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6/6/2012

Michael Kessler and Silvia Poloto

Artamo Gallery, Santa Barbara

Artamo Gallery pairs the works of two renown artists, Michael Kessler and Silvia Poloto. Both have a long history of solo shows, nationwide and beyond, including numerous museum exhibitions. While Poloto digs deep into her inner self for her creations, Kessler draws his inspiration from nature, the tranquility of the outdoors. Though Poloto in her earlier pieces worked on canvas she is moving to collage-like constructions using photos and also metal. In their core work both use similar means: acrylic on wood panel with a resin finish — technically so much alike, by contents far apart, yet they connect when it comes to the inner truth of their work

Included in the exhibition are pieces from Poloto’s "Optical Collisions” series recently show at the Triton Museum in Santa Clara, California. She says about these: “The images in these works materialize as half-forgotten dreams. Textures and colors collide with the protagonist. Layers of playfulness and provocation are fused with comical notes. The collision of elements, conscious and unconscious, both surprise and illuminate the narrative.”

The work in this series is a mixture of drawing, painting, collage and sculpture brought together by a purposefully hazy photograph. The photographs are printed on watercolor paper, covered with resin and sanded or are printed on rice paper and dissolved into the fiberglass.

Michael Kessler was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania. He received a B.F.A. degree from Kutztown University. He lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He won several prestigious awards and fellowships, among these the Rome Prize, Painting, American Academy in Rome, 1990; the Pollock/Krasner Award, Painting, New York, New York, 1992; and the Whitney Independent Study Program, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York, 1977.

Kessler’s work can be found in over two dozen museums nationwide, including the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and in a seemingly endless number of corporate and private collections.

Michael Kessler’s handling of surface texture is strikingly accomplished. The range of his visual effects is wide indeed, from long languidly curving drip forms and pooling blobs, to squeegeed foliate forms delicate as branch corals, to complex swirls of compelling visual depth. With his multiple layering of visual events, often setting geometric structures against organic forms, he states his devotion to nature as his muse.

Brazilian-born Silvia Poloto is an accomplished artist working in a range of visual disciplines. She is known for her lively abstract canvases and mixed-media sculptures. Recognized for her dynamic compositions and color sensibility, Poloto exploits a vibrant visual vocabulary of boldness and subtlety. Her deftly handled juxtapositions unfold in rich, textured hues and expressive gesture. The result is a body of work characterized by equal amounts of surprise, playfulness and provocation. Her aesthetic choices engage the viewer on a visceral level.

Poloto has has worked in a variety of media, including photography, sculpture, painting and video. Each find their home in her current work.

Poloto’s art has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and abroad, including the United Arab Emirates, France, Spain, Jordan, Italy, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece and China. Her work can be found in more than 80 institutional and corporate collections in the U.S. and by over 900 private collectors worldwide.

ARTAMO GALLERY, now over seven years in the same location, is a destination for contemporary original art in Santa Barbara. Located only 100 yards from the Museum of Art the Gallery contributes to the revival of the historical downtown art district and helps building a gallery row on both sides of Anapamu Street.

ARTAMO GALLERY shows contemporary art by regional, national and international artists in solo and group exhibitions, including painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media. The gallery represents Teri Blodgett, Janet Bothne, Agustin Castillo, Keith Clark, Madeline Garrett, Gordon Huether, Françoise Issaly, Michael Kessler, Elana Kundell, Hyunmee Lee, Ana Marini, Rose Masterpol, Jack N. Mohr, Michael Moon, Julia Pinkham, Silvia Poloto, Jack Reilly, and Ashleigh Sumner. Other artists are occasionally invited as guests to join special themed group shows and events.

ARTAMO GALLERY, a substantial part of the Santa Barbara art scene and art community and a member of the Santa Barbara Art Dealers Association (SBADA) www.sbada.org, participates in local art events, especially the Santa Barbara First Thursday Art Nights.

Image: Michael Kessler, Jaconet, acrylic on wood, 60" x 40"

OPENING RECEPTION: THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 5–8 PM

Artamo Gallery
11 West Anapamu Street · Santa Barbara · California 93101· USA
Gallery hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 12:00–5:00 PM
First Thursday until 8:00 PM & by appointment

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