The Knapp Gallery Presents: Meeting the Diversities
First Friday Opening: December 3rd
Exhibition: December 3rd – January 2nd 2011
Artist Reception: Sun. December 5th (1pm-4pm)
(Philadelphia) – The Knapp Gallery continues its tradition of First Friday openings and welcomes local emerging philadelphia artists Salvador Di Quinzio, Kevin Von Holtermann and Gail S. Kotel in our Holiday “Three in One” exhibition Meeting the Diversities. An homage to collectivism, Meeting the Diversity hi-lights the complex melting pot of Philadelphia’s Contemporary Fine Art scene; an artful harnessing of commonality amidst divergent processes, genres and aesthetic. The resulting seamless troika gallery division, normally divisible by two, acknowledges the existing collective thread tethering Philadelphia’s local artists.
Di Quinzio’s timeless display of traditionalism, a cornucopia of non-typical imagery, dispels conventional notions of ethnic–based creativity. A story teller of sorts, Di Quinzio tickles our remembrance with fable-esque yet relevant vignettes; surreal by definition, however dominated by German expressionism. Copious depictions of life within life, juxtaposition of orientation, incongruent image sizes and dramatic perspective shift accentuate his veteran ideals of “drawing outside the lines.” More than collectible, an existing familial and heirloom quality is enhanced by a warm “egg tempera-esque” patina.
Von Holtermann shoots from the hip with refreshing naiveté, energy and abandon bent on investigation. Like in the James Brown song, “Ain’t no static”, and akin to the “Three faces of Eve,” there is a profound visual schizophrenia, albeit with a free ongoing and eclectic conversation. Von Holtermann creates new language. Much about the paint, Kevin’s varied processes, including unorthodox “resists,” yield unpredictable results birthing dramatic and inventive abstraction.
Gail Ko
tel’s reworked 3D sash arrangements, mounted as 2D wall hangings, present viewers a fresh new vista through a remarkably non-traditional window. Tactile and tangibility mark Kotel’s rethinking of a window with a view. Supercharged, fractured, staggered and structurally altered window panes incorporate mechanics with form, figure and color; unique is her “telling” portraiture shown through the looking glass. Voyeuristic in their intimacy, Kotel’s distorted and haunting “reflections” challenge our isolationist sensibilities. Translucence, ambient luminescence and fragmented shadowing dramatize an innate crispness.
First Friday Opening: December 3rd
Exhibition: December 3rd – January 2nd 2011
Artist Reception: Sun. December 5th (1pm-4pm)
(Philadelphia) – The Knapp Gallery continues its tradition of First Friday openings and welcomes local emerging philadelphia artists Salvador Di Quinzio, Kevin Von Holtermann and Gail S. Kotel in our Holiday “Three in One” exhibition Meeting the Diversities. An homage to collectivism, Meeting the Diversity hi-lights the complex melting pot of Philadelphia’s Contemporary Fine Art scene; an artful harnessing of commonality amidst divergent processes, genres and aesthetic. The resulting seamless troika gallery division, normally divisible by two, acknowledges the existing collective thread tethering Philadelphia’s local artists.
Di Quinzio’s timeless display of traditionalism, a cornucopia of non-typical imagery, dispels conventional notions of ethnic–based creativity. A story teller of sorts, Di Quinzio tickles our remembrance with fable-esque yet relevant vignettes; surreal by definition, however dominated by German expressionism. Copious depictions of life within life, juxtaposition of orientation, incongruent image sizes and dramatic perspective shift accentuate his veteran ideals of “drawing outside the lines.” More than collectible, an existing familial and heirloom quality is enhanced by a warm “egg tempera-esque” patina.
Von Holtermann shoots from the hip with refreshing naiveté, energy and abandon bent on investigation. Like in the James Brown song, “Ain’t no static”, and akin to the “Three faces of Eve,” there is a profound visual schizophrenia, albeit with a free ongoing and eclectic conversation. Von Holtermann creates new language. Much about the paint, Kevin’s varied processes, including unorthodox “resists,” yield unpredictable results birthing dramatic and inventive abstraction.
Gail Ko
tel’s reworked 3D sash arrangements, mounted as 2D wall hangings, present viewers a fresh new vista through a remarkably non-traditional window. Tactile and tangibility mark Kotel’s rethinking of a window with a view. Supercharged, fractured, staggered and structurally altered window panes incorporate mechanics with form, figure and color; unique is her “telling” portraiture shown through the looking glass. Voyeuristic in their intimacy, Kotel’s distorted and haunting “reflections” challenge our isolationist sensibilities. Translucence, ambient luminescence and fragmented shadowing dramatize an innate crispness. 
