Opening Reception November 17th 4-6 P.M.
EDWARD COPPOLA "DIORAMAS" - unique mixed media fantasy sculptures in lighted boxes
Artist's Statement
My sculptures feature strange, cavelike formations as a kind of
stage on which metal trophy figures, bride-and-groom wedding cake
decorations, superhero action figures, and other pop-cultural
detritus seem to act out life-or-death dramas. The landscape formations
and backgrounds are carefully painted. The found objects have
been subtly altered and electrical lights are hidden around the
scene to heighten the sense of anxiety and disquiet.
I have found the diorama format to be an exciting way to merge my interests in painting and sculpture. I have been most influenced by Renaissance and Expressionist painters, but also by science fiction movies, fairy tales and vintage children's book illustrations, and the homemade grottoes for religious statues that I saw in my Brooklyn neighborhood as a child. In my work, I try to recapture the thrill and wonder that these influences evoked in me.
TATTFOO TAN "SECRET GARDEN SERIES" - black & white acrylic paintings
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| Tatoo Tan |
Artist's Statement
The Secret garden Series From the grid, line and geometry that
put the order in the concrete jungle we live in, came a contrasting
visual vocabulary that celebrates the organic form of beauty of
nature and aquatic life. Inspiration came from the rigid structure
of Manhattan in contrast with the lush tropical rain forest of
Malaysia, both of which I call "home."
The Cultural Hybrid Series In the search for identity,
integrity and faith, I explore the inner self of my roots as a
Chinese born in Malaysia. "tanah" air- literally translated
to soils and water as a place that nurtures and molds my identity,
as I grow in hunger to see and learn further and search for experience.
This series also demonstrates the love of two beings as a pair
of birds or fish as the metaphor that symbolizes the love for
my wife, as a partner in life and the partnership that will explore
the unknown journey together.