The Revival, 2018
Featured artist: Lena Sayadian
Opening reception: Saturday, September 8, 2018 *6p-9p
Second reception: Saturday, September 22, 2018 *4p-10p, in conjunction with the biennial Frogtown Art Walk
Runs September 8, 2018 - October 6, 2018
This show will explore the ideas of life, death, rebirth and growth represented with natural imagery.
The featured artist Lena Sayadian has been showing with Cactus Gallery for over 9 years.
Artist Statement: In my highly rendered acrylic paintings, animals and natural elements create a narrative exploring the ideas of life, death, rebirth and growth. This imagery symbolizes change, perseverance and evolution that contribute to the essence of being.
Life is cyclical. A living creature is formed, it grows and reproduces, withers and dies. Within this loop there more intricate cycles where living things expand, contract, persevere and grow. From death, new life arises. Humans desperately attempt to control and manipulate this truth, hoping that it is something that can be negotiated with. However, manipulation and control are only effective to a certain degree. The fundamentals of nature demand a chaotic balance of give and take where human control is lost. Raw power such as this is both beautiful and frightening. My work examines the foundation of existence that humans who are lost in the maze of modern civilization tend to ignore or forget. It explores this idea through explosion, fire, burn, ash, fertility, growth, abundance, over-abundance, and the destruction that is life.
Detachment of modern urban life transforms nature into a mere abstract concept, obscuring the reality beyond our cities. This has led mankind’s vision of the natural world as something to be conquered and subjugated instead of an integral part of humanity. This creates a bubble in which humans think they are immune to the laws of nature. My work focuses on the powerful and beautiful interconnectedness of animals, the nonhuman world and the harsh realities that are the core of nature.
Participating artists:
Jaclyn Alderete, Pamela Almeida (Archetypal Musings), Ulla Anobile, Lea Barozzi, Skye Becker-Yamakawa, Denise Bledsoe, Andrea Bogdan, Catherine Bursill Moore, Jon Ching, Anna Chung, Nancy Cintron, Dane Eisenbart, Eden Folwell, Emily Gonzales, Amy Guidry, Annette Hassell, Lori Herbst, Anita Inverarity, Veronica Jaeger, Lydia Moon Hee Kim, J. L. King, Patricia Krebs, Mavis Leahy, Kahla Lewis, Milka Lolo, Snow Mack, Malathip, Samantha Mullen, Nichol Norman, Janet Olenik, Sarah Polzin, Tania Pomales, Jen Raven, Bonnie Robinson Stewart (Huggable Koi), Joshua Roman, Valerie Savarie, Lena Sayadian, Carolina Seth, Cat Sommer, Kelly Thompson, Kelly Vetter, Michelle Waters, Alex Wells (Ragged Caravan), Jennifer Wildermuth-Reyes, Holly Wood and ZenBunny Studios
