6@35: Fabricating Culture – Washington Sculptors Group

Celebrating Washington Sculptors Group’s 35th Anniversary
Presented by Zenith Gallery at 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
August 19, 2019 – January 4, 2020

Participating Artists:
Luc Fiedler
Allen Linder
Mitra Lore
Vienne Rea
Gil Ugiansky
Wilfredo Valladares

Opening Reception & Meet the Artists:
Wednesday, September 18, 2019, 5-8 pm

Artist Talks:
Vienne Rea – Friday, September 27, 2pm
Mitra Lore – Friday, October 11, 2pm
Luc Fiedler – Saturday, November 2, 2pm
Allen Linder – Friday, November 15, 2pm
Wilfredo Valladares – Friday, December 6, 2pm
Gil Ugiansky – Friday, December 13, 2pm

Washington Sculptors Group supports area sculptors by collaborating with other arts organizations, helping develop careers and exhibiting artwork. Celebrating Washington Sculptors Group’s thirty-fifth year, artwork for Fabricating Culture was selected by a jury comprised of Sandy Bellamy who runs the Percent for Art Commission at the DC Department of General Services. Ms. Bellamy curates and manages competitive art commissions and acquisitions for DC public buildings including schools, recreation centers, shelters and other buildings. The Commission sponsors about 40-50 large scale works and 200 smaller works per year representing all media, interior and exterior, two and three dimensional. Prior to DGS, Ms. Bellamy served as executive director of the Historical Society of Washington DC and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Margery Goldberg, Zenith Gallery Owner/Director, Founder of the Zenith Community Arts Foundation and Sculptor. Nancy Nesvet, curator, artist, and art critic who writes for Artscope and Something We Africans Got magazines.

Fabricating Culture recognizes the following six Washington Sculptors Group members and their creations: Luc Fiedler, Allen Linder, Mitra Lore, Vienne Rea, Gil Ugiansky, and Wilfredo Valladares

Luc Fiedler’s work, inspired by natural or man-made objects show process. Tooling, hammer marks, flashes and splashes of foundry work, saw and carving marks are left intact. As the sculptures change, originally visualized ideas remain. Spontaneous decisions made during the developmental process result in entertaining meditative sculptures.

Allen Linder’s subtractive process of direct stone carving with hammer and chisel refine the emerging form. As Linder continues to reveal the emerging form, discovery leads to becoming. The moment of recognition, and of perceived finality leads to the finished sculpture.

Mitra Lore is a social activist who creates artwork to convey her message of “peace on earth.” Awarded American University’s Washington Area Peacemaker Award, Ms. Lore founded the Mideast 2000 Peace Foundation in 1991 with the goal: fostering peace in the Middle East. Mitra Lore’s collages and sculptures, often inspired by Rumi’s poetry, have been donated to benefit social causes and educate Maasai girls.

Vienne Rea’s Ladder Series, inspired by a dream, combines traditional and non-traditional materials using varied sculpting techniques. The use of ladder-as-symbol has become a vehicle for her expression of autobiographical and biographical stories spanning a lifetime of experiences.

Gil Ugiansky Creating non-representational artwork in mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, iron, bronze and found objects, Gil Ugiansky’s geometric shapes and shiny objects capture the interest and curiosity of the viewer eliciting the question: “how is that possible?” or “how did he do that?”

Wilfredo Valladares Using bronze, wood, steel, cast iron, rolling pins and other materials to explore the interconnectedness of cultures, Wilfredo Valladares’ sculptures capture relationships between people and cultures and tell their unique stories. “Portraits and headdresses capture relationships between time, memory and space.” Cast and found objects become conduits that allow transformation of stories and memories into tangible visual information. In the casting process, seams in the molds become scars alluding to stories told in facial expressions. Fire infiltrates the materials, reshaping the original form leaving voids behind.

Location:
1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington DC, 20004

Exhibition Dates:
August 19, 2019 – January 4, 2020

Opening Reception:
Wednesday, September 18, 2019, 5-8pm

Gallery Hours:
Monday-Friday 8am-7pm, Sat. 8am-4pm.
On Saturday, enter on 12th St. NW please knock & guard will let you in.

Press Inquiries:
Washington Sculptors Group, info@washingtonsculptors.org, (202) 686-8696
Zenith Gallery, art@zenithgallery.com, (202) 783-2963

ABOUT ZENITH:
Celebrating 41 years in the nation’s capital, Zenith is recognized for its unique mix of contemporary art in a wide variety of media, style and subject. The gallery provides high-quality acquisition, art consulting, commissioning, appraisal and framing services, through its gallery/salon/ sculpture garden off 16th Street at 1429 Iris St NW, WDC 20012. Zenith also curates rotating exhibits at the Eleven Sculpture Space at 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. www.zenithgallery.com

IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE FOR REPRODUCTION

Image: Wilfredo Valladeres, Unmasked Series, Installation, Resin, 6’ x 10’ x 6”