January 2012
January 5 - 29, 2012
Arthop Thursday: January 5 from 5-8pm

For the month of January 2012, Gallery 25 members, Nanete Maki-Dearsan and Barbara Van Arnam exhibit a compelling body of work.

“The Daedalus Suite”
Barbara Van Arnam/ Mixed Media
That Bind-The Sisterhood”

Barbara Van Arnam’s artwork was inspired by the parable of Daedalus of whom the ancient Greek poet Pausanias writes, “He was famous for his talent, but also for his wanderings and misfortunes.” Part myth, part fact, the story of Daedalus serves as the inspiration for this suite of paintings.

Artist’s Statement
 Barbara Van Arnam

The Daedalus Suite

 In the summer of 1991 I read an epicycle in the magazine Parabola entitled Dirge for Daedalus.  This piece so intrigued me that I saved it, and in early 2009 I rediscovered the magazine in my studio and reread the piece. Further investigation led to the finding of other tales of this master craftsman, Daedalus, said to have been a citizen of Athens extraordinarily endowed with creative talent and ingenuity. He was the prototype of the artist and of the artisan. Legend has it that he introduced the Greek style of statuary. Plato wrote of the statues of Daedalus,  “ …they seem to look and walk as he unglued the arms from the bodies of statues. He breathes real life into them. Their mobility is so great they have to be tied up to prevent them from running away. They escape, and are endowed with sight and even with speech.”

Greek mythology and fables have served as the basis for our Western Civilization’s code of ethics. Stories of heroes and heroines, of the triumph of the just over the unjust and the consequences of one’s actions, are the stuff of which our cultural heritage is comprised. The lessons learned from these tales serve as moral guidelines for all generations.

I invite you to explore the parable of Daedalus of whom the ancient Greek poet Pausanias writes, “He was famous for his talent, but also for his wanderings and misfortunes.” The tale of Daedalus is one of the frailty of human nature. Long referenced for its enduring story of passion, jealousy, pride and vengeance, it weaves a path of intrigue as it follows the course of this inventive genius. Part myth, part fact, the story of Daedalus serves as the inspiration for this suite of paintings.

“Horses”
Nanete Maki-Dearsan/Drawings

Nanete Maki-Dearsan’s artwork was previously exhibited at the Warnors Window Project from September - October 2009 and was included in the exhibit catalog. These large scale drawings create a visually dynamic impact based on the artist’s statement of “bound horses, intimate feelings of frustrations, trapped jobs, in situations, relationships in other people’s politics, these are personal feelings we are all trapped together, we are not only bound, but we are bound together.”