Serious Play
Witness the perfectly paired works of these two whimsical and seriously talented gallery artists
and
May 4 - June 29
Opening Reception May 4th from 3-6 pm
Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Rachel Romano, Heartland Tableau, 2023. Oil on linen, 48 x 32 inches.
Carson Fox, Tip Toe, 2023. Resin, colored sand, plaster, paper mâché, and foam, 18 × 19 1/4 × 15 inches.
Gallery artists Carson Fox and Rachel Romano come together for the first time in this vibrant exhibition which promises to be a must-see. Carson Fox’s wonderfully and joyfully odd anthropomorphic sculptures seem to “hang out” in the gallery alongside her colorful ombre-style installation of varying density (as seen in the Charles Library at Temple University.) Fox’s work harmonizes with Romano’s paintings which communicate all the comedy and drama of a Shakespearean tragedy. As a storyteller/artist, Romano’s playful compositions are filled with symbolism that offers poignant cultural commentaries.
Come for the whimsy, stay for the depth.
Rachel Romano, The Lothario's Last Supper, 2023. Oil on linen, 48 x 32 inches
Carson Fox, Emergency Nap, 2023. Resin, colored sand, plaster, paper mâché, and foam, 16 × 23 1/2 × 15 1/4 inches.
Carson Fox, Sorbet Orange, 2024. Resin and steel pins, 20 x 20 inches.
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In “Serious Play,” Carson Fox presents her newest resin sculptures with big personalities. The ‘creatures’ Fox made in an array of bold colors occupy the gallery space with you. These beautiful companions are much more than intriguing objects with wacky titles, they have personalities that are apparent in their poses – how they arrange their “limbs” and hold themselves. In these works, Fox’s unique ability to breathe wonder and life into her art is wholly apparent and impressive.
Fox’s installations have been popular in both private and public locations. It is no wonder why- they transform any space into an ethereal environment. Using glitter, sand, and high-intensity pigments in her resin, Fox is able to create the many components of her installations in a way that is varied and remarkable. She plays with composition, density, and values when arranging the hundreds of individually cast flowers, shells, and other shapes that comprise her installations. For the first time, Carson translated these commissioned installations (as seen in the Charles Library at Temple University) into beautiful portable smaller scale works. These intricate wall-hung assemblages capture the beauty of custom installations in an intimate format.
Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Carson Fox, Mouse, 2023. Resin, colored sand, plaster, paper mâché, and foam, 14 1/2 × 36 × 15 1/2 inches.
Carson Fox is a New York sculptor and installation artist who celebrates the beauty and complexity of the natural world in her wonderfully odd anthropomorphic sculptures and colorful ombre-style installations of varying densities. Her work resonates with all and fits both private and public spaces with their whimsy and depth. Fox received a four-year studio certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, a BFA from University of Pennsylvania, and an MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.
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Fox shows her work in galleries and museums across the world including Stanek Gallery, The Museum of Arts and Design, The Royal Museum of Belgium, the New Jersey State Museum, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum. She has participated in solo and group exhibitions across the USA and Europe at important institutions that celebrate contemporary sculptural works which incorporate unique design elements including the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, Colorado, the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, and the Association Mouvment Art Contemporain, Chamalieres, France among others.
Fox brings her unique and innovative ideas to life in both 3D free-standing objects and large-scale installations which can be commissioned for any space. In 2020, Carson Fox was commissioned by Temple University to install a work in their newly completed Charles Library. Fox has received many grants and awards like the University of Rhode Island and a Willem Emil Cresson Award.
Excerpt from Art Seen Magazine, Summer 2024 Edition. Featuring the work New American Gothic by Rachel Romano
Rachel Romano uses her neo-surrealist style to tell stories with all the comedy and drama of a Shakespearean tragedy. The works included in “Serious Play” are exemplary of her body of work. Rife with symbolism, Romano’s paintings will grab and hold the viewer’s attention as they internalize the story and cultural commentary. Her work is unique in the way it delivers the narrative to the viewer, leaving room for many interpretations. Romano invites different perspectives in response to her paintings. The “result” of her art is a combination of the emotional journey both artist and viewer experience.
Romano’s playful compositions are symptomatic of her dual role as a poignant storyteller and truly creative artist. Her compositions are as bold as her palette and as brilliant as her characters. Romano’s increasingly popular work is both visually stimulating and provocative in every sense of the word.
Rachel Romano, Masquerading in Innocence, 2023. Oil on linen, 48 x 32 inches.