A Point of No Return.
Gut
4ft x 6ft, Acrylic
May 23 through June 22
Helena Davis Gallery
André Barnett
This artwork was inspired by a trip to a Congolese village, Nioki, in 2007. I accompanied my wife Linda to visit friends she had made while she was serving in the Peace Corps there 20 years ago. Many aspects of the trip made a great impression on me, but what has inspired this series of paintings is what I learned about the Congolese rainforest.
I met an American reporter from the Nation who was reporting on concerns that the world's second largest rainforest, in north central Congo, would be ruthlessly logged now that many parts of the country were becoming stable to do business under the new regime of President Joseph Kabila. My encounter with him began my education on how important the rainforests are to the survival of the entire world, and how vulnerable the Congolese rainforest is to a small few who can decide whether to use its resources responsibly or to exploit it for short-term profit.
In this series of art, I have combined symbolic imagery with my love for abstract art. I focused on the effects of greed-driven destruction of the very resources we need to survive. I let the images of a sawmill in Nioki work on my imagination and envisioned the grinding away of these trees until there was none left. I chose titles for my paintings that would communicate the destruction that is happening all around us, and the pressure we are putting on the environment as we dance ever so close to a point of no return.
Titles like "Grind Up, Grind Down", "Gut" and "Inside Out" as in destroying ourselves from the inside out, represent that destructiveness. "Ichorous Cooker I & II" and "Crucial Element" capture the pressure we human beings are putting on the vital essence that sustains us. "Domino" tells the story of the consequences of one effect over another. "Red Hot" speaks to urgency. I also included a five-panel homage to the rainforest that I call "Inspiration" taken from the first definition in the dictionary "1. a breathing in, as of air into the lungs; inhaling."
I would like to thank Artspace for giving me the opportunity and challenge to take on this series. The education and growth that I have experienced painting these canvases I'm sure will open many doors and will take my art to the next level.
Related: The Fight to Save Congo's Forests
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20071022/parenti
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Opening Reception Fourth Friday
May 23, 7-10 pm
Free and Open to the Public
Grind up
4ft x 4ft, Acrylic
Grind Down
4ft x 4ft, Acrylic
Green Ichorous
4ft x 5ft, Acrylic
Up & Down Grind 40
Domino
8ft x 8ft, Acrylic
Craven Consumption
4ft x 5ft, Acrylic
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