February 19 2021     #204

AFAM: PHOTO | BRUT:
Collection Bruno Decharme & Compagnie

January 24 – June 6, 2021

The exhibition PHOTO | BRUT is a continuation of the American Folk Art Museum’s commitment to champion the works of self-taught artists – this time with a focus on the ever-changing field of photography, the frontiers and accessibility of which expanded proportionally with the invention of portable and affordable cameras.

Untitled (“These Little Children…”), Henry Darger, Mid-twentieth century. Hand-tinted photograph and ink on cardboard 7 x 9 in; photo © 2021 Kiyoko Lerner

It welcomes the substantial art brut photography collection of French filmmaker Bruno Decharme and speaks to Decharme’s subjective collecting activity that brought him – without the parameters of a historical framework – from one discovery to another. The exhibition is complemented by the museum’s holdings, as well as by artworks treasured by American collectors and public organizations.

Curators: Valérie Rousseau, PhD, Senior Curator, and Bruno Decharme in collaboration with Barbara Safarova, Sam Stourdzé, and Paula Aisemberg.

Learn more at FolkArtMuseum.org.

SHINICHI SAWADA:
First US solo exhibition

February 24 – March 20, 2021

Venus Over Manhattan will present the first United States solo exhibition of Shinichi Sawada’s ceramic sculptures. The showcase of thirty works follows a recent museum solo exhibition that traveled in fall 2020 from the Museum Lothar Fischer, in Neumarkt, Germany, to the George Kolbe Museum, Berlin.

"Shinichi Sawada working on his ceramics", video from Jennifer Gilbert (2021)

The Venus exhibition has been organized in collaboration with Jennifer Lauren Gallery, Manchester, UK, who has been worked with the artist for many years. In conjunction with its presentation, Venus will publish a generously illustrated catalogue featuring new and recent writing on Sawada’s art.

Sawada’s sculptures constitute a bestiary of unreal creatures. His figures are striking for their combinations of natural and mythical attributes: a single sculpture may comprise the wings of a bird, the face of a dragon, and the claws of a lizard, but finally suggest the profile of an owl. Until 2015, he worked within a vocabulary of approximately fifteen creature motifs developed over the last two decades, with each sculpture entirely and quite obviously unique.

Learn more at VenusOverManhattan.com and JenniferLaurenGallery.com.

SIDNEY PERRY:
Master of the Studio Art Center

 January 19 – March 20, 2021

The Gateway Gallery is pleased to present the work of Sidney Perry in a virtual solo retrospective. This exhibition pays tribute to him and his incredible career as a working artist at Gateway.

 Photos by Ted Degener

As a child, Sidney Perry moved with his family to Massachusetts from Alabama, where he was born in 1943. He entered the Gateway Center in Boston, Massachusetts in 1973 to learn artisanry skills, like weaving and pottery making.

Curators: Morteza Zahedi & Sarvenaz Farsian 

Perry became well known for weaving beautiful rag rugs and creating signature hand-built vessels using very thin coils of clay. In the 1990s, Gateway Arts joined the studio art center movement, giving artists with disabilities the opportunity to have their voices heard in the art world, as well as the world of art. 

He has created a body of memorable work which has been exhibited and collected nationally and internationally.

Go to GatewayArts.org to learn more.

GLASGOW MUSEUMS:
Indian Artwork

Glasgow Museums has acquired the pieces as part of work to collect material to record and represent the extraordinary period in history we are living through.

Unique to Scotland, the collection is a combination of works on cloth and on paper, each showcasing a distinct style of traditional folk and tribal craft from a different region of India.

Odisha pattachitra, Apindra Swain; photo © Glasgow Museums

In India, rural folk art has traditionally been used as a means of spreading awareness within communities.

Warli, Rajesh Chaitya Vangad; photo © Glasgow Museums

Rajesh Chaitya Vangad is behind one of the pieces, measuring almost one metre sq and made with a bamboo nib on specially prepared cloth. He said:

“I was listening to the news and thought I must depict this in the Warli style, it is such a significant moment in world history and I have to record it for posterity. Now my focus has shifted from the spread of the virus to the effects of the lockdown.

Duncan Dornan, Head of Glasgow Museums, said:

“We’re delighted to acquire these timely, intricate and engaging works, with the support of the National Fund for Acquisitions."

“The poignancy of these works, illustrating the effects of the virus across India are also likely to touch the lives of the diaspora South Asian communities in Glasgow. This capsule collection is a welcome and thought-provoking addition to Glasgow Museums’ collection now and for future generations.”

BRIAN C. WALTERS:
Contemporary outsider metalwork

Brian Walters, a self-taught artist who is based in suburban Connecticut, has been creating sculptural assemblages for almost two decades. Walters kicked around several welding shops working on everything from race cars to restaurant equipment and everything in between.

Balance 1. 12 x 7.5 in. on 2.5 x 2.5 in. base

It was a chance visit to the fantastical Storm King sculpture park in the Mid Hudson region of New York where the light went off in Brian's head. The visit left Walters in complete awe, from that visit on he was hooked.

Every chance that Brian had he would pull the welder out and tinker on a new piece or research artists and visit any art venue he could get to. It became an obsession for Walters, every minute of spare time was devoted to making or learning about art.  The majority of Walters work is comprised of  locally sourced salvaged materials. Walters loves gnarly old steel with rust stains and flaking paint. 

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