TAKE OVER // Every month, we choose one of our favourite creatives to TAKE OVER our social media for the day. In case you missed it, for February, @brianmashburn [shown] shares his beautifully curated inspirations. Visit https://ift.tt/1a20IOv today [link in our profile] for the full TAKE OVER in an article by @elizah_leigh_art_writer. posted on Instagram - https://instagr.am/p/CLpl5aqgSw2/

Brian Mashburn “Box Canyon” oil/panel (2020) courtesy @talongallery copyright

// Li Huayi, “Unlimited Space, Unlimited Time” (2017) Li Huayi is a Chinese artist whose work follows from and expands upon the Song Dynasty landscape tradition while also incorporating Western ideas. This piece, in my mind, embodies the East/West duality. It becomes a bold, central subject dominating the composition - a Western staple - and yet it’s executed with traditional Chinese materials and techniques. I’m drawn to how the concrete aspect of the branch transitions to smoke, dust or distance. That visual device conveys a dynamic graphic quality while at the same time, it maintains something profound and subtle. Other works by Li Huayi, which I highly recommend, are more in the vein of the monumental landscapes that I discussed in my previous Gou Xi post. They are the type of visuals that the beholder can meander in and even get lost inside of. Beautiful Bizarre Guest Curator: @brianmashburn ... posted on Instagram - https://instagr.am/p/CLEQVK2sEXu/

// Mary Ellen Mark, “Hippopotamus and Performer, Great Rayman Circus, Madras, India” (1989) Mary Ellen Mark had the rare ability to observe without judgement. At least that’s what I infer from looking at her photographs. I find that I do not pass judgement on the subjects depicted in her work, nor their actions and beliefs. I think this effect is achieved, or maybe transferred, because Mark didn’t view her subjects as one-dimensional but rather as containing multitudes. What are we to make of the “Hippopotamus and Performer”? Contemporary objections - and certainly valid concerns regarding animal rights or labor conditions - can be raised. When I look at this picture, however, I see a scene that is captivating and funny. I marvel at teeth, then tassels. I wonder if the hippo is wearing a tutu and if so, what a remarkable decision to omit it from the frame. Beautiful Bizarre Guest Curator: @brianmashburn ... posted on Instagram - https://instagr.am/p/CLDLrCYAT_S/

// Gordon Parks, “Off On My Own” (1948) Gordon Parks was an American photographer, musician, writer and director - a true renaissance man. His photographs document a prolonged period of struggle and civil rights activism, spotlighting vast inequalities that are still apparent today. Parks’ work transcends photojournalism. His images are compassionate. His eye is empathetic and respectful. Parks understood the influential power inherent in a photograph, either as a humanizing vision or as dehumanizing propaganda. The poetry and power of Gordon Parks’ work, in my opinion, rests in the humanity that he captures through the lens. His subjects, often maligned and marginalized, are presented as vulnerable, intimately human characters that possess dimension and depth. They are not easily cast aside. ... Sending a huge thank you to Beautiful Bizarre's Guest Curator @brianmashburn for sharing his favorite artists today.😁 … posted on Instagram - https://instagr.am/p/CLEeFNMjUY-/

"Owl in Flight" by @brianmashburn is absolutely stunning. This piece is part of his “New Landscapes“ solo exhibition on view at @havengallery through February 14th. ⁣⁣ ⁣ “New Landscapes will consist of fifteen to twenty oil paintings featuring the artists iconic scenery with a noteworthy play on perspectives, both literally and figuratively speaking. The collections focus on unique outlooks certainly lends itself to the shifting of opinions and uncertainty concerning the worlds current climate." - Gallery Press Release.⁣ ⁣ posted on Instagram - https://instagr.am/p/CKj2qyDlPvR/

// Guo Xi, “Early Spring” (1072) “Early Spring” is one of the best known and revered examples of monumental landscape painting from the Northern Song Dynasty, China. This was a tumultuous period in time marked by profound social and technological change. In some ways, it is analogous to contemporary times. Monumental landscapes were intended to offer a counterbalance to the turmoil. Gou Xi regarded his landscapes as places where one could ramble and dwell, and possibly even find respite. When I initially encountered the landscapes of the Song Dynasty, it was a revelatory experience for me. They have since had a profound impact on my work. Beautiful Bizarre Guest Curator: @brianmashburn ... posted on Instagram - https://instagr.am/p/CLD00yNs4Ba/

EXHIBITION PREVIEW // This weekend, on Saturday, January 16th, @havengallery welcomes you to join them for the opening of four diverse solo exhibitions and celebrate the works of @brianmashburn, "New Landscapes", @j_mowry, "Eternal Return", @jonchingart, "Sacrosanct" and @craww,"Woven" [artwork shown]. Visit https://ift.tt/1a20IOv today [link in our profile] for details and a preview by @bellaharrisart.⁣ ⁣ Exhibition Dates: January 16 - February 14, 2021.⁣ ⁣ For availability, please contact [email protected].⁣ ⁣ posted on Instagram - https://instagr.am/p/CKFK5hSh_1b/