‘The Irresistable Stream of Time’ exhibition expose

Oct 6, 2010 Daniel Mirante in Articles, Exhibitions, Interviews 6 Comments Tags: galerie10, international group show, Vienna

Vienna, September 2010, saw the launch of a group show of 12 artists gathered from across the planet, within Galerie10, a historic home of the work of the Fantastic Realists, the originating European current of visionary art.

Relativity by David Heskin and Aloria Weaver

Gathering of artists at the vernisage (opening)

The show The Irresistable Stream of Time focussed upon the representation of a ‘new wave’ of artists. From the USA, Amanda Sage, David Heskin, Aloria Weaver, Autumn Sky Morrison and Adam Scott Miller. From Germany artists Leo Plaw and Dennis Konstantin. From the United Kingdom Daniel Mirante, Basia Wiacek and Emma Watkinson. The show also included several major pieces from the renowned Vienese artist De Es.

The L.A and Vienna based artist Amanda Sage, who has spent 12 years working with both Michael Fuchs and Ernst Fuchs, powered the initiative of the project, weaving together the different facets and lines of development evident within the diverse umbrella term of visionary art.

Set in the cultural center of Vienna,Galerie10 (created by Manfred Scheer and now under stewardship of Michael Scheer, Manfred’s son) has been collecting and exhibiting visionary art for over 50 years. Vienna, a ground zero of ‘fantastic realism’ (visionary art, sacred or mystical art), is home to a vibrant network of artists such as Michael Fuchs, DE ES, Otto Rapp, Benedetto Fellin, Luigi La Speranza, Peter Gric, WESSI, Vesna and Rose Gabriel La Lyre, amongst many others.

De Es with Rose Gabriel La Lyre and Vesna Krasnec

Whilst the show worked as a unity, there were also exciting differences between the artists to be explored. A very interesting kind of psychonautic ‘expressionism’ seemed to be evidenced throughout a great deal of the show, for instance within the dimensional, textured networks of De Es, who through conversation revealed that the inspiration for these paintings comes from a personal contemplation on systems theory and wholeness, an expression of the web of life and the psychic networks within which we are all connected.

More expressionistic tendencies were evidenced in the sensitively expressed, investigative, spiralling, jewelled flowforms of Leo Plaw, who’s beautiful ‘Bleu Spirale’ was a strong draw, and an abundance of paintings by Dennis Konstantin, skillfully rendered rhythmic, pulsating environments and timelines, revealing lots of painterly delight in the details.

Evolution by Amanda Sage

Opening night

The works of Amanda Sage incorporated both expressive painterly sensitivity with illustrative forms and portraiture, rendered in bright and clear colour sensibilities, conveyed with confidence and highly skillful technique. On discussing her art practice Amanda expressed

“…My aspiration is to paint messages, visions and narratives that communicate with an ‘older & wiser us’, awakening ancient memory; as well as the ‘present us’, that we may grow up and accept the responsibilities towards ourselves, each other and the rest of existence on this planet… now.”

David Heskin, Aloria Weaver, Michael Fuchs, Amanda Sage and Daniel Mirante

Sage’s ‘cosmic egg’ icons were replete with inspiring visions of permaculturised urban vistas, enlivening energies and spirit-beings. The portraits of inspiring grass-roots environmental and spiritual leaders, interwoven with visions of transformed neighbourhoods and vibrant bands of flowing life energy indicates a new and unexplored line of development within visionary art.

‘Relativity‘ (see main image, top of article), the co-creation of Aloria Weaver and David Heskin, a collaborative painting, invited repeated study, with crystaline plateaus and vibrant resonant spiral patterns to be explored and appreciated.

According to the duo, the piece ‘Relativity’ manifested within a matter of weeks, but was without doubt one of the major works of the show. Their individual pieces on display, smaller egg-tempera and oil-glaze paintings, also shone with bright, clear and finely painted qualities, such as ‘Unio Mystica’ (below) by Aloria Weaver.

Aloria Weaver - UnioMystica

More illustrative tendencies seemed to be indicated in the artists from the UK. Another collaborating couple, Basia Wiacek and Daniel Mirante, exhibited a series of giclee-on-canvas, icon-like images of spiritual entities. Daniel Mirante exhibited two intricate maple panel oil paintings of ‘dakini princesses’ in their magical realms.

“Dreamtime Wish” by Basia Wiacek stood out with its cartoon-like, playful oriental beings replete with berries and leaves, within some mysterious state of shamanic enchantment.

Dreamtime Wish by Basia Wiacek

Emma Watkinson showed a newly completed painting of a Sri-Yantra rising like a radiant dawn over the river Ganges. Her work had much in sympathy with the spirit of traditional European fantastic realism.

The opening night was wall-to-wall with a broad audience attracted to the exhibition. Many of the respected artists of the Viennese school of Fantastic Realism came out to greet and welcome the visiting exhibiting artists. Vienna and Galerie10 is an appropriate and poignant ground for propogation of the ‘new wave’, which is much deeper and broader than this show was able to tell.

Sri yantra by Emma Watkinson

The show succeeded in indicating that the lines of ‘fantastic realism’ are not something to be archived in the annals of art history, but is alive and well, continuing to diversify and propogate. The Irresistable Stream of Time exhibition realised both a powerful exposition of contemporary visionary art within one of Europes prime cultural centers, and also served as a fruitful gathering of practicing artists and art lovers.