UNCERTAIN PLACES
Ken Craft & Adam Neese
Where: Ro2 Art POP-UP1717 Gould Street, Dallas, TX 75215
When: January 23 – February 21, 2016
OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, January 23, 7-10pm
GALLERY HOURS: Wednesday - Saturday, 12-5pm
Contact: Jordan Roth, 214-803-9575 – [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
(Dallas, TX) Ro2 Art is pleased to present 'Uncertain Places,' featuring the paintings of Ken Craft and photographs by Adam Neese. The exhibition will take place in a special POP-UP gallery in The Cedars neighborhood of Dallas, located at 1717 Gould Street, formerly the location of RE Gallery.
In 'Uncertain Places,' the viewer encounters a selection of works which appear at first to be straightforward landscapes; however digging deeper, multiple layers of information exist in each artist's work. Ken Craft's paintings are, in fact multi-paneled, character-driven compositions that juxtapose natural beauty with comics depicting predicaments encountered in human nature. Craft's paintings are joined by Adam Neese's montaged photographs referencing a sublime Finnish landscape. Neese's photographs portray the complex way that place is understood through the imagery of it. By photographing layered images found on two different sides of the page of a book titled literally "Beautiful Finland," Neese represents the multitude of experiences possible in the rural Finnish landscape.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
ADAM NEESE is a photographer and educator who investigates place, mythology, and interaction with the landscape in his work. His bodies of artwork have been exhibited in numerous group, solo, and two person exhibitions nationally and internationally. Adam was an artist in residence at Arteles Creative Center in Hämeenkyrö, Finland in 2015, was the overall winner of Redbird Editions’ inaugural open call in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 2013, and worked with Cow House Studios’ Art on the Farm program in County Wexford, Ireland in 2013. He holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from the University of North Texas. Adam’s photographs are included in collections including Harwood International and Target Corporate Headquarters in addition to private collections. He has co-curated exhibitions in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas and holds an appointment as Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas where he lives and works.
KEN CRAFT (b. 1967 New Mexico), is an artist based in Dallas, TX. His work reflects an interest in representational scene painting alongside cartoon story telling. He’s influenced by Gustave Courbet but also Art Spiegelman. By both Gerhard Richter and George Herriman. And lately, Philip Guston. He is creating original comics characters for his paintings. The work is meant to exist as both traditional easel painting and as a form of comics.
Craft himself has existed in two worlds for over 21 years, maintaining a career as a professional firefighter while painting as often as he can. He has been in numerous group exhibits over the years in Dallas, where he has had 3 solo exhibits. In June 2015 he exhibited 3 paintings in a juried exhibit at Artspace 111 in Ft. Worth, TX, where he was awarded the Top Choice prize. He was invited to exhibit work from the series in a 2015 group show at Mark Moore Gallery in Los Angeles. He paints more these days and is looking forward to becoming a full time artist in the near future.
About Ro2 Art
Mother-and-son partners Susan Roth Romans and Jordan Roth operate Ro2 Art, a full-service gallery and consultancy in the Cedars neighborhood of Dallas, representing a diverse group of emerging, mid-career, and established contemporary artists, many with ties to the North Texas Region. At present, Ro2 Art is adapting a turn-of-the century pharmacy at the corner of South Ervay Street and Sullivan in the historic Cedars neighborhood of Dallas to open in February 2016. The gallery regularly collaborates with organizations such as The McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Downtown Dallas Inc, and The Town of Addison, as well as maintaining a gallery program within the Magnolia Theatre at West Village. Ro2 Art has been named Dallas Observer's Best Art Gallery and was presented with the 2012 Obelisk Award for small business by the North Texas Business Council for the Arts. Ro2 Art is a proud member of CADD, the Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas.
All works will be on view September 19, through October 18, 2015. Please join us for the opening reception Saturday, September 19 from 7 to 10pm at Ro2 Art's POP-UP gallery located at 1717 Gould Street in The Cedars neighborhood of Dallas. For more information, visit www.Ro2art.com, or call Jordan Roth at (214) 803-9575.
####
