Paintings & Artwork by Agustin

January 2007
An Exhibition of Artwork by   Melissa Hanes



       

Artist Statement
Melissa Hanes

 My work is about my conflicted relationship with fashion imagery.  Whether I choose to feast on the glossy spreads in the latest magazine, or avert my eyes from the voluptuous, fifty-foot blonde splayed before me on a city billboard, fashion permeates and insinuates itself into my consciousness.  One day as I was flipping through a magazine, I realized the absurdity of these images.  It amazed me that for so long I was willing to take them for what they were, never questioning the suspension of disbelief that occurs within the page. 

 I was suddenly aware of the bizarre world within fashion imagery- where women become objects and curiosities to be studied and scrutinized.  I saw these women as existing in the same world as birds in scientific encyclopedia- specimens decked out in their finest plumage, awaiting the gaze of curious onlookers. 

 My decision to unite these two worlds came from habits I developed as a teenager.  With jealousy and irritation, I marked the faces in these highly crafted ads, adding a blemish to an otherwise pristine complexion. 

 My relationship to these images, however, goes beyond criticism. Within my critique, I have found an appreciation for the level of craftsmanship and brilliant use of formal elements within these fashion spreads.  I recognize the seductive power of this medium and have chosen to alter what I believe is the weakest part- the face. I find this part to be the least interesting and believable- a strategic move that forces the viewer to focus on the clothing. The combination of these two beautiful and delicate beings creates a bizarre and jarring hybrid. The tradition of glamour, seduction, and pleasure of looking has been altered.   

Legends of the Indus
-Sameena Quraeshi

Legends of the Indus is the first luxury edition of the centuries-old folk tales and legends of the Asian subcontinent. Hardback with cloth, gold-embossedand jacket with French folds, 232 pages with 150 illustrations in color of previously unpublished maps, drawings and miniature paintings from the Pahari and Mughul schools, from private collections and from museums around the world, by the distinguished author, Samina S. Quraeshi, author of two celebrated books about Pakistan, Legacy of the Indus and Lahore: The City Within. As a contemporary incarnation of an ancient oral tradition, the tales, in this re-imagining, are a testament to the diversity and vitality of the Indus region’s history. They are also an integral part of its future. Economic and cultural changes on a global scale are infiltrating lands and peoples both around and enriched by tradition. The social rules that are inscribed in a culture’s myths are challenged. The key to reconciling global change with cultural tradition lies in the investigation of a culture’s legends themselves. Not only do they illuminate the culture in question, they provide a powerful testament to what each culture shares with each other. In other words, legends demonstrate both the universality and the specifi city of culture. The legends are drawn from Pakistan’s five main regions and are a mirror of Pakistani village life: Adam & Durkhane from the Northwest Frontier, Sassi & Punnu from Sind, Sohni & Mahiwal from the northern Punjab, Heer & Ranjha from southern Punjab and Omar & Marui from Baluchistan.

To order Legends of the Indus:
Please email request with number of copies and address of shipment to:
[email protected]
Each book is $80.00 per copy +$7.50 shipping.
Please mail check (made out to: S/Q Associates) with shipment address to:
Richard Shepard,
S/Q Associates
300 Horseneck Road,
South Dartmouth MA 02748 USA

An Exhibition of Collages By Swiss/German Artist
Wolfgang Hildesheimer
(1916-1991)

 March 27 - April 7
Scheduled for Spring next year at Vivaldi, this exhibition will include
both prints and never before exhibited originals in private collections.

Village Scenes
- Katya Held

Caffe Vivaldi, Greenwich Village New York. 2005 Oil on canvas, 16x20

    
                      Washington Square Park                     Scene from Bleecker StreetGreenwich Village, New York
 

Courtesy Katya Held - http://www.katyagallery.com