So maybe he (or she) had lugged what he thought were truly enlightened works of art to gallery after gallery. Maybe he was rejected from a few establishments, a few maybes here and there but no firm commitments? He was feeling low, like he wants to give up (and what the bejeezus is he to do with all this art?)- then he sees the sun, and nature, and the sea, and he gets a revelation: ‘I’ll take my art to nature! And I’ll give it to her!’
Columbus Landing, St. Croix
At least that is what I speculate happened at the Western end of Columbus Landing beach on St. Croix, where someone has created a small and temporary (but certainly noticeable) outside art gallery. It consists of between five and seven mixed media creations in different states of natural disrepair. The art is compelling somehow- since it’s human and bold and it’s suddenly there, intentionally, as you’re getting out of your car, in a natural setting no less, slightly underground- since the art is installed in a national park, certainly environmentally unfriendly- since a lot of the work is on foam and plastic, and is being torn by winds and spread into the bush. All in all, I have to say that I was impressed by the ‘graffitti-style’ effort but unimpressed by the juvenile content and the artist’s choice of location. Seems to me if you’re going to try to beautify something, you might try finding a spot that needs it, which Columbus Landing does not. Enjoy the photos and send me your comments.
Phoenix-based Chicano artist Luis Gutierrez recently visited St. Croix from Arizona, to attend the Salt organized ‘Statement from the Outside’ dirty laundry show at Maufé Gallery in Christiansted on April 16. We wanted to see what a desert-based minority artist’s outlook on the islands would be, before setting foot here. The result is mesmerizing, colorful, and unafraid. Salt Gallery thanks Luis wholeheartedly for an excellent closing of the season here in St. Croix.
Click on the picture below to see the catalogue from the exhibit
We call ‘Statement from the Outside’ a dirty laundry show because the majority of the paintings were hung on a clothes line in the middle of the gallery (Clothesline Suite: 44 acrylic & lacquer on paper paintings, 8.5 x 11 inches, each).
Stephanie Schoyer was once again kind enough to take photographs during opening night.
On the back of the Clothes Line Suite, the visitors could find Gutierrez’ own statement about the exhibit. Here’s what he says:
‘When I was first asked to paint an exhibit about the Virgin Islands, I, being of Mexican roots, thought that the islands were named for the Virgin. Then my mind wandered when I learned it was for a long forg(ott)en saint. That’s when my imagination took hold. Out came all the myths and legends. Medusa mixed with Mermaids who mixed with the Virgin. Upon further research, I was smacked by first the history then the harsh reality. As you go past the title of the place, to the history of human trafficking and what commerce is founded on, in my world in Phoenix, what is happening now is the human trafficking of Mexicans across the US border. Today a big SUV replaced the slave ship. The human need for love and babies mixed with time will heal all wounds.’
Bruce Wilson and Mandy Thody of Haiti Community Support recently asked me to travel to Haiti and film the work they are doing there; among other things, a road-building project that will change the economics of several wretchedly poor villages. I will be in Haiti from May 2 until May 16 and will start post-production editing after I return, to complete a short documentary film about HCS. This will give Salt Gallery more opportunities to delve into film and add that to the up-coming redesign of the Salt Gallery site. Here’s something we did for the Facing Locality show at CMCArts about Christiansted street artist AJ Simmonds:
Thanks for reading this far and for all of you who attend and invest in the Salt Gallery exhibits.
Tomas Lanner
We are happy to present the online catalogue for the ‘Figuring the Figure’ group show, which opened on April 3 at Walsh Metal Works Gallery in St. Croix, featuring the works of Luca Gasperi, Christopher Jernberg, Ron Kenedi, Mandy Thody & Mike Walsh. Let us know if you have any questions: 340-514-6664 or saltgallery@gmail.com
A wonderful turnout at Salt Gallery’s Figuring the Figure exhibit last Friday at Walsh Metal Works in St. Croix prompted us to post some photographs from the opening night- all taken by Stephanie Schoyer.
More social snaps will be added periodically, as well as photos of all the artwork in an online ‘Figuring the Figure’ catalogue- soon come, so check back. Let us take you for a physical tour of the exhibit- it’s up until May 3, open 10-4 Mon-Sat. Call Tomas at 340.514.6664 for an appointment.
Feel like you’re creative? Well, this may make you eat your words. As you watch the movie, consider the amount of work that’s involved to prepare and create each frame.
Another mind-boggling creative foray is that of Kutiman, who sampled and mixed hundreds of previously unrelated YouTube home musicians and came up with a group of truly inspiring tracks.
And as for humor, we really enjoy the campy qualities of Italian Spiderman or the classic Bollywood antics and choreography of Indian Superman. Enjoy- talk to you next time.
After much planning and preparing, Salt Gallery’s ‘Figuring the Figure’ show in St. Croix is finally opening. Tomorrow night at the Walsh Metal Works Gallery, five artists with diverse backgrounds and styles will display their creative outflow surrounding the figurative theme: Christopher Jernberg, a Swedish oil painter and art teacher living in San Francisco; Luca Gasperi, Crucian watercolorist and farmer of Italian descent; Mandy Thody, our British clay sculptress extraordinaire from the rainforest of West End St. Croix; Ron Kenedi, an accomplished oil painter and sketch artist from Orange County, CA with a career history in the solar field and, finally; Mike Walsh, conceptual artist and sculptor born in the Northeast and residing in St. Croix since the 1970s.
The group has produced a strong collection of figurative artwork, and we feel that this type of comparative study has a natural place in the lush and productive artworld of St. Croix. Check out the article in the Virgin Islands Daily News on April 3, to read more.
On another note, Michael Meseke, one of Salt Gallery’s photographic artists has recently received two International Color Award nominations, one for the abstract category and one for advertising. We are proud to be part of Mr. Meseke’s continuing creative growth within the photography world.
Journalist Stephanie Hanlon of the St. Croix Avis wrote an article about LaVaughn Belle’s powerful and poignant ‘Hideaway’ exhibit back in February of this year. Stephanie has been keeping busy as one of the few strong journalists covering such diversity as human interest, art, the Stanford allegations, and anything else under the hot Caribbean sun.
