Collaborations and multi-genre work on view from May 17 to August 13
May 1, 2018
PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Jorge O. Elorza and the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism invite you to visit the Gallery at City Hall for its newest installation: Square Knots and Tightropes: Collaborations and Multi-Genre Work by Keri King and Michael Gabrielle. This exhibition features macramé and illustration as well as archival elements that speak to process. It is on view weekdays from 8:30am to 4:30pm, May 17 to August 13, 2018.
An opening reception will be held on Thursday, May 17, 2018 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm on the second floor of Providence City Hall, 25 Dorrance Street. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.
Michael Gabrielle’s macramé tapestries are optical illusions. The tapestries are three-dimensional sculptures, but often feel like they exist in two-dimensions when they lay flat or mark a threshold. King’s illustrations on paper, each lovingly extracted from an esoteric primary source, similarly conflate perceptions of depth; they are flattened by digital tools, but are enlivened when brought into conversation with an audience.
Gabrielle and King say that PVDFest public art commissions enabled them to face new conceptual and formal challenges with their work. Indeed, the festival’s multi-genre formats invite a special kind of engagement from audiences, but so too do the walls of the Gallery at City Hall. With its staid mayoral portraits and elaborate gold filigrees, City Hall’s second floor gallery becomes a stage for a series of magical encounters between Gabrielle and King, perhaps even a portal to another world. Square Knots and Tightropes is an occasion for both of them to look back at their experiences prior to, and during, PVDFest while pushing each other to reach for astounding new heights.
About the Artists:
Michael Gabrielle is an artist based in Providence, RI. After studying visual arts and psychology at Brown University, he now works as the Program Director for PeaceLove, an expressive arts organization focused on mental health and wellness. Gabrielle helps people to use creative means to express themselves authentically and heal emotionally. In his personal art practice, he uses tools and techniques derived from macramé and fiber arts, drawing and illustration, woodworking and painting.
Keri King is a cross-disciplinary artist based in Providence, RI. An adventurous and adaptable visual storyteller, King’s work spans the worlds of public art, illustration, and design for theater. In the studio, King generates her imagery through an integrated process of collage, research, and drawing. In the community, King’s recent projects have included work with Providence Public Library, the Pawtucket Arts Festival the Wilbury Theatre Group. King teaches integrated arts to students K-8 at the Wolf School, where her lessons help students to build cognitive and sensory bridges between classroom curricula and the arts.
About the Gallery at City Hall: Offering space to artists and organizations that might not have a permanent gallery, the Gallery at City Hall exhibits an eclectic array of work that highlights the artistic and cultural diversity found in the Providence community. The Gallery is open to the public during City Hall business hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm and is located at 25 Dorrance Street | 2nd Floor | Providence, RI 02903. For more information go to artculturetourism.com/main-gallery
For Information on Parking: parkdowntownprovidence.com