Tag Archives: Stephen Romano Gallery

“OPUS HYPNAGOGIA” Presents Surreal Works by Kris Kuksi, Martin Wittfooth, and More

by CaroPosted on

Stephen Romano Gallery in Brooklyn has assembled a rather eerie exhibition in cooperation with Morbid Anatomy Museum that pairs contemporary works with a wide variety of vernacular photography, folk sculpture, spirit photography, and more. “OPUS HYPNAGOGIA: Sacred Spaces of the Visionary and Vernacular” takes a look at creative enlightenment over the centuries, and explores our ongoing fascination with mental phenomena like Hypnagogia. On display will be recent works by the likes of Martin Wittfooth (HF Vol. 19 cover artist), Kris Kuksi (first covered in HF Vol. 19), Caitlin McCormack, El Gato Chimney, Rithika Merchant, and Hunter Stabler whose creations share a surreal quality or supernatural theme.

Preview: El Gato Chimney’s “De Rerum Natura” at Stephen Romano Gallery

by Nastia VoynovskayaPosted on

Italian artist El Gato Chimney will present a series of mystical watercolors in his upcoming solo show at Stephen Romano Gallery in Brooklyn, “De Rerum Natura” (which translates to “The Nature of Things” from Latin). Opening March 5 and on view through April 30, the exhibition features whimsical works that pull pagan symbolism from a variety of cultures to create a fictional world of animal deities and anthropomorphic spirits. Though Chimney delves into various spiritual traditions, he does so with a sense of humor. His work is filled with absurdist juxtapositions and open-ended symbolism that alludes to a forgotten time that never truly existed.

Preview: Colin Christian’s “Trypophobia” at Stephen Romano Gallery

by Nastia VoynovskayaPosted on

Trypophobia is the pathological fear of irregularly shaped holes. If looking at sponges, beehives, and raw meat makes you squirm, please look away. Colin Christian exploits people’s innate discomfort with porous organic matter in his new work for his January 3 solo show, “Trypophobia” at Stephen Romano Gallery in Brooklyn. While Christian’s doll-like sculptures have been featured on our blog many times, this is his most grotesque body of work yet. Toothy holes gnaw at the silicone flesh of his large-scale characters as if an alien parasite has invaded their bodies. Some of the sculptures feature close-ups of festering skin, which Christian displays in a medical fashion. He is clearly unafraid to repulse viewers with this exhibit.

On View: “In Missa Interfectionis” Group Show at Stephen Romano Gallery

by Nastia VoynovskayaPosted on

Just in time for today’s holiday, Stephen Romano Gallery in Brooklyn currently has a group show on display titled “In Missa Interfectionis.” The exhibition glorifies the morbid and macabre, juxtaposing contemporary works by the likes of Colin Christian, Soey Milk and Chie Yoshii with eerie artifacts from various cultures and time periods. A 20th-century Caribbean altar complete with a miniature casket and a 19th-century American illustration of the evolution of monsters are just a couple of the historical curiosities shown with the modern works. These pieces provide context for the newer ones, attesting to humanity’s eternal obsession with death and the supernatural.

On View: “Mysterium Cosmographicum” Group Show at Stephen Romano Gallery

by Nastia VoynovskayaPosted on

Artists’ exploration of the unknown is an age-old practice — a notion that Stephen Romano Gallery’s summer group show “Mysterium Cosmographicum” demonstrates with their diverse roster of artists, contemporary and historical. With its lofty theme, the show explores the role of the artist as prophet or shaman — simply put, someone who uses visual cues to access the spiritual side of human experience.