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These two bodies of artwork are about claiming and occupying space. The exhibition features photography and large-scale painted collages. The large-scale collages and some of the photography reflect the phenomenon, known as the Terminator Crossing, “the line that divides the daylight side and the night-side of a planetary body”. In this work, the planet is the Earth…
Read MoreToday we’d like to introduce you to Mikhaile Solomon.
Mikhaile, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born and raised in Miami, Florida and am of Caribbean heritage. My parents are the from the islands of St. Kitts – Nevis. I graduated of Florida International University’s Graduate program in Architecture and completed my undergraduate degree in Theatre Arts at the University of South Florida. With my varied professional experiences comes many years of developmental work in design, education, arts advocacy and community development.
One of my favorite parts about working with The Studio Visit is the opportunity to get to know artists and learn more about their practice on a more personal, intimate level. I like to spend a little time before we begin a story to have a few one on one visits as well reading as much background information as possible.
Amber and I had this opportunity before we met at her studio on a warm overcast day to film a story about her life, work and process.
Amber Robles-Gordon is a multimedia visual artist with a joyful, positive, happy vibe. Her strikingly colorful work is a powerful fusion of ethnicity, identity, gender and cultural and social interests. Her childhood also informs her work which was filled with a wide range of challenges and the loving, nurturing support of her mother.
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Material-isms: The Cultivation of Womanhood and Agency Through Materiality
CHESTERTOWN — The Kohl Gallery at Washington College kicks off the 2018-19 academic year with a solo exhibit "Material-isms: the cultivation of womanhood and agency through materiality," featuring Washington, D.C.-based mixed-media artist Amber Robles-Gordon.
The exhibit features assemblage and installation works created from a range of found objects and textiles.
Opening on Thursday, Sept. 6, with a public reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., "Material-isms" will run through Oct. 10. Robles-Gordon will also deliver a public talk in the gallery at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13.
According to a news release, Robles-Gordon’s artistic practice draws upon the often-paradoxical experiences of her gender, ethnicity and social and cultural influences, including her Latino, African and Caribbean heritage.
The release states, what the artist calls “hybridism” is reflected in her varied material strategies and vibrant use of color, often invoking a spiritual and energetic sensibility.
“Materials intrigue me, but colors uplift and excite me,” Robles-Gordon said in a 2017 interview with Bmore Art Magazine.
"Material-isms" will highlight Robles-Gordon’s spirited use of a bold color palette in a series of mixed-media and installation works that conjure themes of femininity and masculinity, duality, spirituality and the natural and cultural environment.
Robles-Gordon earned her Masters in Fine Arts from Howard University and has more than 15 years of experience as a practicing artist, curator and arts educator.
Her work has been reviewed or featured in The Washington Post, Washington City Paper, Hyperallergic, Huffington Post, ebony.com, The Miami Herald, Bmore Art Magazine, Support Black Art and Callaloo: Art and Culture in the African Diaspora, among other publications.
Robles-Gordon’s work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and in Germany, Italy, Malaysia, London and Spain. She has created temporary and public installations for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association, Howard University, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Washington Project for the Arts, Salisbury University and Martha’s Table.
In 2012, Robles-Gordon was selected for Under the Influence, in association with the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s 30 Americans exhibit. As an arts advocate, Robles-Gordon has served the Washington, D.C. regional arts community as an active member of Black Artists DC, serving as exhibitions coordinator, vice president, and president. She is also the co-founder of Delusions of Grandeur Artist Collective.
Kohl Gallery is located on the first floor of the Gibson Center for the Arts at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. The gallery is open Wednesday through Friday 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. For more information, email: kohl_gallery@washcoll.edu.
“…an Earth alive in my consciousness as a living crystal being whose etheric geometric skeleton could be mapped in its patterns of energy flows…in ocean currents, the winds, river systems, and distributions of precious minerals. It seemed to me that ancient humans had known this sacred, hidden body of Earth and had settled on it in ways that took advantage of very visceral powers of place.”
