The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that oil paintings by New York based artist Lara Ivanovic and mixed media works by Jennifer Kelly Hoskins of Columbia, SC, will be on exhibit at the North Charleston City Gallery from November 1-30, 2018. The artists will host a free public reception at the gallery on Thursday, November 1, from 5:00-7:00pm.
Lara Ivanovic will present Forsaken Spaces, an exhibit of oil paintings inspired by abandoned factories and broken-down buildings. This series of paintings depicts large, empty interior spaces and reflects on the themes of past and future possibilities. What was once contained in these empty shells of buildings? Will they be repurposed in the future? Ivanovic works from photos she takes on road trips, often through the rust belt as she has most recently been interested in exploring industrial decline. She paints from the photos that interest her and experiments with perspective, contrast, and light to describe the mystery of these abandoned spaces.
Ivanovic was born in 1967 and raised in London, England. She attended St Martin’s School of Art in London and earned a BFA in Illustration from Rhode Island School of Design in Providenc in 1989. After graduation, she moved to San Francisco and taught in a school for underprivileged children, then pursued her interest in book arts. She returned to London in 1992 and worked as an illustrator, graphic designer, and art director for magazines, corporate identity, and publications. Lara then took a trip around the Australian outback in 1999, and was so inspired by the landscape and way of life there that she decided to move to Sydney. This was the first time she was able to paint full time and it was a revelation. Lara was represented in Sydney by several galleries who showed her paintings of abandoned rusty vehicles in numerous solo and group exhibitions. She moved to the United States in 2005, and has exhibited her paintings in New York City, as well as regional galleries. She currently lives and works in Westchester County, NY, with her family. For more information about the artist, visit laraivanovic.com.
Nostalgia – Mixed Media works by Jennifer Kelly Hoskins
Jennifer Kelly Hoskins’ exhibit, Nostalgia, is a series of drawings in colored pencil and acrylic depicting the hands of friends or relatives. Each of her subjects holds an object that is a symbol of notalgia connecting them to late friends and relatives. A man’s hand holds Legos that remind him of his grandfather. A woman’s hand holds a tax return with her grandmother’s signature on it. “I believe our former selves are carried within us, continually influencing our current realities,” Hoskins explains. She began this series to give others a platform to share, connect with others, and achieve peace with the past. Hoskins develops her detailed drawings by layering acrylic and colored pencils to create rich values and a strong sense of form. The drawings have the presence and vividness of memory that connects us to our former selves.
Jennifer Kelly Hoskins is an artist and arts educator who works primarily in mixed media. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Art Studio from the University of South Carolina. She studied painting and drawing and worked as a curator and magazine editor in Italy at the Florence University of the Arts. While in Italy, Hoskins’ work, Volterra, was both published and shown in the group exhibition Instudio at the venue Ganzo. Hoskins has since exhibited at McMaster Gallery, ArtFields, Gallery 120, and the Lipscomb Gallery for the 30th Anniversary Juried Exhibition. Hoskins was recently an artist in residence at Azule in Hotsprings, NC, and Atelier de la Rose in Montcabrier, France. For more information about the artist, visit jenniferkellyhoskins.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 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 at www.northcharleston.org.