Heather McGill, Untitled, 2016, Acrylic on paper, 25.5" x 48"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
“Altered States: A Psychedelic Legacy” Presents Contemporary Psychedelic Art Against The Backdrop of 1960s Paintings and Concert Posters at David Richard Gallery, Opening December 2, 2016
Are You Experienced? The spirit of the 60s lives on in the David Richard Gallery’s latest visual extravaganza.
Featuring: Francis Celentano, Andrew Cimelli, Tom Green, Jennifer Joseph, Caity Kennedy, Daniel McCoy Jr., Heather McGill, Ed Mieczkowski, Rakuko Naito, Paul Reed, Martin Rixe, Oli Sihvonen, Julian Stanczak, Vadim Stepanov, Tadasky and Leo Valledor
December 2, 2016 through January 28, 2017
Opening Reception with artists: Friday, December 2 from 5:00 - 8:00 PM
Gallery Talk with Artists: Heather McGill, Jennifer Joseph and Daniel McCoy Jr. Saturday, December 3 from 3:00 - 4:00 PM
David Richard Gallery
1570 Pacheco Street, A1, Santa Fe, NM 87505
p 505-983-9555 | f 505-983-1284
www.DavidRichardGallery.com
Altered States: A Psychedelic Legacy, features contemporary artists who explore psychedelic art—mostly painting and some constructions with a mix of figuration, geometric and Op imagery—against a back drop of 1960s Optical Art, figurative and Color Field paintings, as well as original rock posters from concerts at the Fillmore West, Avalon Ballroom and other San Francisco venues, which sets the stage and creates the mood. The exhibition will be on view from December 2, 2016 through January 28, 2017 with an opening reception including many of the artists, Friday, December 2 from 5:00 - 8:00 PM at the gallery located at 1570 Pacheco Street, Suite A1, Santa Fe, NM 87505, phone: 505-983-9555. There will be a gallery talk with artists Heather McGill, Jennifer Joseph and Daniel McCoy Jr. on Saturday, December 3 from 3:00 - 4:00 PM.
If art of the 60s can be defined by a particular style, it is certainly not the coolness of Minimalism or the intellectual distance of Conceptual Art. It is the swirling, highly-keyed hallucinatory imagery born of the Counter Culture. Psychedelic art sought to capture the kaleidoscopic experience brought on by LSD and other hallucinogens. Among the major proponents were the San Francisco poster artists, cartoonist R. Crumb, the collectives The Fool and Hipgnosis and the visual projections of the Joshua Light Show at the Fillmore East and West.
“These artists borrowed from myriad sources – Art Nouveau, Indian textiles, 1930s cartooning, Pop and Op Art, and even the shimmering vibrancy of the Color Field painters,” notes gallery director David Eichholtz. “And, in turn, challenged the gap between high art and low art, and arguably exerted an influence on notable artists such as Philip Guston.”
From album covers to posters to graphic design, the style permeated mass culture, with Peter Max designing advertising for consumer products and mainstream animation producers, such as Al Broadax and Ralph Bakshi, bringing the imagery to the general public with films like Yellow Submarine and Fritz the Cat .
“The experiments of painters such as Francis Celantano, Tom Green, Ed Mieczkowski, Rakuko Naito, Paul Reed, Oli Sihvonen, Julian Stanczak, Tadasky and Leo Valledor certainly paved the way for the visual language of psychedelic art,” continues Eichholtz. “While the work of Andrew Cimelli, Jennifer Joseph, Caity Kennedy, Daniel McCoy Jr., Heather McGill, Martin Rixe and Vadim Stepanov formally and informally continues the legacy.”
About David Richard Gallery:
David Richard Gallery is located at 1570 Pacheco Street, Suite A1, Santa Fe, NM 87505, P: 505-983-9555. Since its inception the gallery has produced museum quality exhibitions that feature Post War abstraction in the US. The presentations have addressed specific decades and geographies as well as certain movements and tendencies. While the gallery has long been recognized as an important proponent of post-1960s abstraction—including both the influential pioneers as well as a younger generation of practitioners in this field— in keeping with this spirit of nurture and development the gallery presents established and very new artists who embrace more gestural and representational approaches to the making of art as well as young emerging artists.
In 2015 David Richard Gallery launched DR Projects to provide a platform for artists of all stripes—international, national, local, emerging and established—to present special solo projects or to participate in unique collaborations or thematic exhibitions. The goal is to offer a fresh look at contemporary art practice from a broad spectrum of artists and presentations.
For additional information please contact: David Eichholtz
505-983-9555
Rakuko Naito, RN1468-64,1964, Acrylic and metallic acrylic on linen, 68" x 68"