KENT—Kenise Fine Arts, 7 Fulling Lane, will open a new exhibition, “Octopus’s Garden,” Saturday, July 13, with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. The show will continue through Aug. 25 and features artists Peter Hamlin, Michiyo Ihara, Catherine Latson and Julie Maren.
Hamlin’s compositions blend fantasy and science. Blurring the boundaries between the artificial and organic, the nefarious, benevolent, and benign, Hamlin constructs environments where nanopeople, robots, cyborg plants and curious synthetic organisms live their lives. As technologies are radically changing how humans experience the world, Hamlin’s work creates a place for exploration of how we adapt as a species, determine our future, and prepare for what’s to come.
Hamlin’s work has been shown throughout the U.S. and in England. His illustrations, and graphics for the Associated Press frequently contribute to digital storytelling efforts on multiple platforms.
In her new “Soul Flowers” series, Ihara invites viewers into a world where a plant’s delicate beauty intertwines with the human spirit’s ever-changing nature. Through meticulously crafted pen drawings, Ihara creates a visual narrative that explores the connection between the fleeting moments of blossoming flowers and the evolving essence of the soul.
“Soul Flowers” combines creativity, introspection and appreciation for the natural world, perpetual growth, resilience, and metamorphosis.
Ihara’s work has been shown throughout the U.S. and Japan.
For Catherine Latson the building blocks of the natural world are endlessly interesting. No ocean or forest is bereft of ideas. Inspired by the macro- and microstructures of living organisms and the motion of a water-bound world, her current work explores forms that blur the lines between animal and plant, realism and fantasy, sculpture and specimen.
While materials are simple (cotton embroidery floss and wire), her constructions are complex and entail thousands of pieces and countless hours of hand whipping and knotting. Each “specimen” piece aims to reimagine the gracefulness, mystery and complexity of a water-bound organism in motion.
Latson’s work has been featured in Macy’s Flower Show, New York, NY and Philadelphia, PA; Architectural Digest Home Design Show, New York, NY; Southampton Design and Trade Show House, Southampton, NY; American Craft Magazine, The New York Times, and the Journal News to name a few.
Julie Maren has focused on her “Biophilia” installation artwork for the past several years. These installations are both wall sculpture and three-dimensional paintings and translate the omnipresent dot patterns into expansive, multidimensional sculptural arrangements of color and pattern.
The work sets up a dichotomy by using natural materials, such as acorn tops, mica, and minerals in contrast with synthetic, often electric paint colors, glass beads or glitter. In each work, hundreds of inventively varied small components are gathered in graceful compositions setting up a dialogue between microscopic and macroscopic perspectives. These wall installations are transformed by light, their glinting elements and shadows becoming integral parts of the artwork.
Maren’s work has been shown extensively in the U.S., Spain, India and New Zealand.
Gallery hours are Thursday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
