Some of our past articles may not have images. Click here to see those that do.

Preview: Chie Yoshii’s “In the Darkness of Mere Being” at Roq La Rue

Chie Yoshii's latest exhibition at Roq La Rue in Seattle took its title from a quote by Carl Jung: "Human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” Titled "In the Darkness of Mere Being," her new series of paintings was heavily influenced by the ideas of this pioneering psychologist.

Chie Yoshii’s latest exhibition at Roq La Rue in Seattle took its title from a quote by Carl Jung: “Human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” Titled “In the Darkness of Mere Being,” her new series of paintings was heavily influenced by the ideas of this pioneering psychologist.

Part of Jung’s approach to understanding human behavior entailed deriving archetypes from Greek and Roman mythology. Mythological themes pervade Yoshii’s lush, color-saturated paintings, as well. Each piece focuses on a different female protagonist (all of their faces have an uncanny resemblance to Botticelli’s Venus, another Classical reference). One character who strokes a bull’s face evokes the legend of Europa, whom Zeus attempted to seduce in the guise of a bull. A winged, androgynous hunter flying alongside an owl recalls Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

Yoshii’s “In the Darkness of Mere Being” is on view July 3 through August 2 and will be exhibited alongside Casey Curran’s “Indeterminate Apotheosis.” Take a look at some of the work in the show below.

Topics

Chie Yoshii, In the Darkness of Mere Being, Roq La Rue

Femke Hiemstra, painting, Roq La Rue, Warten am Waldrand

August 5, 2014

Femke Hiemstra's work always tickles the senses with its sumptuous textures and whimsical details and her upcoming solo show, "Warten am Waldrand," at Roq La Rue in Seattle is no exception. The artist (recently featured in a special sketchbook section in Hi-Fructose Vol. 29) is known for the storybook quality of her drawings and paintings. But beyond the naive exterior, her animal vignettes sometimes take on a darker tone. Hiemstra does not strive for a cartoonish "creepy-cute" aesthetic, but rather invokes notes of somber emotions to give her characters full dimensionality. Her playful works tap into her viewers' nostalgia for childhood, but the allegorical paintings offer plenty of opportunity for viewers to see reflections of themselves and the world around them.

Casey Weldon Exhibits Mystical New Works in “Hastemaker”

American West, Casey Weldon, Magical Realism, Roq La Rue, Winslow Homer

October 3, 2015

Seattle based artist Casey Weldon, first featured in HF Vol. 32, paints colorful and glowing works with nostalgic pop references and a touch of humor. In recent years, his paintings have become increasingly mystical, taking otherwise everyday places and animals and giving them a luminous, candy-colored twist. For his current exhibition at Roq la Rue gallery in Seattle, "Hastemaker", Weldon builds upon his vibrantly colored, dreamlike world. It goes far beyond his "cute-gross" style, as he describes it.

Casey Weldon, Eric Wert, and More Exhibit Summer Inspired Works in “Lush Life: Reverie”

Adrian Cox, Casey Weldon, Eric Wert, Lauren Marx, Roq La Rue

July 28, 2015

To the artists in Roq La Rue's upcoming exhibition "Lush Life: Reverie", the lushness of late summer means bright pops of color, surreal fertile gardens, sensual heroines, and luxurious depictions of nature. Opening July 30th, the Seattle gallery is bringing back their "Lush Life" exhibition series with a newfound sense of fantasy. The exhibit features artists that have always explored natural themes to varying degree; Adrian Cox, Amanda Manitach, Ashley Eliza Williams, Casey Curran, Casey Weldon (HF Vol. 32), Christian Rex Van Minnen (HF Vol. 25), Eric Wert (HF Vol, 32), Erin Kendig, Esao Andrews (HF Vol. 8), Helen Bayly, Jeff Soto (HF Vol. 18), Jonathan Viner (HF Vol. 34), Kazuki Takamatsu (HF Vol. 33 cover artist), Lauren Marx, Laurie Lee Brom, Lowell Poisson, Marco Mazzoni (HF Vol. 20 cover artit), Peter Ferguson, Ryan Heshka, Sam Wolfe Connelly (HF Vol. 32), Scott Hove (HF Collected 3), and Tyna Ontko.

Preview: Chris Berens’s “Nethermoor” at Roq La Rue

Chris Berens, Roq La Rue

February 3, 2015

Dutch artist Chris Berens (featured in our book Hi-Fructose Collected 3) developed a unique painting technique that lends his work a soft focus, as if watching the fantastical world he depicts through a distorted lens. The artist combines age-old glazing techniques inspired by the Renaissance masters with layers of emulsion, plastic sheets one to three inches thick, and paper. The result is a quilted-looking texture that evokes the sensation of seeing his work through uneven layers of glass. The artist has been laying low until recently, and will debut his first US solo show in four years, "Nethermoor," at Roq La Rue in Seattle on February 5.

Preview: Chie Yoshii’s “In the Darkness of Mere Being” at Roq La Rue

Preview: Femke Hiemstra’s “Warten am Waldrand” at Roq La Rue

Casey Weldon Exhibits Mystical New Works in “Hastemaker”

Casey Weldon, Eric Wert, and More Exhibit Summer Inspired Works in “Lush Life: Reverie”

Preview: Chris Berens’s “Nethermoor” at Roq La Rue

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List

Follow us on our social networks

Shop

Subscribe

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List