Achromatic

Asbury Park’s longest running and edgiest art space, Parlor Gallery, is presenting an exhibit of art that is devoid of color ~ quite outside of the norm of what one expects from this colorful art gallery. “Claiming that color weakens, Pablo Picasso at times purged it from his work in order to highlight the formal structure and autonomy of form inherent in his art” says Curator Carmen Gimenez when speaking of the artist’s monochrome works at the Guggenheim in NY.

Achromatic will feature a solo exhibit in Gallery I from one of their local favorites, Porkchop ( Mike LaVallee ). Denizens and visitors to Monmouth County have been enjoying this artist’s vibrant,colorful artwork and murals for years, but in this manifestation, the artist strips his works of his normally vivid palette and instead employs intentionally ritualistic and graphic monochromatic designs and symbols accented with Gold.

In Gallery II, Parlor has also curated a group exhibition of artists whom also restrict their use of color. Renowned painter, Kit King paints large scale, yet intimate cropped oil portraits and figures, that force the viewer to invade the space of the subject and become part of the narrative. The black and white palette and lack of environment within King's works contribute to the bleak atmosphere and honest dialogue of each piece. Artist Elizabeth Waggett ( Waggs ) adorns each black and white piece with gold leaf and precious metal, and feels “it is a perfect representation of humanity’s obsession with vain and valueless beauty.” The dichotomy of the monochromatic pallet against the gold is a visual representation of the struggle of the inner self to balance greed and purpose. This pallet simplifies the form allowing a deeper exploration of the subject matter, causing the viewer to focus first on a photographic representation of the subject, before a closer inspection reveals the true technique.

“We’ve wanted to present an entire exhibit which focuses on Black and White art since we began curating together. Art making using predominantly black and white pigments has long held a fascination for artists and viewers alike. By removing most color from their process, these artists have made bold, enticing and exciting high contrast works.” ~ Jill Ricci & Jenn Hampton, co-directors/owners, Parlor Gallery.

Parlor will also be showcasing new works from Paul Russo, Dylan Egon, Rebecca Adams, Alexandra Becker Black and Derek Gores in their second exhibition space. Achromatic is co-curated by Parlor Gallery Directors Jenn Hampton and Jill Ricci.