R E – E V O L U T I O N
Zattere, Dorsoduro 49, Venezia
You are invited Sunday, June 5, 2011, 5 to 8 pm
to the opening of an exhibition by American artists:
«The Roots of the Spirit»
On view from June 5 to July 31, 2011, organized to coincide with the
54th edition of the Venice Biennale
Lonnie Holley, Mr. Imagination, Charlie Lucas, and Kevin Sampson are renowned as self-taught American artists but refer to themselves as simply American artists.
The exhibition, «The Roots of the Spirit», on view in Venice at L’Espace Re-Evolution from June 5 to July 31, 2011, presents four African American artists who have integrated their experiences in Venice, once the crossroads of the world, with the city’s own encounters with Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. Their artworks express both their African and American culture, their everyday lives, their dreams, and their aspirations.
L’Espace Re-Evolution, an 11th-century garden completely unknown to the public located on the Zattere on Dorsoduro, is one of the most beautiful spaces in Venice. In less than one week and working only with materials found on the Venice streets and in the canals, the four artists created nearly 50 site-specific works that reflect the spirit of this special site. Lonnie Holley combined sculptures with paintings that read as a diary of his sojourn. The ghostly appearance of Mr. Imagination’s silver wire mesh dress and shoes alludes to the garden’s secret past. Charlie Lucas painted two works on bedsheets that are, consistent with his philosophy of art and life. Kevin Sampson created an ephemeral wall installation of grottoes and shrines using seaweed and bones in an attempt to connect the past with the present.
The artists’ work is included in many major American museum collections: American Folk Art Museum, New York; Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama; American Visionary Museum, Baltimore, Maryland; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; and Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, Chicago, Illinois, among others.
The artists acknowledge the support of the Ford Foundation.
Contact New York: Martha Henry 011 212 308 2759 mh@marthahenry.com
Vaporetto stop: S. Salute
Photo: Kevin Sampson, U.S.S. Palin, 2010, mixed media
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