Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

The Dynamic Collaborative Works of Oliver Vernon and Christian Calabro

Bringing two, varied backgrounds and sensibilities, Oliver Vernon and Christian Calabro collaborate on visceral, abstract mixed-media pieces. A show at Kirk Gallery, running through March 1, offers examples of this partnership through a dynamic set of works. A statement says that “parallel interests in art history stemming from Kurt Schwitters and early Modernist movements, their creative kinship developed over years before the artistic collaborations began in 2010.”

Bringing two, varied backgrounds and sensibilities, Oliver Vernon and Christian Calabro collaborate on visceral, abstract mixed-media pieces. A show at Kirk Gallery, running through March 1, offers examples of this partnership through a dynamic set of works. A statement says that “parallel interests in art history stemming from Kurt Schwitters and early Modernist movements, their creative kinship developed over years before the artistic collaborations began in 2010.”

“Their work plays with the intersection of intuitive gestural mark making and hard edged design elements while mixing a rigid abstract formalist approach with a reverence for the absurd,” it says. “Their process is spontaneous, seeking to capture a moment free of preconceptions. Tight craftsmanship is as much an ingredient as absolute looseness, giving the artists a freedom to push the boundaries of perceptual norms.”

See more from the show below.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
John Byrd works with taxidermy, hand-built ceramics, cast plastic, and other materials to create works that recall decorative souvenirs and knick-knacks. The artist says that “within a domestic space, I’m intrigued by the ability of an encapsulated aesthetic to establish, defy, and challenge characteristics of culture and class.”
Gregory Euclide has always intertwined painting with nature-inspired elements; elaborately-rendered traditional, yet graphic landscapes, crumpled and scientifically sampled into otherworldly dioramas. First featured in Hi-Fructose Vol. 14 and here on our blog, Euclide's work has taken on several forms over the years, from his snow globe-like "bio-spherescapes" that seem to defy gravity and riverbeds 'growing' from spilled paint. He continues to challenge the typical "rules" for two and three-dimensional art, including his own.
Exploring the reality of "distorted or inaccessible memories," Eliana Marinari applies several layers of aerosol acrylic paint over ink and pastel drawings. In the artist’s “Recognition Memory” and “Recollection” series, portraits and still-life works are given this treatment, respectively. The resulting work is both haunting and brings reflection on our own limitations, as viewers.
In his recent show at The Hall in Brooklyn, Aaron Li-Hill tackles climate change in his visceral mixed-media works. "Perils of a New World" collects both handheld pieces and massive new installations from the Canadian artist. The show also features works fro ma collaborative photographic series with Mathais Wasik.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List