Xiao Faria da Cunha, “Field Study #1: Hidden Valley and the Heart of Woods,” weaving, colored pencil, and pen on paper, 14 x 19 inches
Gallery Bogart drew inspiration for “One Bedroom Apartment” from New York collectors Herb and Dorothy Vogel. The Vogels assembled an impressive art collection in their small apartment. By design, gallery owner Miller Bogart showcases small-scale work by 17 up-and-coming Kansas City-based, national and international artists. Approachable price points enable art collectors and casual art enthusiasts to start or grow their collections.
Garry Noland’s “Plan-O-Gram” series presents two-color rectilinear shapes atop gestural brushwork, providing a contrast of colors and pattern of acrylic paint, baking soda and gesso on cardboard. Xiao Faria da Cunha’s “Field Study #1: Hidden Valley and the Heart of Woods” overflows with ribbons woven in a dense cluster. Its tactile growth protrudes over intricate English words, Chinese characters and a wooden trunk and roots. The artist’s handwriting and delicate details in colored pencil and pen on paper suggest intimacy, an invitation to wander into inner woods.
Mónica Figueroa conjures pastel-colored outdoor scenery inspired by mountain ranges in her homeland of Oaxaca, Mexico. Figures of women, trees and creatures evoke the feminine as elemental beings integrated with each other’s existence rather than being disconnected from nature.
Juan Diego Gaucin, a 2024 Charlotte Street Visual Artist award recipient whose work is currently on display at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art through August 10, contributes three works here. “River Lights,” “Watchers” and “Hiding in the Brush” are charged with intense subject matter –– immigrant border crossing, incarceration and death. The color palette and dizzying lines offer no respite, no visual amuse-bouche to easily swallow. Murky purple tones, ominous shadows and faceless figures in silhouette convey heightened emotional complexity and no facile resolution.
Burmese artist Lucky Moe’s ceramics include “Tell Me: How Many Apples Do I Have to Eat to Reach Enlightenment?” The painted scene on oval ceramic illustrates a story, perhaps of untamed consumption. Unshaven and decidedly not phallic, this piece is feminine in spirit, shape, and context, a scene that draws the viewer in and births a question open to interpretation.
Mu Pan’s “Loyal Retainers – Ghidora,” a print of an epic battle, must be viewed in person. “We are not the only righteous country in the world and the only good thing about China is money” looms as a cryptic statement above a fantastic scene of war. Comic, dramatic and horror-filled, as wide-scale conflict beyond imagining inherently is, Pan’s mythical mecha-creature, multi-headed warrior and sea-faring warriors evoke the lexicon of manga, kaiju movies, martial arts films and figures like Bruce Lee and expansive prints, such as Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s “Recovering the Stolen Jewel from the Palace of the Dragon King.”
The disparate works in “One Bedroom Apartment” invite viewers to join a conversation as guests welcome at a vibrant loft party, where ideas unfold among new acquaintances.
“One Bedroom Apartment” continues at Gallery Bogart, 1400 Union Ave., through April 30. Hours are by appointment Monday – Friday and noon to p.m., Saturday. Contact [email protected] or 816.739.8571 to schedule a visit. For more information, visit gallerybogart.com.
