Press Release
Exhibition: CONFLUENCE
Showing: September 10th 2015 - October 17th 2015
Denver—Water. Rising sea levels, tales of drought and increasing scarcity, discussions around its rights, its uses, its increasingly critical role as a global currency: Water is a critical planetary issue that’s very much front and center for those of us in Colorado. And now, it’s the subject of an evocative and thought-provoking new exhibition at Denver’s Space Gallery.
“Water is a complex and loaded topic,” says curator and gallerist Michael Burnett. “And in this showing, we’ll explore Confluence as the place where art and issues come together.”
Confluence, featuring works by Tyler Aiello, Monica Aiello, Betsy Stewart and Paul Ecke, examines the subject of water—not in an overtly political way, but rather as a way to fuse creativity with our conscious awareness of the subject matter. In Confluence, the artists employ unexpected shapes, colors and media to suggest the presence of water, our involvement with it and, by implication, the considerations that accompany it.
“Art is perhaps the truest and most immediate form of storytelling,” artist Paul Ecke reflected. “And water gives us a vital and important story to tell.”
Artist and environmental activist Monica Aiello agrees. “Literally and metaphorically, rivers are the life blood of Earth. Like our own circulatory systems, they bring life to global civilizations. It’s a topic we must pay attention to and a conversation that must be had. We no longer have a choice.”
“In this space, at this time,” Michael Burnett concludes, “water will inform an intimate experience with art. We see will see a confluence of the beauty, the urgency and the necessity. And if we walk away with one more moment of consideration for the truth behind the beauty, then this show will have done its job.”
The exhibit runs through October 17th at Space Gallery, 400 Santa Fe Drive, the southernmost anchor of Denver’s thriving Santa Fe Arts District.
Artist Paul Ecke
Fellow Showing Artist Betsy Stewart from Washington DC