George Waters Gallery Exhibit Features Paintings, Photography, Collage

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ELMIRA, NY (09/13/2018) Art Currents Now, a show focused on experimentation with materials and ideas, opens at the George Waters Gallery on September 20, 2018. The exhibition will feature drawings and paintings by Jeremy Foldesy, collages by Wendy Taylor, and a screening of works from the Galvin Harrison + T.N.G. SCREEN photography project.

Philadelphia artist Jeremy Foldesy explores the exuberant and spirited process of drawing and painting, in both small and large scale, corful abstractions. His works remind viewers of Paul Klee's observation that "drawing is taking a line for a walk." Foldesy's lines often grow from dots, morphing into shapes that repeat endlessly in varied sizes and colors.

The work grasps at infinity, as it waivers between a microscopic vision of life on earth and the telescopic vision ofthe galaxies. Playful twists and turns sometimes allude to the human figure or intertwine with text. To see more of Foldsey's work, visit his Instagram here.

Similar to Foldesy, gallery goers will detect an artist's joy in experimentation with materials when viewing the collages of Elmira artist Wendy Taylor. The whimsical character in her pieces rely on the stylistic shifts in the art world that challenged traditional art forms through collage. She says, "Mostly my work is about process and play, with the idea of play being open to different paths, not just an avenue of fun.

"When not creating art, Taylor teaches art history at Corning Community College, or collaborates on projects with her husband, artist Daniel Reidy. See more of Taylor's work here.

The "art current" takes a serious shift to the Middle East with the screening of Photography from the Middle East and Beyond, a photographic screening project curated by Galvin Harrison of Copenhagen, Denmark. Harrison writes of the project:

"The contemporary culture of the Middle East is confronted on a daily basis with a veritable negative onslaught by all manner of social media and political discourse. The vital and inspirational contributions in the form of science, language and historical achievements are lost, or in the process of being erased within the quagmire of violent rhetoric, militaristic slaughter on a grand scale and genocidal displacements of resident populations. This burden of perpetual conflict has without any doubt left its mark and psychological scars on the majority of the young generation with roots and parentage deriving from the Middle East and who attempt on a daily basis to find a foot fast form of social existence and acceptance within the parameters of an ever burgeoning and divisive parallel society."

The works selected for this screening provide viewers in the United States with photographs created by international artists of Middle Eastern origins: Ruben Terlou (Netherlands), Myriam Abdelaziz (Egypt), Lamya Gargash (UAE), Lina Hashim (Iraq), Boushra Almutawakel (Yemen), Mehrdad Naraghi (Iran), Farida Batool (Pakistan), Rania Matar (Lebanon), Shadi Ghadirian (Iran), Newsha Tavakolian (Iran), Iranian Living Room (Iran) Nidaa Badwan (Palestine), Hamde Abu Rahma (Palestine), Najib Joe Hakim (Palestine), Mohammed Salem (Palestine), Luca Mulder (USA). More information on the project can be found here.

Art Currents Now opens on Thursday, September 20, with an opening reception from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the Gallery. The reception and exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from noon to 4:00 p.m. The show closes on Thursday, October 11, 2018.