The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that paintings by Dana Kotler of San Diego, CA, as well as archival pigment prints by O. Gustavo Plascencia of Memphis, TN, will be on exhibit at the North Charleston City Gallery from March 2-29, 2019. The concurrent solo exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Dana Kotler presents Excavation Sites, a series of surreal oil paintings that began as still lifes and developed over time to play with memories, associations, beauties, surprises, and anxieties. Often working in a large scale, Kotler sees her paintings as a space to accumulate actions—artistic decisions and the movement of her hand are recorded by her brush. The time spent with the images is what allows Kotler to develop the emotional qualities of her paintings. “It is an excavation that gradually removes the layers under which we purposefully bury what we cannot easily address,” she explains. As the layers of paint build up, Kotler allows unconscious associations to influence her final image.
Dana Kotler was born in Odessa, Ukraine, and grew up in Jerusalem, Israel, after which she relocated to New York with her family. She received her MFA in painting from the New York Academy of Art. Dana instructs a summer study abroad course in Dingle, Ireland, and has taught courses in colleges in Boston, MA, and San Diego, CA. Dana has displayed her work in a number of group and solo exhibitions, and is a recipient of two Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grants, among others. Currently, she lives in Pennsylvania. For more information about the artist visit danakotlerart.com.
Constellate – Archival Pigment Prints by O. Gastavo Plascencia
In Constellate, O. Gustavo Plascencia presents selections from two of his archival pigment print series, Abstracted Data and Specimen. The subjects of the photographs in these series are landscapes and the body. Plascencia considers the landscape as a witness to histories both personal and communal, and the body as the place where histories happen. Using these photographs as material, Plascencia explores the constructive nature of identity, the conflict that individuals face building their identities, and the duality of private and public lives. “Individuals constantly (re)create and (re)define their identity by the passing of time and new experiences and relationships,” writes Plascencia. “In similar ways, my prints go through changes with different degrees of molding cutting burning, stretching, sewing, and the application of paint or ink before they become finished pieces.” Plascencia uses alternative photography processes, mixed media, photo-constructions, and installation to create narratives and explore symbols of identity.
Gustavo Plascencia was raised in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. He attended the Escuela de Artes Plasticas Ruben Herrara in Saltillo, Coahuila, before immigrating to the USA. He received a Master in Fine Arts from the University of Colorado in Boulder in Photography and Media Arts and his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at Arlington. His work has been shown in both national and international venues including Museo de Las Americas (Denver, Colorado), Instituto de Artes de Medellin (Medellin, Colombia), The International Center of Bethlehem (Bethlehem, Palestine), among others. He has participated in artist-in-residency programs in Colombia, Italy, and Bulgaria, and currently resides in Memphis, TN. For more information about the artist visit ogplascencia.com.
The North Charleston City Gallery is situated in two corridors of the northwest corner of the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Parking and admission are free. Gallery attendant hours are Tuesdays 12-5pm, Wednesdays 11am-5pm, Thursdays 11am-7:30pm, and Fridays 11am-5pm. Inquiries regarding the artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Arts & Culture section of the City’s website.