Hera Gallery Presents:

working PAPER

September 7th – October 5th, 2019            

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 7, 2019, 6-8p.m.

Artist Talk Todd Bartel: Saturday, October 5, 1p.m.

Hera Gallery is proud to present working PAPER, a two-person exhibition featuring artists Jack Massey and Todd Bartel.  The show will take place at Hera Gallery, at 10 High Street in Wakefield, RI, from September 7th to October 5th, 2019. The public is invited to attend the Opening Reception on Saturday, September 7th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Gallery will also hold an artist talk on Saturday, October 5th at 1p.m to discuss the artist’s process, materials, and ongoing artistic concepts.

 In his 90’s, Massey is committed to form and line exploration in the purest sense. In eleven collages, Massey turns to material that allows him to work towards an investigation of form. The torn edges suggest a sense of spontaneity while the cut edges show the studies of rationality and order. A sense of amused improvisation emerges from these pieces, from the brightly colored blocks to pictorial depiction of an upside down astronaut.

The Landscape Vernacular collage series explores landscape terminology and imagery. Through juxtaposing definitions with period ephemera, Bartel explores the notion of land and land use as well as the history of landscape painting, American identity, and contemporary ecological issues. Many of the collages in the Landscape Vernacular series have visual/textual information on the versos and viewers are encouraged to see the backs by gently opening hinged frames. Accompanying each piece is a QR code containing a URL to a piece of music. Viewers are encouraged to scan the QR code with a mobile phone and listen to the music while viewing the work.

This exhibition is on view through October 5th, 2019