Press Release

Richard Levy Gallery is pleased to present 505, a group show that samples five artists with strong New Mexico influences. These artists meld traditional methods with innovative approaches, creating art that both nods to the past and looks to the present. 505 includes work by an anonymous artist late 20c., Anna Hepler, Mary Tsiongas, Tom Waldron, and James Westwater.

James Westwater’s mixed media collages incorporate appropriated imagery from Thomas Gainsborough’s The Blue Boy and re-contextualizes the classic portrait with an ultra chic universal logo; mixing iconic imagery with his own contemporary brand. An anonymous artist late 20 c. similarly begins with vintage materials from old physics texts and blends them seamlessly with refined oil paintings of everyday objects in a mastered and classic trompe l’oeil style for which the artist is known. UNM digital media professor Mary Tsiongas takes a more direct art historical reference, in this case a landscape by Albert Bierstadt, and using green screen effects digitally superimposes a figure to interact with the iconic painting. As a result the painting “comes to life” through her subtle use of video.

Tom Waldron’s, wooden wall sculptures, brightly colored with enamel paint, resemble reductive impressions of everyday objects; from women’s accessories to mechanical objects. Anna Hepler’s traditionally crafted ceramic sculptural forms resemble pieces of volcanic debris, while maintaining a refined geometric awareness.

High-resolution images are available on request. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook: @levygallery 

Dates: March 4–April 8, 2011
Reception: March 4, 6–8 pm
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 11 am–4 pm
Location: 514 Central Avenue SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Contact: 505.766.9888, info@levygallery.com, www.levygallery.com @levygallery