Monday, July 14, 2014

Summer Dreams




This Summer, Du Mois Gallery offers Voyages from Ken Nahan, a combination of previous works, minimalists in scale and new larger abstract landscapes built in the same vein where the artist lets our eyes and minds wander in compositions made of colored hieroglyphic messages floating on nautical charts.
Without focal points, the paintings give a sense of infinity, spill out of their frames and get us lost in the meanders of our subconscious.
The language has no limits and few signs repeat themselves. There is no end to the artist's imagination fostering new landscapes, new dreams and stimulating our collective and personal memories.
In the best tradition of Miró, Klee and Surrealism, his colored alphabet dances in front of our eyes, and if some may find the subject passé, others find it inexhaustible. Kandinsky chose celestial backgrounds, Kenan favors  the unexplored world of the deep ocean. The technique combining a scenery of soft curvy lines with a foreground of geometric and biomorphic symbols builds a playful world of fantasy. With a whole gamut of colors, from primary to in between variations like flat and augmented notes, the juxtaposition of hues creates musical compositions which can be enjoyed as a whole, or one drawing at a time like we would savor the licks of a Jazz piece. It is no surprise that reference to music comes to mind. The artist was born and raised in New Orleans, obtained a BFA from Tulane University, spent some time in Paris learning new techniques and collaborating with local artists, stayed for a period in the Northeast and is back home.
Ever changing landscapes for voyages of the mind.



Photographs by the author

The gallery may be closed at times this Summer, contact the artist for personal visits.


No comments: