If you're anywhere near Alexandria, VA at the end of the month and you happen to be an art opening groupie, you'll need to check out GA Gardner's "Interconnections" exhibition at the Athenaeum Gallery, 201 Prince Street, curated by Jarvis DuBois. The reception will be Sunday, January 29 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. If you can't make the opening, Interconnections will be on display from January 26 - March 11.According to the press announcement, Gardner uses the vibrant colors and energy of his native Trinidad and Tobago in his paintings and mixed media works to address our often-complicated relationship with mass communication.
Gardner’s works provide keen insight into how the proliferation of media in contemporary society results in a cacophony of mixed messages. Intricate layers of painted printed strips cover some canvases to interpret today’s advanced, digital modes of communication and their relationship to an intended thought or message. His uniquely vivid palette recalls the sky, sunsets, sea, and terrain of his Caribbean roots — yet his subject matter, style, and content speak more to our fast-paced urban environment.
Gardner's work has been exhibited at museums and galleries in New York, China, and the Caribbean, as well as seen on CNN’s Larry King Live and in the New York Times among other outlets. Gardner has been greatly influenced by not only his upbringing in the Caribbean but also his overlapping careers as an animator, researcher, author of 14 books on Art Education, and a professor at George Mason University in Virginia. These experiences, complemented by his world travels, influence the strongly textural and multilayered canvases of his artistic production. Jarvis DuBois is an independent curator and arts consultant based in Washington, DC.
The Athenaeum is owned by the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association which is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in all forms of art, and to establishing programs that will enrich the cultural life of Northern Virginia and the surrounding metropolitan area. As the primary site for these activities, the NVFAA owns and maintains the historic building.
This past year Mr. Gardner consented to an interview here at Ennyman's Territory. I was impressed with the man and his evolving craft. I'm sure this exhibition will not disappoint.
Photo: Freedom, by GA Gardner. Diptych, mixed media on canvas, 36" x 48". Click image to enlarge.