This time of year is perfect for a gallery crawl – a new piece of art can really up the ante when it comes to your decor. And it’s something you can do no matter what unpredictable weather Mother Nature decides to unleash. Here’s a look at what’s to come from five of Charlotte’s best.
Hidell Brooks Gallery
Hidell Brooks Gallery will open 2018 with side-by-side exhibitions running through February 24. “Just Passing Through” will feature whimsical new sculptures by Johan Hagaman, while “Light Waves” will spotlight new abstract paintings by Jenny Nelson. With its focus on contemporary art, this light-filled South End gallery from Katharine Hidell Thomas and Rebecca Brooks offers artwork from both well-established and emerging artists.
Left: Johan Hagaman, “Fear of Landing”, concrete, wood, milk paint, 15 x 20 x 4 inches
Right: Johan Hagaman, “Flight Inside”, concrete, found objects, milk paint, 37 x 6 x 6 inches
SOCO Gallery
Nestled inside a 1920s Myers Park bungalow, Southern Comfort (SOCO) is a cozy gallery and bookshop. Beginning January 24, stop in to browse the shelves and check out the work of two artists with ties to North Carolina. The first,“Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit,”features the collage-meets-sculpture works of multidisciplinary artist and Spruce Pine resident Anne Lemanski. The second, “Hold These Truths,”is a collection of vibrant mixed-media works from Mt. Airy native and former Charlotte resident Brad Thomas. The exhibition closes March 16.
Left: Brad Thomas, “The Only Thing I Know Is That I Don’t Know Anything”, 2017
Right: Anne Lemanski, “Cuckoo”, 2016
LaCa Projects
With its unique locations — one in Charlotte, one in Buenos Aires — Latin American Contemporary Art (LaCa) Projects works to diversify the city’s art scene, celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. The gallery’s first exhibition of 2018 is a great example of such diversity with the second solo exhibition for Carlos Estévez. His body of work “Transeuntes” started in 2016 when Estévez was in residence at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation and continued during his following residency at the Brownstone Foundation in Paris. The exhibition opens January 18 and includes a performance by the Charlotte Ballet and musicians from the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, as well as the grand opening of Basal Coffee, the gallery’s new café. The exhibition closes March 17.
Left: Carlos Estévez, “Transient Risking It All”, 2017, Oil, tempera, and watercolor pencil, canvas 20 inches
Right: Carlos Estévez, “String Septet”, 2017, Oil, tempera, and watercolor pencil, canvas 20x16 inches
Shain Gallery
Although 2018 marks the gallery’s twentieth year, Shain Gallery owner, Sybil Godwin, only just became the owner last year after spending almost five years as gallery director. The Myers Park gallery will feature Gastonia artist Curt Butler’s oil and encaustic paintings (pictured) in a solo show beginning February 9, followed by works from Charlotte-based Andy Braitman in a show opening March 9.
Curt Butler, “Lowland Thunderland”, Encaustic and oil, 36 x 36 inches
Lark & Key Gallery and Boutique
This charming South End gallery, owned by artists and partners Duy Huynh and Sandy Snead, will celebrate its tenth anniversary with a new exhibition in 2018. “Flight” opens February 2 and runs through March 31, featuring new work from Huynh and participating artists Janet Eskridge, Elizabeth Foster, Judy Klich, Bridgette Guerzon Mills, Angie Renfro, Kendra Baird Runnels, Vicki Sawyer, and Mary Alayne Thomas — plus local pottery from Jennifer Mecca, Amy Sanders, and Julie Wiggins. “Opening a gallery in 2008 was a risky venture,” Snead says. “But the journey, with its many challenges, has been incredibly rewarding. We are proud of what we have accomplished and grateful for the support that has allowed us to flourish and celebrate our ten-year milestone.”
Left: Bridgette Guerzon, “Rise Again”, Encaustic mixed media, 5 1/2 x 11 inches
Right: Bridgette Guerzon, “The Shelter of Each Other”, Encaustic mixed media, 5 1/2 x 11 inches