Opening Reception: October 9 @ 6:00 to 7:30pm @ George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick
Exhibition duration: October 9 – January, 2013
Public Gallery Two, The Heldrich, New Brunswick, NJ
Alfa Art Gallery & Heldrich Hotel Present “Temples”, a solo exhibition featuring the works of Vesselin Kourtev. The exhibit will be on display at The Heldrich Hotel @ 10 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ – second floor.
An opening reception celebrating the artist and the collaboration between the Alfa Art Gallery & George Street Playhouse & The Heldrich Hotel is scheduled for Tuesday, October 9 @ 6pm the George Street Playhouse.
About the Exhibition
The exhibition brings together over 40 drawings introducing Kourtev’s questions/thoughts: What are “Temples”?… What is the meaning of “Temples”?… The “Temples” and us…. Many years in the making, this collection of work has deep roots in the artist’s personal history. Hailing from Bulgaria, a country with ancient traditions and a spiritual past, Vesselin takes the viewer on a deeply reflective and meditative pilgrimage with this series. Much like the transcendental atmosphere of temples, these works provoke feelings of mysticism and mysteriousness. The cutout collages offer windows into distinct realities. Scenes are cut off, bodies are fragmented, and paint seems to take on a life of its own, spreading in terms of gravity and not the artist’s hand. We become the seer, as if we are having a vision, seeing into the confusing and disorienting landscape of another person’s thoughts. Though the composition may seem randomly scattered, the placement of the windows is quite deliberate. Sometimes these fragmented boxes stretch across the piece, creating a desolate landscape where pilgrims have settled and nomads still wander. Other times these windows are clustered and offer glimpses into an emotional yearning, picturing ringing bells, open palms, crescent moons, and cosmic skies. But the effect through these pieces is always deeply spiritual. As we piece together these segmented realities a mystical and ritualistic mood takes hold conjuring our deep desire for meaning.
The Heldrich Hotel, 10 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Alfa Art Gallery, 108 Church Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Also in display at Public Gallery One, The Heldrich, New Brunswick, NJ
“Present & Past” – Encaustic Paintings and Prints by Diana González Gandolfi