Visual Narratives

All artists create visual languages to convey narratives and concepts that are important to them. These languages establish a formal construct which can be representational or abstract. As such they create a unique way of communicating ideas. Historically, artists have used their personal lexicon to express religious, political, historical or spiritual ideas. Some famous artists who have created their own discourse around visual narratives include Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, David Salle, Kiki Smith, and Louise Bourgeois. Other artists who use an abstract approach to creating their dialogue, include Eva Hesse, Barnett Newman, Joseph Albers, and Lee Bontecou. Contemporary artists can reference the real world directly or they can create a singular language devised, codified, presented, performed, and understood only by the artist themselves and their followers. The show Visual Narratives explores these artistic imagined and created world views, lexicons, and visual languages, which are at the heart of this exhibition. Participating artworks are considered from all media.

Juror: Katerina Lanfranco, is the Chief Curator at Trestle Gallery in Brooklyn, New York, and Founder of Rhombus Space, an exhibition venue established in 2013. She is also a Brooklyn-based artist who makes paintings, drawings, sculptures, and mixed media installations. Through her studio practice, she explores the intersection between nature, science, and fantasy in her art. Her work is represented by the Nancy Hoffman Gallery, and is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings) in Berlin, and the Corning Museum of Glass. She teaches studio art at museums and institutions of higher learning throughout New York City. She has been awarded several artist residencies including a six-month Creative Artist Fellowship in Kyoto, Japan through the Japan/US Friendship Commission. She is thrilled to be working with the Loft Artists Association as our 2017 guest juror.