A Collective Exhibition: Unbound Perspectives

AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS IN NEW YORK EXHIBITION

Amy Sturgeon and Lee Porter

NEW YORK, NY –The Agora Gallery (530 West 25th Street, Chelsea, New York, NY, 10001) is proud to present A Collective Exhibition: Unbound Perspectives. Scheduled to run from October 24 through November 13, the collections will feature a captivating selection of new works by Amy Sturgeon and Lee Porter, two innovative and talented artists from Australia.

Exhibition Dates: October 24, 2008 – November 13, 2008
Reception: Thursday, November 6, 2008, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, Chelsea, New York
Gallery Hours: Tues - Sat, 11am - 6pm

http://www.agora-gallery.com/ExhibitionAnnouncement/10_24_2008.aspx

Amy Sturgeon:  http://www.agora-allery.com/ArtistInvite/Amy_Sturgeon.aspx

Amy Sturgeon approaches art-making like a story teller who understands the constant push and pull between life’s callousness and wit. The fictions she creates within her oil paintings nimbly access perpetually relevant binaries: beauty and ugliness, loneliness and belonging, isolation and transportation. Sturgeon’s characters seem to be continuously searching for something, wandering through colloquial, ethereally painted, orange, green, red and grey landscapes. The paintings maintain a delicate balance between careful detail and folk-inspired generality. Sturgeon offers a pervasive sense of place, by depicting scenes that are familiar enough to occur anywhere. The stories in her paintings invite viewers into an imaginary world that ultimately gives them a new outlook on the themes that shape their actual lives.

Originally from New Zealand, Sturgeon established an intimate relationship with the landscape and wildlife and her international travels have fueled her work’s environmental consciousness. Amy Sturgeon currently lives and works on the island of Shikoku in Japan and has exhibited in both New Zealand and Japan.

Lee Porter:  http://www.agora-gallery.com/ArtistInvite/Lee_Porter.aspx

Lee Porter’s playful paintings of people in action portray a variety of activities from an uncommon point of view. “The latest series of work depicts Aussies from a different perspective; from behind,” Porter explains. “I wanted to capture the behind the scene images of Aussies at work and play.” Porter has a wonderful eye for detail, paying special attention to rippling musculature and the textures of clothing; her figures are statuesque yet remain supple. By cropping out most of the identifiable features, Porter forces audiences to examine the subject through new eyes, seeing details in the most overlooked of areas in portraiture. Filled with action sequences or dynamic poses, Porter has the uncanny ability to represent a reality with the volume turned up. Vivid technicolor scenery sets the mood of each piece, while interesting uses of props and repetition add a Pop Art influence to the work.

Lee Porter left behind a career as an international events planner to pursue her art. She lives and works in Queensland, Australia.