June Gallery Exhibition: PRO ARTS OPEN STUDIOS

ARTISTS: Helene Hanegbi, Christopher Allen, Cybele Gerachis, Yvette Buigues

Opening Reception: Friday, June 5th,   5pm - 10pm
Evening Includes a live local jazz band called Lauren Smith Trio, finger foods, meet ‘n greet with the artists and Periscope winemaker, wine tasting and wine by the glass for only $5!

Artists will also be available: Saturday, June 6th & Sunday, June 7th from 11am - 6pm.

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday-Sunday,   12-5pm
Wednesday, June 10th,   5-8pm (during our Happy Hour Event)

(During all other “open to the public” events)

About the Artists:

Helene Hanegbi’s work for this show represents the release of ownership and control of art.  While her photography work is very dedicated and serious, these whimsical pieces basically form themselves through playful interaction in the studio. She collects “gifts” from friends (old science and physics textbooks, paperdolls and toys), finds inspiration in the kitsch available at Michael’s craft store & urban ore, and then lets all the pieces to the talking. They come together in the studio, and after all collage-ing is said and done, a hole is drilled & a clock face installed. Voila!

Christopher Allen migrated to the East Bay seven years ago, and fell in love with the rugged industrial charms of West Oakland.  He began working with the subject matter in his environment: industrial buildings, the Port of Oakland shipping cranes, the train station…  But quickly, the industrial area in which he lives is being converted to housing and luxury lofts.  As he watches it develop and gentrify, his paintings become less a portrait of his current environment and more a nostalgic exercise in capturing Oakland as it soon-to-be ‘was.’

Cybele Gerachis approaches time as memory (both fixed and fluid).  Our psychological and emotional perceptions of events in our lives embody much of how we explore and craft our time and space. Cybele explores what forces determine or shape our perceptions and become memories, and how we see the past in relation to the present and future. She symbolizes time and memory with ethereal and dreamy images outside of conventional linear reality.   They challenge the dominant western construction of time as progressive and forward moving by suggesting that our emotional reality is cyclical.

Yvette Buigues’ inspiration comes from no one place in particular; in her work one can see and feel her exploration of the emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of everyday life. Through bold images she speaks to relationships between people, the state of the world, the human condition. The multiple layers of color and detail often times contain subtle observations and a darker sense of humor.
Buigues works most often with acrylic paint. She finds great pleasure and touches base with whimsy in her pen and ink drawings, and experiments in seriography.

NEXT . . .