We are proud to present “Keepsakers”, a broad grouping of contemporary works comprised of mono-prints on paper by Phyllis Boudreaux, oil paintings on paper by Kristin Texeira and wall sculptures by Nikita Vishnevskiy. Tension between figure or object and the surrounding dense block of bold color and texture brings the three very different artists work together in this vibrant group exhibition.
Phyllis Boudreaux is a mixed media artist who creates blue film etching and mono-prints that are made with Plexiglas plates. The confined figures in the artist’s work are part of a larger series, which concentrate on the frailty/brokenness of the human condition. The Matisse-like figures twist in obscure postures, almost falling upwards in space and time. “It is that dance between the figure and shapes that represent the push-pull of the physical and the immaterial.” Boudreaux lives and works in Kinnelon, New Jersey. She received a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design with a MFA from William Paterson University. Her mixed media work has been shown in galleries, universities and public spaces nationally.
Kristin Texeira, an oil painter working on paper, depict places from writer Italo Calvino’s book Invisible Cities. In the book, Calvino poetically explains how personal experiences influence the way we recall places and moments in time. These works provides proof—for herself and others—of existing in certain moments in time. “I paint to capture, document, and preserve memories. I translate the essence of moments through color by mixing up the poetics of people and places. I retell stories through painting and writing to preserve memories as tangible maps." Texeira has exhibited on both coasts and in Europe as well as participated in numerous artist residency programs across the country. Shecurrently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Nikita Vishnevskiy’s wall sculptures are resin tablets emphasized by hand-sewn frames. Embedded within the tablets are tokens of the artists past, including flowers, hair and stone. The tokens encapsulated in the timeless tombs of resin communicate passion, mourning, grief and loss. “A cut and woven lock of hair or a carefully chosen flower could publicly represent the most intimate human emotions.” In these works of art, Vishnevskiy poses the materials as a questioning, a calling for a sensual consciousness. Vishnevskiy is an artist and curator born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He received his BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2007 and his MFA from Parsons in New York City in 2009. As an artist Vishnevskiy has exhibited in galleries across the U.S. and abroad at the Museum of Modern Art in Moscow, Russia.
Brilliant Champions Gallery celebrates “Keepsakers” with an opening reception on May 19, 2017 from 6 - 9pm and is open to the public. The exhibition runs through June 17, 2017 with open hours Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 5pm and by appointment or chance.