ARTSPACE EXHIBITION: THE AMBIGUITIES OF HUMAN INTERACTIONS WITH NATURE

Can we really trust what we see? Mia Brownell and Martin Kruck use their art to pose this question. Using still life (Brownell) and landscape (Kruck) they reflect on the current skepticism that has emerged in our political climate and culture by creating altered and ambiguous spaces. 

     Martin Kruck's series Habitorium investigates the traditions of the romantic landscape using a 19th century printing technique called photogravure. His work combines natural and urban landscapes with zoo habitats, parks and urban greenspaces, and compresses them into compartmentalized environments.

     Brownell's series Plate to Platelet combines images of blood platelets with the history of the painted food still life. She explores the realism of eating in contrast with the idealization of food and biological engineering. If we are what we eat, what are we becoming?

     In 2017 Heather Beardsley visited Pripyat, the ghost town close to the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Over thirty years nature that was destroyed by human hubris and incompetence has taken over the abandoned man-made structures. She began to embroider plants overtaking the people and buildings. She has added images to this series with each city her art has taken her to, including Vienna, Beijing, Chicago, Kyiv and Las Vegas. The “feminine” craft of embroidery belies the apocalyptic imagery. Her work poses a question too: What happened to the people?

     During the April-May show, the Artspace Members will also exhibit their signature, monthly show.

     Artspace, a non-profit mainstay of the Richmond art world for over 30 years, welcomes inquiries about exhibitions, membership or renting its workshop space.

Exhibiting Artists:

Mia Brownell & Martin Kruck, Skeptical Realism 

Heather Beardsley, A Dream of Strange Cities 

Exhibition Dates: April 22 - May 21, 2022

Opening Reception: Friday, April 22, 6-9pm

Artists’ Talks: Saturday, April 23, 2pm