Harman Projects Presents “Figuratively Speaking”

John Wentz

John Wentz

Kip Omolade

Kip Omolade

Aaron Nagel

Aaron Nagel

Riley Holloway

Riley Holloway

Harman Projects is pleased to present Figuratively Speaking, a group exhibition featuring the work of Riley Holloway, Aaron Nagel, Kip Omolade, and John Wentz. The exhibition brings together four painters working primarily in figuration. Each artist’s work centers on the human form however the focus, execution, and results vary widely.

Riley Holloway offers a fresh look at figurative art. The subjects of his work are often accompanied by text and personal references adding to the narrative of these portrait-based paintings. Using traditional oil painting techniques and bold lines, the artist creates bold and impactful portraits with a sense of depth.

Drawing inspiration from historic iconography, Aaron Nagel creates realist paintings pairing contemporary models with symbolism from times past. These works of art may borrow compositions from medieval icon painting, or in the case of Patron Saint of Hungry Work (pictured above), incorporate traditional Japanese woodblock printing imagery into it’s background.

Invoking Benin ivory masks and Ife bronze heads, Kip Omolade’s mask paintings speak to beauty, luxury and spirituality. The artist casts the model’s face in plaster, followed by a reverse in resin that is chromed and photographed as reference for the final painting.

Using broad and simplified strokes, John Wentz reduces the figure to it’s core fundamentals. His abstracted and gestural paintings capture a moment similar to a memory, true to it’s essence yet often unclear around the edges.