical Representation of Life in the Forest is a documentation of Moss’s daily life and an exploration of work, relationships, and intimate experiences that are connected through a want and desire to explore our natural heritage. Moss’s work questions humankind’s deeply rooted but often conflicted relationship with nature, as he believes to understand ourselves and who we truly are we need to remove the barrier that separates us from the natural world and embrace it.
The Endless Quest
An old soul with a modern sense of style, California-based Tanner Johnson established his passions at a very young age and ran with them. Aspiring to document "the other half" of the outdoors and an outdoor lifestyle, Johnson combines his passions for hunting, fishing, and mountaineering with a modern outdoor lifestyle through his documentary travel photography. Working with various outdoor industry leaders such as Civilware and Kika Worldwide, Johnson travels the world in an effort to broaden his scope of adventure and experience, document everything on the way, learn the land, and inspire others to never resist the urge of adventure.
The Endless Quest offers a glimpse into Johnson's journey, with a series of candid and contemplative photographs taken from around the globe. These vignettes highlight a world filled with wanderlust, lonesome roads, and hard-earned comforts.
Unimaginable Animals
When Kelsey Oseid was five years old, her grandpa gave her an encyclopedic volume on animals. Oseid spent her childhood pouring over it, obsessing over the huge variety of species and rigorously scientific illustrations. It’s a feeling Oseid works hard to recreate in her work, heavily influenced by the field guide school of naturalistic illustration. Oseid believes in the theory of botanical art; that you paint to understand. The act of observation and communication through a visual medium leads to a deeper level of comprehension, and this exploration lies at the center of her newest body of work, Unimaginable Animals.
Unimaginable Animals is a series of illustrations that illuminate some of the more unusual and incredible species on Earth. From the most unfathomably old to the most otherworldly resilient, Unimaginable Animals acts of a catalog of nature's endless sense of variety and ingenuity, and a celebration of the idea that truth in nature is often stranger than fiction.
Opening Reception
The opening reception for Camouflage, Wanderlust, A Biographical Representation of Life in the Forest, The Endless Quest, and Unimaginable Animals is Friday, May 26th from 7-10 PM. The work will remain on display through July 14th. The opening reception is free and open to the public.