-Bethe Hagens
The Divine Feminine in Geometric Consciousness (2010)
Hagen’s quote suggests that one can map the Earth not just through national borders, but through the power of the natural environment and the sacred energy that flows through those spaces. To her geometry is not simply a tool for measuring distances or volumes of space, but a way to consider invisible sacred energies helping keep the Earth functioning as it should. Each aspect of the environment works together creating a harmonious system. Hagen’s quote also hints at the legacy of geometric symbols moving beyond practical units, into sacred objects representing notions of infiniteness, and the unity of male and female. Moreover, depictions of spheres, circles, triangles, and their three-dimensional counterparts have used in rituals by numerous cultures spanning the world from ancient times into the present day…
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"Interdimensional Realms" by Amber Robles-Gordon
"MORE or LESS" showcases how D.C.'s affinity for Abstraction has always been a part of its artistic DNA.
by KRISTON CAPPS, Washington City Paper
MAY 24, 2018 11 AM
Process-based abstraction has always been a staple of painting in D.C. The Washington Color School was built by artists who defined their work by their approach to the canvas, whether by staining it or draping it or something else. MORE or LESS, a group show on view at Hemphill Fine Arts, shows how new trends in contemporary painting continue to line up with the work that put D.C. on the map in the 1960s and ’70s.
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Synchronous Dialogue, Bloom and Orbits, Installation, Mixed-Media, 2018
By Lyric Prince, www.sugarcanemagazine.com
Morton Fine Art, a gallery that is off to the side of the U Street Corridor in Washington D.C., fills in a niche for vibrant artists of color that are pushing boundaries and expectations on art and its potential. Mixed-media installation artist Amber Robles-Gordon's solo exhibition Third Eye Open, which closes on May 20th, was comprised of 8 assemblages produced in 2018, and presented the meeting between the physical world and the intuition of human experience. The chosen forms of the show – circles and ovum – alluded to the ongoing cycle of inserting and patterning elements for self-discovery, incubation, and introspection. Throughout, Robles-Gordon explored abstract art's potential for demonstrating spiritual growth and emotional connection on a metaphorically cosmic scale – where the rules of time and gravity fall to the wayside.
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Kepler 19 c Super Earth and Orbit, Installation, Mixed-Media, 2018
by Renee Royale, www.supportblackart.com
Her work is multilayered; upon first glance there is an overall image presented of cellular circles that contain significant amounts of patterned dark matter, or space, and then heavily layered nuclei that are brightly colored with strategically placed materials giving balance to the form. Then, upon closer inspection, one discovers tiny details, be they altering textures or hand drawn ink strokes, all seamlessly weaving their individualities into the cohesiveness of the piece. Her art is steeped in duality and the connection to divine feminine, an examination of what femininity means and how it is viewed in relationship to the masculine. Her spirals are comprised of bits of lace, portion of a blouse, lanyard reminiscent of childhood art endeavors, and other found materials that represent the realm of womanhood. The pieces spiral, reminiscent of kundalini energy, further enhanced by the subtle abstract snakes that are strategically woven into the tapestries.
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Maya Freelon’s “Bubble 2,” on view at Morton Fine Art. (Maya Freelon/Morton Fine Art)
by Mark Jenkins, Washington Post
Fabric scraps and damaged tissue paper are the essential ingredients of new work now at Morton Fine Art. Those materials might sound negligible, but Amber Robles-Gordon and Maya Freelon employ them with ambition and impact.
Robles-Gordon, a D.C. native, is known for hanging strands of textiles and other found objects in intricate arrangements. The pieces in her “Third Eye Open” are wall-mounted rather than suspended, and feature circular drawing-collages orbited by smaller rounded objects, some partly covered in bits of garments. The forms suggest zygotes and planets, as well as eyes, but at the heart of each of the larger circles is a leafy motif. Whether seen as cosmic or botanical, the artist’s circling compositions exalt natural cycles.
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by Kimberli Gant, PhD, McKinnon Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art
“…an Earth alive in my consciousness as a living crystal being whose etheric geometric skeleton could be mapped in its patterns of energy flows…in ocean currents, the winds, river systems, and distributions of precious minerals. It seemed to me that ancient humans had known this sacred, hidden body of Earth and had settled on it in ways that took advantage of very visceral powers of place.” - Bethe Hagens
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Third Eye Open, represents an internal conversation about the inter-connectedness of human life, from the infinitesimal individual to the expanse in which our universe exists and operates within - yet there are laws of physics, and highly shared beliefs and practices that hinge or bind us together…
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April 19 - June 9, 2018
By George Hemphill, Hemphill Fine Art
Washington DC — HEMPHILL is pleased to announce the exhibition MORE or LESS opening on Thursday, April 19, with a reception from 6-8pm. The exhibition will remain on view through June 9, 2018 and features paintings, works on paper and mixed media works by Rushern Baker IV, Stephen Benedicto, Ryan Crotty, Anna U. Davis, Gene Davis, Thomas Downing, Mary Early, Robert Otto Epstein, Jeremy Flick, Hedieh Javanshir Ilchi, Kevin MacDonald, Amy Pleasant, Amber Robles-Gordon, Robin Rose, Pete Schulte, Brett Smith, Michael West and Douglas Witmer.
