KELSEY WALKER
VA MOCA BRINGS A COLLECTION OF IMAGINATIVE WORLDS TO VA BEACH
The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) never fails to bring Hampton Roads some of the coolest, most relevant modern art there is. For the Fall 2015 exhibition, MOCA will be showcasing the wild and dreamy works of four artists from around the world that you won’t want to skip out on.
TRENTON DOYLE HANCOCK: Skin and bones, 20 years of drawing
Showing drawings, collages and other works on paper from the span of 1998-2014, Skin and Bones displays some of Hancock’s wildest creations. Using a wide range of symbolism and vivid imagery, Hancock gives off a ubiquitous sense of the struggle between good versus evil throughout many of his works. The exhibition focuses on his drawings, mostly unexplored when compared to the artist’s paintings. Pulling inspiration from comics, graphic novels, music and cartoons, Hancock’s work draws you into his world, starting from his preadolescent days to where he is now.
Trenton Doyle Hancock
…And Then It All Came Back to Me, 2011
Mixed media on paper
ANDREA DEZSO: Dreamtime
Stepping into the world of Andrea Dezso’s “tunnel books” is literally like stepping into a storybook. Dezso arranges layers of hand cut and sewn paper and utilizes LED lighting to create a 3D illusion. The result is an intricate diorama that makes you want to climb right into the world she’s created. Her illustrations have been featured in everything from Harper’s Bizarre to the New York Times, and recently in The Complete First Edition Original Folk & Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, translated by Jack Zipes.
HEATHER BRYANT: Grasp
Bryant, a Norfolk native and former professor at Old Dominion University, uses her watercolor and mixed media pieces to make you feel as though you’re in an imaginary, cosmic dream world. The pieces consist of diverse subjects, but are tied together by similar colors and patterns in a hope to promote harmony between opposing forces by drawing in on collective human experiences. Known for her darker, less colorful lithographs, Bryant’s work has been shown both nationally and internationally.
AMANDA MCCAVOUR: Inside/Out
Most of the time, when you think of art you think of it in terms of the media in which it’s made. Paintings are created with paint, drawings with ink, graphite or charcoal, etc. So it surprised me to find out that Amanda McCavour draws with thread. The results are incredibly intricate 3D objects or sceneries, like a living room or a meadow of flowers, but they’re made entirely of thread. In another counterintuitive and also very surreal move, the pieces are often arranged hanging from the ceiling.
Beginning with the Opening Reception September 10th, the exhibition will be on view from September 11th to December 31st, 2015. I definitely recommend seeing the works of these incredible artists before it’s too late!
Original article for Culture Snack Magazine.