Hanging tall in the main showroom of Gallery Mornea, artist ISz’s “I crucifeye me” alludes to the pain of the Biblical crucifixion by presenting a turbulent scene of dark hues and spiraling shapes behind a large cross.
Just a few feet away, Jason Poteet restores tranquility with “Night Flight,” a painting that pleases the eye with vibrant colors and comical figures.
The artists’ opposing themes come together in a new exhibit at Gallery Mornea, 602 Davis St. The exhibit opened Feb. 18 and will run until April 1. The collection — originally 19 pieces — finds novelty in a unique hybrid of the artists’ contrasting but complementary tones.
“I think ISz’s work is a little more raw,” said Michael Monar, the gallery’s owner. “Poteet’s work is a lot more peaceful. It’s almost like unrest and peace at the same time.”
A philosopher as well as an artist, ISz said his work embodies a theme of spiritual “oneness” among the people and the world around them.
“It is the connection that we all have with each other and everything that is,” ISz said.
His style is often rough and uncomfortable, as seen in the self portrait “I crucifeye me,” which expresses ISz’s belief that everyone ultimately has control over their own lives.
“I am really the only one who can crucify myself,” ISz said.
Another painting, “foUr 5,” uses dark background colors and incorporates different materials, such as a deflated balloon, which is “a symbol of broken dreams,” ISz said. Both pieces were created during the Vietnam War and depict the turbulence of the time, as well as traumatic experiences that ISz experienced in his personal life, he said.
Poteet, in contrast, uses rich colors to create inviting abstractions in paintings such as “Untitled,” which is eye-catching in its assembly of vibrant reds and yellow. Many of Poteet’s paintings are large works, and pieces such as “Night Flight” and “Thicket” incorporate full-sized figures to portray a scene of serenity.
Poteet hopes to uses his artistic work to communicate his sentiments toward various places and people. A red cross in “Untitled (Ground Zero IV)” portrays Poteet’s experience in 2001 when he spent three weeks in New York.
“I hope they enjoy the pieces and that (the pieces) spark some type of thought in their minds and for them to bring their own mental baggage … hopefully we can meet in the middle,” Poteet said.
Along with Poteet and ISz’s pieces, the gallery also is hosting a collection of artistic teapots created by Minn Sewon.
Featured in a display at the front of the gallery, Minn’s teapots are presented atop unconventional tables made by ISz. Piled together, a combination of odd shapes form whimsical teapots.
“We wanted a three-dimensional component to all of the abstract art work,” said gallery intern Layla Bermeo, a Weinberg senior. “We thought that her work fits in with the other artists.”
Reach Lensay Abadula at [email protected].
