Recently I visited one of my favorite NYC galleries; AFA Gallery in SoHo to view the incredible exhibit from Kathie Olivas. Her show entitled "Safe From Tomorrow" is comprised of original works and 16 sculptures which opened in early December and will run through January 31, 2015. You still have a bit of time to catch it, especially since the gallery is open seven days a week and is conveniently located at 54 Greene St. (at Broome St.), NYC.
From the gallery: Olivas’s current body of work focuses on the constant social desire to assign “cuteness”. This often serves as a means to make something innocent and more appealing, therefore, non-threatening. Perhaps this allows us to comfort ourselves. Her questions are based on the discomfort of “what if” — what if these sweet creatures had other ideas?
The characters are meant to evoke a nostalgic reaction that reflects isolation, fear, and an uncertainty; yet, at the same time they serve as empowered alter egos. This series is presented as a satirical look at how fear affects our sense of reality. The characters perform as narrators in lonely worlds that each explores individually, creative his or her own perspective, and thus, own reality.
Kathie Olivas is a multi-media artist who resides in Albuquerque, NM with her husband and fellow artist Brandt Peters. They are the founding members of the international artist collective Circus Posterus. The couple also owns and operates Stranger Factory, a contemporary art gallery that focuses on narrative arts and character design.
Inspired by early American portraiture that often depicted children as small adults in an idealized new land, the characters parallel this vision within their own sense of post-apocalyptic conformity, uniquely documenting their own stories in a mysterious brave new world.
The series of works is inspired by early American portraiture and what Olivas imagines as the ethers of which all abstract thought comes to fruition. Naive and eerie, the depictions are reminiscent of the dreamlike state where reality is not questioned. Fear is abandoned for the sake of curiosity. Lonely little girls develop their own protective armor often borrowed from spirit animals and imaginary friends. They are their own protectors and manifestors of tomorrow.
(Photos taken by moi and provided by the gallery, all copyright, of course.)
A landmark gallery in SoHo since 1984, AFA (formerly Animazing) began as an exhibition space specializing in conceptual animation art. Over time, owners Heidi Leigh and Nick Leone broadened that scope to include works by renowned Illustrators and pop culture commercial artists as well as fine artists. In 2012, in keeping with the momentum of their natural development and growth, they revamped the gallery’s program with new artists, exhibitions and endeavors and renamed it AFA (Animazing Fine Art). They also have locations in Las Vegas and New Orleans.
For more information on the artist and the gallery visit:
http://afanyc.com/kathie-olivas-main/
Follow the gallery on Instagram: @AFANYC.
