FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATES: February 7 – March 30, 2019
Openings: First Thursday, February 7, 5-8pm and First Thursday, March 7, 5-8pm
(Seattle, WA – January 30, 2019) Opening First Thursday, February 7th, Observing Nature showcases the different ways that nature can be appreciated, admired and looked to for inspiration. Artists Melissa Cole, Tu Duy, Bui Cong Khanh, twin brothers Hai Duc Le and Thanh Ngoc Le, HiiH Lights and Hoang Thanh Vinh Phong present a variety of paintings and sculptural works that evoke a sense of contemplation, spark imagination and reveal the subtle nuances of the natural environment.
- Spokane-based artist Melissa Cole draws from her background in natural science to create vibrant reflections of the natural world using paint, glittering accents of glass and other mixed-media. Cole was born in Oregon and raised in London, Hong Kong, and India.
- Husband and wife team HiiH (pronounced hi-hi) Lights bring together the function of light, the craft of paper, and the art of sculpture. Working out of their Astoria, Oregon studio, they work collaboratively from concept and design through to the creation of dramatic lighted paper sculptures, continually inspiring one another into further exploration.
- The late Vietnamese artist Tu Duy creates paintings featuring figures with landscapes within the subjects, reflective of his childhood memories of growing up in a countryside village in Vietnam. His simple but evocative lines create a lyrical exploration of memory and sense of connection with the land and natural environment around him.
- Le Duc Hai and Le Ngoc Thanh are twin brothers and artists based in Vietnam. Their richly vibrant lacquer work features contrasts of color and wild, naïve outlines. Their artistic practice and vision led them to start the New Space Arts Foundation, and exhibit around Vietnam and globally in Canada, Croatia, France, Israel, Korea, Laos, Taiwan and the US.
- Hoang Thanh Vinh Phong incorporates many Buddhist and Taoist motifs in his bright, but meditative works. He graduated from the Fine Arts University in Hue, Vietnam, and has works in collections around the world including the US, France, England, Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia.
- Bui Cong Khanh’s mixed media paintings feature objects that are perennial symbols of Vietnamese culture, nature and daily life. As one of the first local Vietnamese artists to gain an international reputation in the 1990s, his work has been exhibited across Vietnam, as well as Cambodia, France, Singapore, Thailand and the US.
Through the rich mix of textural paintings and lighted sculptures, the featured works encourage reflection and inspiration from the flora and fauna around us. Observing Nature will be on display at ArtXchange Gallery until Saturday, March 30th, 2019.
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