THE HUMAN BODY AND PERSONAL IDENTITY
Opening reception: Thursday, May 16, 6-10pm
Gallery: Scarab Club (217 Farnsworth St Detroit, MI 48202)
Free & Open to the Public
The Scarab Club presents "Lucid Reveries," a one night art exhibition of mixed media surreal paintings by Lindsey Harnish on Thursday May 16 from 6-10pm. These works are an ongoing exploration of the interior life and how individuals are elements of a larger world. The exhibit will take place in the Scarab Club's historic second floor lounge. Part of the Emerging Artist Showcase, it was curated by VATO and Adam Owen.
"Deep woodlands, abandoned buildings and haunted spaces are recurring motifs in my dreams," Harnish observes, "and many of these paintings seek to convey the unsettling mystery of those spaces, but also lushness and a spirited loveliness."
Harnish's paintings often incorporate anatomical elements and woodland motifs to delve into the subtler nuances of human nature. "Exposed organs are an excellent metaphor for how one is guarded or transparent," comments Harnish. "There's an organic beauty to the human body—both seen and unseen. For instance, there are branching patterns in our structure--like veins and valves--that recur in nature. To me, this illustrates our relation to other life on this earth. We are fragments of the whole." Harnish's art is an eclectic blend of styles, with nods to Art Nouveau and Lowbrow as well as the whimsical pages of children's picture books. "I aspire for my work to remain grounded in historical art movements, but to be dynamic, accessible and timely," she says. Lindsey Harnish has been exhibited throughout metro Detroit, including the Damned Exhibition, District VII Gallery and Russell St Industrial Center.
"Lucid Reveries is my effort to convey the ineffable," says Harnish, "scattered notions, vague dreams, but also the endurance of beauty amidst the dark. My art is a meditation on the symbiotic relationship of all life: humans, animals, plants and how they intertwine and have cohesion."
This 2013 Series is hosted and curated by VATO and Adam Owen Layne.