Cloudy skies and snowy peaks have arrived and with them a change in season. Ski resorts are freshly covered and only a jump, skip and a ski away, weekend mountain trips may be the new study routine. Those who decorate in seasons are eagerly awaiting the day Christmas lights and holiday home decor flood commerical stores everywhere. For gallery-goers this means new exhibits are changing faster than the leaves are falling. Here is a small selection of free up-and-coming exhibits that signify the end of another quarter, but the start of a new season.
Left Ajar: Plastic Old and Our Bright And Shiny Future
Where: Leon Gallery
When: Nov. 7 – Dec. 12
Who: Diego Rodriguez-Warner and Matthew J. Mahoney
Cost: Free
Leon Gallery, an art space by day and music venue by night, is hosting a dual exhibit for Denver-based artist Diego Rodriguez-Warner and California-based artist Matthew J. Mahoney. The end result of this cross-country duo is a blend of bright installation pieces by Mahoney, and equally as bold paintings by Rodriguez-Warner. Mahoney’s work is as intricate as it is large. Figures constructed by saran wrap, tape, cardboard, styrofoam and string tower over gallery spaces as if demanding to be seen. His work embodies the human condition and one’s overindulgence in personal vices — whether that be material or substance overload. Rodriguez-Warner’s mixed-media paintings combine elements of pop-art and ink illustration. He combines and layers contrasting visual mediums, creating a 3D-like image that jumps off the canvas. Rodriguez-Warner’s work looks like a mashup of Andy Warhol’s prints and Ralph Steadman’s paintings. For more on these artists’ work, be sure to catch them at the opening reception on Nov. 7.
Cutaways
Where: Rule Gallery
When: Oct. 23 – Dec. 5
Who: Jacob Feige
Cost: Free
Rule Gallery, found in RiNo Art District, curated a solo exhibit for New York painter Jacob Feige. Feige’s oil paintings appear to be a collage of paintings: a base layer disrupted by bits and pieces of contrasting paintings. However, each piece is really a single layer given depth, shadows and dimensions. His work doesn’t simply look like a blend of completely different paintings, but rather each piece looks like an intimate memory or a story frozen in time. The paintings look like moments distracted by thought or day-dreams. As the gallery website describes, Feige’s work “explores our tendency to ‘cutaway’ from the present moment.” The opening reception has passed but the gallery will have extended hours (6-9 p.m.) on Nov. 6 ( the start of Denver Arts Week).
Begin this month’s art adventure with Rule Gallery and Leon Gallery, but be sure to check out Goodwin Fine Art Gallery or DAM as the next stops on your journey.
