Three Astonishing Art Exhibitions Enthralling Charleston
Charleston, a city celebrated for its profound history and rich culture, offers residents and visitors alike intriguing art exhibitions this summer. The standout shows are the Cuban-American artist Reynier Llanes’s exploration on the concept of “passage” at the Gibbes Museum, the vibrant portraits celebrating Black culture by Christopher “Kolpeace” Johnson at the Avery Research Center, and the annual exhibition, Creative Corridors at Redux Contemporary Art Center.
Reynier Llanes: Passages at the Gibbes Museum
Reynier Llanes, a Cuban-American artist, presents his extraordinary solo exhibition, “Passages”, on the third floor of the Gibbes Museum. The exhibition houses large-scale narrative oil paintings reflecting his personal experiences as an artist, an émigré, an immigrant, and his fascinations with history, literature, and science. Gibbes curator Sara Arnold praises Llanes’s unique ability to paint other-worldly scenes, stating he “paints ethereal worlds”. “Passages” exhibition will run until September 15.
Look Just Like Yo Momma at the Avery Research Center
Christopher “Kolpeace” Johnson, an artist particularly known for his blend of graffiti and traditional acrylic techniques, presents his exhibition, “Look Just Like Yo Momma” at the Avery Research Center. The artist depicts the women in his life with intense and assured strokes on reclaimed wood panels, often portraying them with gold, spray-painted halos indicating deep respect. Johnson says the exhibition “encapsulates memorable faces of impactful loving individuals who played pivotal roles in shaping my character”. The exhibition will be on display until August 3.
Creative Corridors at Redux Contemporary Art Center
Redux Contemporary Art Center showcases works by its 37 resident studio artists as part of the annual tradition, Creative Corridors. This year, curator Maggie Jordan asked artists to produce new work with the theme of “experimentation”. You can witness works like Katie Libby’s vibrant orange figurative painting, Kris Hanson’s “warrior goddess” pieces on mannequin head forms, a vase discussing consumer culture, and more. The show runs until August 10.
In addition to Creative Corridors, two other shows are on display at Redux; Hale Horstman’s Bathed in Light, a collection of abstract photographs, and the two-person Lightning Residency program, Loose Joints by Dylan Beckman and Joe Karlovec. Beckman offers assemblages made from found materials, while Karlovec interconnects printmaking and sculpture.
Supporting Redux
Charleston’s hub for contemporary art, Redux, is currently seeking donations to replace their worn-out chairs. Your support through a modest donation can play a pivotal role in keeping this alive.
These exhibitions provide a creative way to spend a summer day in Charleston, drawing you into a conversation with the artists and their unique perspectives on life, its transitions, and memories. Not only do these shows excite the senses with their colorful vibrancy, but they also ignite conversations around bigger themes of culture, memory, passage, and experimentations.
