Revelations of a Secret Self in New Kehler Liddell Gallery Shows
Kehler Liddell Gallery's upcoming shows call to mind the quote by French film director Jean-Luc Godard who said “art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self.” Will you see yourself in Donne in Maschere, a stunning exhibit by photographer Rod Cook? Or in Who We Were When, an intriguing series of new figurative work by Julie Fraenkel? Come find out! Both solo shows run from October 13 - November 13, with an Opening Reception on Saturday, October 15, 4-7pm.
Cook has long been fascinated by the literal and metaphorical meaning of masks. In Donne in Maschere he features handmade Venetian-style masks in concert with his love of the female form. The result is a collection that captures two incongruous states: unadorned exposure and camouflaged secrets.
Cook worked in photography in New York for the first 25 years of his career. His other jobs have included managing editor of a magazine, helicopter pilot, and partner in a design firm. In 1996, he left commercial photography to devote his energies to fine art work exclusively. His photographic mediums have included platinum/palladium printing as well as silver gelatin and digital carbon pigment. In recent years he has combined encaustic methods as well as Venetian mask making with his photographs and prints. Rod has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibits, and his work is in many private and public collections notably Graham Nash Collection, University of Chicago and the Cherye R. and James F. Pierce Collection. You can see examples of his work at www.penrodphotographs.com
In Who We Were When, Fraenkel presents an allegorical look at the phases of life as if stages of mythic dreams. Employing the push and pull she experiences in her painting and drawing—shifting between which marks to leave and which to bury—she has created a series of figures bound in time, forming a non-linear chronology of who we may be at particular moments.
Fraenkel attended Syracuse University as a Fine Arts major, and received a Bachelor of Arts and certification in Art Education from Johnson State College, Johnson, Vermont. She was a graphic designer and illustrator for many years, working for newspapers, ad agencies, book publishers and museums. Julie has a studio at Erector Square in New Haven, where she works in sculpture, drawing, painting, mixed media and encaustics. Fraenkel won the Joshua Point Studio Prize for collage and New Haven Paint and Clay Club Prize. She exhibits widely in the region, and her work is in many private collections. You can view her work at www.juliefraenkel.com
Below is the link to Yale Daily News' article written by James Post. It concerns the Kehler Liddell Gallery and artist Kathleen Zimmerman's latest exhibitions titled Couples.
http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2016/01/25/gallery-showcases-local-artists/