Announcing: Pagan Poetry Opening May 12th

Pagan Poetry : Tino Rodriguez and Virgo Paraiso

Opening Reception: Saturday May 12, 2012, 6-10 pm
Exhibition Dates: May 12 - June 10, 2012
Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 11a - 7pm

 Modern Eden Gallery is pleased to announce "Pagan Poetry", an art exhibit by San Francisco artists Tino Rodriguez and Virgo Paraiso.  Using classical techniques, the artists are able to weave provocative and imaginative imagery seemingly borne of dreams and fantasy worlds. Their paintings are inhabited by androgynous magical and mystical beings, hybrid creatures, exotic flora, carnivorous flowers, fauna, and fantastical gardens where things are not what they seem. Tino and Virgo have collaborated on several paintings for this show, adding elements of improvisation and  creative abundance, each playing off each other's artistry. The artists’ individual works will also be on exhibit.

Tino Rodriquez expertly weaves together elements from Catholic idolatry, European fairy tales, Celtic fables, Mexican myths, and Native American legends as he explores the complexity of spirituality, sexuality, and transformation. The duality found in Western religions -good and evil, heaven and hell, spirit and body - intermingle in a vision that makes such distinctions irrelevant. Rodriguez was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico. A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, he holds an MFA from the University of Albuquerque. His work has shown in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, Washington DC and Berlin, and resides in permanent  collections at The San Jose Museum of Art (San Jose, CA), The Crocker Art Museum (Sacramento, CA), and The Nevada Museum of Art.

 

Virgo Paraiso’s artwork creates worlds with no boundaries and lush paradise elements. His masterful brush stroke and technique are brought to life with underlying themes of Paradise, Metamorphoses and Hybridism. Each painting is rich in stories, philosophical layers, and symbolism where tales of transformation flourish.  Paraiso was born in Mexico and has  lived in  Okinawa, Japan and Hawaii. He graduated from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco in 2000 and currently resides in San Francisco. His work has shown in Hawaii, Japan, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Boston, Berlin, and beyond.

 The opening reception for "Pagan Poetry" will be held at Modern Eden on Saturday, May 12th from 6-10pm. The exhibition will be on display through June 10, 2012 and is free and open to the public. Complimentary drinks will be served and there will be a special musical performance by Sylvi Alli during the reception.

Exhibiting artists, Tino Rodriguez and Virgo Paraiso will be in attendance. 

RSVP HERE
For more information please contact Modern Eden: (415) 956-3303, Info@ModernEden.com

Featured Solo Exhibition: “Soliloquies from the Silent Country”, Opening Jan 21st

Modern Eden Gallery is pleased to announce “Soliloquies from the Silent Country”, new paintings and sculptures by San Francisco Bay Area artist Lacey Bryant. This will be Bryant's debut solo exhibition in San Francisco. The opening reception will be held at Modern Eden on Saturday, January 21st from 6-9 pm. Live music will be provided by acclaimed Folk group “The Wild Reeds”, and complimentary drinks by Quail Oak Winery will be served to our 21+ guests. The exhibition will be on display through February 5, 2012 and is free and open to the public.

Theatrically posed and surrounded by lush, illusory environments, the subjects of Lacey's works are like illustrations in a picture book written in an unknown language. The images are somewhat familiar but certain elements remains foreign. Like a hazy dream of an imagined childhood long forgotten, the images strive to make you feel as if you just might have been there once, maybe. The stage is set in an imagined world of natural beauty beneath ominously stormy skies. It is a world poised between now and once upon a time.

The use of symbolism gives the work a universal language although many of the symbols can be interpreted in several different ways. Certain motifs are repeated throughout the works such as birds and insects, roots, branches or veins, string, theatre curtains and abandoned objects. Often emitting from the haunting subjects of her work, these symbols represent desires, feelings and afflictions. Lacey’s subjects are often blind to their own dilemmas or at least are unaware of how to change their circumstances. Curtains remind us that we are peering in on a world as artificial as our own. These images are invented to confront issues such as connection, longing, frailty, time and our own mortality.

As is common in Lacey's work, there is a subtle tension between beautiful and unsettling elements. Though the settings are usually very light and airy there is a certain heaviness in the atmosphere and a distinct melancholy about the girls with wild hair and confrontational stares. We are presented with things we are uncomfortable with-spiders, holes, cracks and decay. This contrast is constructed to create a sense of mystery and mood, enticing the viewer to linger and embrace their own hidden dark sides or even to find the beauty in something that scares us. Bryant currently resides in San Jose, CA.

Located in San Francisco's historic North Beach, Modern Eden was opened in June 2010. Local artists Bradley Platz and Kim Larson are Co-Owners and Gallery Directors. Modern Eden Gallery has quickly become one of San Francisco's most exciting and attractive destinations for art. Modern Eden showcases talent-driven art by San Francisco's top emerging and established artists. Modern Eden focuses on figurative and illustrative paintings in genres ranging from realism to surrealism. You can visit the gallery at 403 Francisco Street Wednesday through Sunday 11 am-7 pm or anytime on-line at www.moderneden.com.

When:
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 21, 2012 6-9 PM,
Artist Lacey Bryant will be in attendance

Where: Modern Eden Gallery
403 Francisco Street
San Francisco, CA 94133

RSVP HERE

Prey Opening Reception: Mark Your Calendars: August 20, 2011

RSVP HERE

beinArt Surreal Art Blog

Thanks to beinArt for featuring The Order on their blog. Check it out HERE and also be sure to check out the show on July 16th at Modern Eden Gallery!

Both Michael Ryan and Bradley Platz are featured artists of The Beinart International Surrealist Collective and draw inspiration from mysticism and allegorical storytelling using traditional artistic mediums.