Read MoreMore or Less: Thoughts on a Comment Made by Walter Hopps
Spring of 1979; only a month after arriving in Washington, Walter Hopps, the revered and now mythical curator, pulled a chair around my desk and sat down beside me. I barely knew Hopps, but I did know enough to see the opportunity in the moment.
So I asked the star curator what he thought was the most important movement in American art. Hopps drew hard on his cigarette, not so much for the need of nicotine, but to give his response the flare of an actor revealing the secret to the plot. His answer: Abstract Expressionism. American art would always tend toward representation, because American art and the American character were bound by a literalness. Therefore Abstract Expressionism would be seen as the most unique and revealing of the American art movements. I cannot say if this was his true belief, or if Hopps was throwing out a response meant to push his inquisitor to think more openly. Nearly 40 years later, the number of artists creating abstract works is not waning.
Next up!!!! Saturday, April 7, 2018 2:15-3:15
Artist Panel: Materiality and Space at the @jamesa.portercolloquium1990
Panelists:
@jmaurelle @amberroblesgordon @gregory.coates
Panel Moderator: Margo N. Crawford, Ph.D., Professor of English, Department of English, University of Pennsylvania #portercolloquium
Please join the Office of the Dean, the Diversity Committee, and Gallery O on H for an exhibit of art and photography in honor of Black History Month. The exhibit explores the African American experience in the United States through a collection of documentary photography, oil paintings, and artwork that incorporates weaving and textiles to address issues of identity and belonging.
For over seven generations, Johns Hopkins SAIS has produced graduates who have gone on to tackle some of the most pressing policy challenges in the world. As an internationally-focused school, we push our students to find constructive, collaborative, and thoughtful approaches to solving any problem anywhere. And while the study of race in the United States is not a traditional component of the international affairs curriculum, we continue to incorporate it into our programming as the national dialogue on race in the country has intensified and evolved in recent years. It is in this spirit of seeking greater education and social change that we host this exhibit.
The works in this exhibit have been curated by Shamila N. Chaudhary, Senior Advisor to the Dean and Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute, who has started an initiative on visual arts with policy impact in mind. For more information, contact schaudhary@jhu.edu.
We are proud to host the following artists:
Sheila Crider
Steven Cummings
Katie Dance
Jay Durrah
Amber Robles-Gordon
Nana Gyesie
Miki Jourdan
Chinedu Osuchukwu
Stacey Lewis
Chris Suspect
Lloyd Wolf
Joy Sharon Yi
About the Artists
Sheila Crider is an independent mid-career artist based in Washington, DC. She is an active member of Washington Project for the Arts and panelist for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Steven Cummings is a photographer based in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, DC who documents the changes and growing development in the city. He received his MFA at Maryland College Institute of Art.
Katie Dance is a documentary photographer and videographer with a passion for visual storytelling from the Washington, D.C. area. She received her Master's Degree in New Media Photojournalism from George Washington University.
Jay Durrah is a self-taught artist from Western PA who has been sketching since the age of nine. He received a B.A. in Political Science from Howard University.
Amber Robles Gordon is a mixed media visual artist who works with found objects and textile to create assemblages, large-scale sculptures and installations. She completed her Masters of Fine Arts from Howard University.
Nana Gyesie specializes in street, documentary, and portrait photography. His work is shaped by inspiration he draws from lived lives, the public space, and The City, in any country.
Miki Jourdan concentrates on street and environmental portraits, working to take candid photos that bring out people’s inner humanity and the joys and obstacles they face. A non-profit librarian, Miki has lived in Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood since 2001.
Stacey Lewis is a metro D.C. based street photographer who loves the challenge of connecting the viewer to an ordinary, familiar scene with everyday people and helping them see her subject in a different light.
Chinedu Osuchukwu is a Nigerian-American artist who graduated from The Corcoran College of Art. His work has been featured by Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Watergate Gallery. Osuchkuwu has also been an art teacher in Washington DC area schools for the past 15 years.”
Chris Suspect is a street and documentary photographer hailing from the Washington, D.C. area. He specializes in capturing absurd and profound moments in the quotidian.
Lloyd Wolf is an award-winning photographer and educator whose work has been in over 100 exhibitions and is collected in numerous museums and private collections. He has taught at Shepherd College, George Mason University, and to homeless and immigrant youth.
Joy Sharon Yi is an independent photographer and filmmaker based in Northern Virginia who uses media as a means for examining important social and historic issues. She received her Master’s degree in New Media Photojournalism at GW's Corcoran School of the Arts and Design.
About Gallery O on H: Collecting art for 35 years led the Gallery owners, Steve and Dolly, to eventually bring their dream and passion for art to life on H St NE. What started as free shows, curated by Dolly and with not a price tag in site, has grown into a practiced philosophy of cultivating local art, artists, and events open to everyone with a passion for art.
Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University
1740 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Photo credit: Chris Suspect
The James A. Porter Colloquium is the leading forum for scholars, artists, curators, and individuals in the field of African American Art and Visual Culture. Established at Howard University in 1990, the Colloquium is named in honor of James A. Porter, the pioneering Art Historian and Professor, whose 1943 publication, Modern Negro Art, laid the foundation for the field of study. The annual Colloquium continues his legacy through dynamic programming, scholarly research, and artistic leadership.
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Rush Art Galleries is proud to debut Faculty, a new exhibition that presents the work of Washington, D.C. artist collective, Delusions of Grandeur. Through a lens of critical intellectualism and psychic vision, the six artists who form the collective, Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Shaunté Gates, Stan Squirewell, Amber Robles-Gordon, Wesley Clark, and Larry Cook use their powers of ancestral memory to render symbols of communal black instincts within contemporary art in the new millennium. The ability to hear and bridge ancient history with the present and that which does not yet exist, drive the artists to capture transcendental ideas, cultural iconography and the everyday masses of people seeking to survive and transform the current political, social and economic landscape which threatens human beings. The works in the exhibition draw the viewer into fantasy paintings interspersed with digital photography, mixed media portraits, conceptions of human energy beginning with binary code, and a standing installation of lost and found objects to create new storytelling patterns and provide hopeful change in black culture and community.
Delusions of Grandeur came together to articulate difficult conversations of race, class, social access and community through a shared commitment and desire for making new texts out of visual concepts. Wesley Clark constructs fictional artifacts, which he ‘antiques’ from an ability to ‘see’ beyond current belief systems of what is beautiful and conventional. With White neon lettering glowing upon a black backdrop that says, “Some of my best friends are black.” Larry Cook questions if that’s the case by asking the viewer to understand black culture and identity from a place of agency and nonlinear time. In Shaunté Gates’ surreal dream affects grounded in reality based photography, the color red repeats itself in remembrance of fire and sacrifice. Jamea Richmond-Edwards portraits of black women are at once ethereal and bold. Using ink and graphite, featuring bright faux couture patterns made of paper, sequins and textiles against black space, the faces come alive in the frame imploring the viewer to return their gaze and listen to the story being told through the women's piercing eyes. Light, rich color combinations of yellows, reds and blues weave the concepts of feminine and masculine energy to mine the healing terrain of holistic power sources found in Amber Robles Gordon’s work. The science of 1’s and 0’s known as binary code informs Stan Squirewell’s exploration of birth and repetition of three-dimensional vision and sound through standing installations.
The sites of inquiry used by the artists place logical reasoning and sixth sense intuition at the center of shifting dialogue and perceptions of what black culture and community have been and what it’s becoming. Each artist, in turn, puts Faculty at the forefront of thought design, adding another layer of language to the current codes of blackness and representation.
Faculty will run from February 22nd through April 5th, 2018 at Rush Arts Gallery (located at 526 West 26th Street, Suite 311, New York, NY 10001). An opening reception will be held on Thursday, February 22nd, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Toward the end of 2016, Maya Freelon began dealing with issues of rebirth and rebounding: the changes of various identities that happen in midlife. Recent tissue and ink mono prints reflect those transitions, with explorations of more subdued palettes, analogous and monochromatic color schemes. Identity is an issue present in Amber Robles Gordon’s work, as well. For the past year she has been constructing collages that deal with African and Puerto Rican heritage in a patriarchal American society, and pushing against the patriarchy with matrilineal mandalas. While the themes of identity will unify these two solo exhibitions at Morton Fine Art, their kaleidoscopic use of color will likely create the visual complimentary bridge. April 27 to May 15 at Morton Fine Art. Free. —John Anderson
Please follow the highlighted links for currently AVAILABLE ARTWORK by these two fantastic artists and stay tuned for the upcoming fusion of their exciting solo exhibitions here at Morton Fine Art opening April 27th, 2018.
https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/article/20991705/spring-arts-entertainment-guide-2018
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