this year has been all about being flexible and along with our regular exhibition schedule leaving room to create opportunities for pop-up shows. in september we visited the studio of longtime hbg artist tony hernandez. we viewed works in progress on wood panel along with a suite of new mixed media and encaustic drawings on paper. immediately we envisioned them exhibited together installed in a grouping to have the most profound effect on the viewer. tony’s drawings are quite special for they are minimal in composition and on the other hand powerful in their message. his visual language includes dunce hats, birds, letters, figures and even planes. all to rejoice in the power of hope and relay every individual is important. the images speak loudly even through their sparseness.
in the front room we have a group exhibition of recent works by gallery artists. we are constantly receiving new inventory from our artists and are thrilled to share with our collectors. the energy and excitement we feel from being exposed to fresh ideas and imagery is addicting to say the least.
tony hernandez was born in Atlanta in 1964 and has been painting professionally since 1988. while he is a southern artist, his works are far from the region. his subject matter delves into the lives of children of the holocaust, as well as those who struggled through the great depression, especially in the ghettos of the bronx where his grandparents lived. he is haunted by photographs of these children, often being consumed by the images until he puts pigment to canvas. hernandez conveys the worlds that children create for themselves when they feel powerless by the fallacies of adults. with effervescence and symbolism, his paintings of preadolescent children wrestle with two themes: powerlessness and imagination. this tango creates a realm where the "mind of wonder" is tangible.
“the painting starts with an emotion, then translating ideas to drawings using a personal visual vocabulary and symbolism developed over the last 38 years. i look through hundreds of images on subjects i am working on, from drawings on the walls of auschwitz to the kabbalah. i’m always haunted by photographs of children who perished in the holocaust. children during the great depression, especially in the bronx where my great grandparents moved at that time and the lower east side were my great grandfather had a grocery store.
i paint symbols (children) for emotional connection to deliver a definable psychological impact without a conceptual agenda. a symbolism to give viewers entry into a world of transcendence from historical travesties. resulting in a large measure of despair and abandonment.
creating a moment of haunting beauty frozen in time with no before or after.”
holiday pop-up exhibition
all available work by each artist can be viewed on our website under their individual tabs including sizing + pricing. hidell brooks gallery is by appointment. please call the gallery if you have any further questions.