All women’s art at CIAO; print auction at Art Association

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

By Henry Sweets

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - This weekend, you can get a dose of contemporary women’s creativity at CIAO gallery’s opening of “A Collection of Female Artists,” showing the work of five female artists from Wyoming, Idaho, New York and Arizona.

“Overall this is going to be a provocative show,” gallery owner Michele Walters said. “It’s kind of a slap in the face of estrogen.”

Some of this art is a breath of fresh air to Jackson’s art scene, not for its gendered nature, but for its style and subject matter.

The show features two multimedia artists and three very different painters. Some of the femininity seeps in simply as the voice of a female artist, but many of the messages are overt and, yes, provocative.

The idea for the show came from a conversation that Walters had with one of the artists, Dalia Chako, about the role of women in art.

“We agreed that women always have the ability to be controversial and to challenge these [prevalent] ideas of religion, sexuality and world issues as a whole,” Walters said. “For women, until recently, expressing their own sexuality was not really an option, and women are doing that through their art now and not just their orgasms.”
Walters described all five artists as strong women with unique styles.

Nichole Welch cuts and pastes clips of 35mm film to blend glimpses of female forms and urban landscapes. The bits and pieces of different images achieve a unified composition, and juxtaposed limbs, walls, pavement and thinly veiled breasts speak clearly about sensuality and a sense of place. Not too busy - and far from bland - the obscurity, allusion and illusion of her art can easily immerse the viewer without being overwhelming.
C
hako, from New York, paints surrealistic oils with religiously controversial imagery. Her colors, contrast and subject matter are something not often found in Jackson’s art world. Collectors of contemporary art in Jackson, and especially those with a taste for pronounced, and sometimes fiery, curiosity should make the trip out to see her paintings.

Kristi Kapolka works with scraps of other people’s memories - textiles, found objects, and old quilts - and puts words on them like “unique accessories handcrafted for your body and nest,” or “she’s worth the risk.” The visual and textual prompts in her art were called “very feminine in a flirtatious way,” by Walters. A fashion and textile designer, Kapolka will show some larger wall hangings, and works on a mannequin.

Kari Hall, who recently moved to Jackson from Greensboro, N.C., is the curator of the show and the gallery’s bestseller to date. Her long, energetic brushstrokes and vivid use of light define her style.

Walters, the owner of the Gallery, also paints surrealistic oils, blending organic and erotic imagery that could be considered equally as controversial as Chako’s.


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Save the date. Next Friday, June 6, the photography department at the Art Association will host a benefit auction of prints from nationally known photographers. The artists have already taught workshops or shown work at the Art Association, or are friends of the photography department. The proceeds will go to fund the dark room, digital arts lab and also help bring visiting artists to town.

 “What’s great about this auction is that the participating photographers have work in major museums, and show in galleries across the country,” said Thomas Stimpson, the dark room director. Bids for the pieces will start well below their usual gallery prices. Artists include Keith Johnson, Ed Riddell, John Stuart, Kristina Loggia, William Mebane and others. Silent bidding will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday, June 6.

Detail from ‘Back Morphis’ by Nichole Welch.

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All women’s art at CIAO; print auction at Art Association | Planet JH News Article: Arts Beat

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