Blues Blues Slower Than My Heartbeat

Gallery 16 is pleased to announce it’s first solo exhibition with Seattle based artist Robert Hardgrave. The artist has become known for his inventive use of material and it’s improvisational spontaneity. Robert’s latest work involves toner transfer printing, a process that allows the artist to bridge the gap between printmaking and painting. His graphic work on paper and canvas push notions of flatness and the limitless potential of copying and repetition.

For the past decade, Hardgrave has made a significant contribution to visual arts in the Pacific Northwest. Hardgrave has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, New York, and Hamburg. Locally, Robert’s his work is part of the permanent collection of Microsoft, Starbucks and the Seattle Art Museum.

“I am constantly in search of ideas that can be pushed in multiple directions and still push back. I want to be challenged in such a way that the evolution of ideas flows, keeping me excited to stay in the studio day after day. I change media regularly and process each to a point where I feel proficient. This helps ideas feel fresh and uncharted. Each new material requires unique allowances; I want materials to guide the work toward what it is going to be, while maintaining a consistent language across media. I believe that by allowing only a few variables to exist the materials are forced to reveal their nuances.”