Western Classics
| 04.28.2023 - 06.10.2023 |
Artists: Tracy Stuckey
Visions West Contemporary is pleased to announce Tracy Stuckey’s exhibition, Western Classics, on view at the gallery's Denver location from April 28th - June 10th, 2023. An opening celebration will be held on Friday, April 28th, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm. With a tongue in cheek look at the complex nature of the American West, Stuckey reflects on the primal attraction of the West and its role in everything from fashion to music to advertising to film. Offering an updated twist to the cowboy genre, Stuckey references historical masterworks like David’s Napoleon Crossing the Alps and Ingres’ Grande Odisque, tethering his work to a broader art historic tradition. Stuckey is recognized for tackling the cliches of the West with a fresh, insightful, and often humorous voice. He gives the viewer a Western swerve that strikes a moment of realization that western imagery is still how Americans want to be seen. The enduring fascination with cowboy lore is a constant undercurrent in pop culture and style - from Lil Nas X to Tom Ford's rhinestone cowboy fall runway, the imagery of the cowboy continuously evolves and permeates our culture. While Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift use the trope of cowboy to talk about power and freedom, Stuckey offers a satirical take, poking fun at the empty romanticism of Western ideals. The popularity of Western themes and the ease with which they are recontextualized, proves the relevance of the Western milieu and its ability to explore American cultural questions and identities. While studying renaissance masterworks in Florence and Venice this past summer, Stuckey considered the characteristics of a 'museum painting.' He navigated through works that stood out in his memory and used these paintings as reference material for this new body of work. The Grand Odalisque by Ingres reminded me of Wrangler ads from the 70's where models showed off their back pocket Wrangler leather tags in a similar fashion to the model in Ingre's painting," Stuckey explains of his layered influences and vision for the show. Historical visual influences are clear in many of the works created for the exhibition. Using references to Delacroix, David, Ingres and other neoclassical and Romantic era painters, Stuckey delights and surprises us yet again.
Down the Rabbit Hole
| 05.12.2023 - 06.09.2023 |
Artists: Johnny Defeo, Suzanne Kiggins, Electric Coffin, and more!
Lewis Carrol introduced the idiom of "going down the rabbit hole" In the opening chapter of his book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. As the story goes, Alice follows the White Rabbit into his burrow, which transports her to the strange, surreal, and nonsensical world of Wonderland. Since the book's publication, the rabbit hole has become a metaphor for something that transports one into a surreal state or situation. Going through a rabbit hole can encapsulate a search for identity, transformation and belonging, the exploration of the unconscious, and the thrill of beginning new adventures. 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. All Rabbit years are believed to bring happiness and good luck, but this is no ordinary Rabbit year, for 2023 is the year of the Black Water Rabbit—an especially gifted, creative rabbit that has not been seen since 1963. In honor of this special rabbit year, we have tailored an exhibition surrounding the idea of going down a rabbit hole. Enter the rabbit hole with Visions West, and join us in exploring a wonderland of new artworks!
Down The Rabbit Hole
| 05.12.2023 - 06.09.2023 |
Artists: Johnny Defeo, Suzanne Kiggins, Electric Coffin, and more!
Lewis Carrol introduced the idiom of "going down the rabbit hole" In the opening chapter of his book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. As the story goes, Alice follows the White Rabbit into his burrow, which transports her to the strange, surreal, and nonsensical world of Wonderland. Since the book's publication, the rabbit hole has become a metaphor for something that transports one into a surreal state or situation. Going through a rabbit hole can encapsulate a search for identity, transformation and belonging, the exploration of the unconscious, and the thrill of beginning new adventures. 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. All Rabbit years are believed to bring happiness and good luck, but this is no ordinary Rabbit year, for 2023 is the year of the Black Water Rabbit—an especially gifted, creative rabbit that has not been seen since 1963. In honor of this special rabbit year, we have tailored an exhibition surrounding the idea of going down a rabbit hole. Enter the rabbit hole with Visions West, and join us in exploring a wonderland of new artworks!
Mountain Standard Time, Part 1
| 06.17.2023 - 07.22.2023 |
Artists: Beau Carey, Jenny Day, johnny Defeo, June Glasson, Julia Lucey, Jennifer Nehrbass, Sarah Winkler,Danielle Winger, among others
Mountain Standard Time, a multi-gallery summer exhibition presents art that is in dialogue with the American West. The fifth annual exhibition spans all three galleries in the Rocky Mountain Region, modeling and parodying the historic Pacific Standard Time show in Los Angeles. The works included in the exhibition are just a snapshot of the broad range of artists represented by Visions West Contemporary, as well as the current state of contemporary art in the region today. Mountain Standard Time subverts the Western monolith of cowboys and saloons and instead celebrates the diverse Rocky Mountain history of people, environmentalism, and complex cultural influences that is a fixture of the American psyche. Spanning a wide range of mediums and subject matter, the artists capture and contradict the mythologies embedded within the region while celebrating its unparalleled beauty and mystique. Image: Danielle Winger: Lip of the Hill, 2023, acrylic and oil on canvas, 28 x 22 inches