Opening: Natalie Wood "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" and Mélanie Rocan "Hide and Seek"

Accès

À propos

"Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea"

Natalie Wood

October 11 - November 9, 2024

Opening Reception: Friday October 11, 7-10pm

This exhibit links to my academic and performance work on the Trinidadian carnival character of the Blue Devil. Thematically I explore Blue Devils as a source of creative Black queer feminist ecowarrior liberation, and power. Therefore the works bridge a connection to the sea, tidal submarine relations through time and across the Black Atlantic, and diasporic resistance moves that embody ancient knowledge and satirically engages with imposed labels of Blackness, womyness and queerness as devil. Aesthetically I draw upon afro surrealist practices, art as activism, portraiture, historical, and pop culture references. The exhibit explores the question of who or what lies between the devil and the deep blue sea...

-- Natalie Wood

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"Hide and Seek"

Mélanie Rocan

October 11 - November 9, 2024

Opening Reception: Friday October 11, 7-10pm

"Hide and Seek" is a series of 26 acrylic paintings on wood in miniature scale, all 4.25 x 5.90 inches and created in 2024. This body of work depicts the female figure in various natural environments, either in contemplation, searching for something, trying to find an escape or hiding behind veils and natural elements.

With all the figures in my paintings there is an inner quest to hide within and to seek, and a self-reflection that touches on a spiritual level. "Hide and Seek" represents a journey within the soul to seek spiritual wisdom from within, and the understanding of knowledge that comes from one’s inner self and the divine force around us. Quiet moments spent alone give us the ability to see beyond the material world and to understand the interconnectedness of all things. Not only are the figures in that space of contemplation, but I also hope to pull the viewer in to look carefully at the miniature scale with an intimate and quiet gaze. The rendering of this new body of work is important. I want to capture in fine detail the essence and gesture of the subjects. I want to consider a balance of miniature marks in relation to more gestural flowing paint. I believe that my experience painting in large format has given me the ability to allow freedom of gesture while I paint, and to pay attention to this harmony...

-- Mélanie Rocan

(read more on our website: paulpetro.com)

Liens

• Paul Petro Contemporary Art website paulpetro.com

Organisateur

Paul Petro Contemporary Art

Exhibiting Canadian and international artists by invitation since 1993.