Somerville Artist Anne Johnstone Featured in NYC Art Show

As a refreshingly human counterpoint to the digital age, Anne Johnstone’s paintings breathe new life into the mixed media format. Describing her artwork as “the antithesis of technological cool,” Johnstone plays with the ideas of anxiety and modernity using all the tools at her disposal. She layers and juxtaposes acrylic, wax, and collage to confront and connect contradictory emotions and ideas: deconstruction and reconstruction, abstraction and representation, and pastoral scenes and postmodern anxiety all play their part in vivid color and texture. Shades of light and dark subject matters meld together seamlessly; farm animals and nervous conversationalists fade into newspaper clippings and tessellations, implying both the fragility and exuberance of contemporary life. Her process is equal parts energy and reflection, allowing for a direct, intuitive connection between the artist, the canvas, and the audience.

Johnstone’s unique technique and subject matter derive from a background as diverse as the materials she uses. She draws from her experiences in rural Pennsylvania, the depths of emotional turmoil, and a life spent both within and without the art world.

Exhibition Dates: April 24, 2015 – May 14, 2015
Reception: Thursday April 30, 2015, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Gallery Hours: Tues-Sat 11-6
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th St, Chelsea, New York
Event URL: http://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Anne_Johnstone.aspx

Featured artists:

The Kaleidoscope of the Mind

VAST | Roger Kaye | Gianni De Marchi | Marianne Fernandez | Albert Lichten | Gudrun Alvebro | Sarah Arensi | Joel Shapses | Gaby Grobo | Anne Johnstone | HoJung Jun | Christopher Will

About the Exhibition

Color & Transformation in Agora Gallery

Themes of color and transformation run deep through the Kaleidoscope of the Mind, an exhibition of extraordinary dimensionality at Agora Gallery this season. Ranging from abstract sculpture to realistic figurative paintings, the works in this exhibition nod to reality before deviating onto an unfamiliar path of inspiration and fantasy. Some artists use vivid color and complex patterns and others pair figures and subjects against atmospheric and conceptual backdrops. As the viewer walks from piece to piece, they fall deeper into the rabbit hole.

About Agora Gallery

Agora Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery located in the heart of Chelsea’s fine art district in New York. Established in 1984, Agora Gallery specializes in connecting art dealers and collectors with national and international artists. The art gallery’s expert consultants are available to assist corporate and private clients in procuring original artwork to meet their organization’s specific needs and budget requirements. With a strong online presence and popular online gallery, ARTmine, coupled with the spacious and elegant physical gallery space, the work of our talented artists, who work in diverse media and styles, can receive the attention it deserves. Over the years Agora Gallery has sponsored and catered to special events aimed at fostering social awareness and promoting the use of art to help those in need.