May 21 - June 4 2018
Let's CONNECT! exhibiton --- NOW OPEN!
BARNES FOUNDATION
2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19130Phone: (215) 278 700
OPENING HOURS
Wednesday – Monday 11am – 5pm (Closed Tuesday)
Hey everyone, I currently have an artwork on display at the Barnes Foundation as part of #LetsConnectPhilly exhibition which is now on view –– 2 WEEKS ONLY! May 21 through to June 4.
The Let's CONNECT exhibition is the first time Philly artist have been invited to exhibit their artwork within these new walls of this amazing art collection! The artworks have been hung in the Barnes collection classroom which is located literally within the collection, so visitors/voters will need to pass through the famous Barnes collection itself to see our new artworks.I hope you enjoy.
Observation 23: The Last Cig
2018
Acrylic on Wooden Panel
10"x10"
[ Artwork #1222 ] by Wade Gregory Clark
ARTIST STATEMENT
My painting submission (above) for the BARNES FOUNDATION Let's Connect exhibition, is a response to Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s pastel artwork Two Nudes, c. 1897 (BF154). Renoir’s small, simple but fascinating artwork left me wondering, What were these two nude women actually doing? Dancing? Making love? Wrestling?
The ambiguity set my mind racing and the image lingered with me well after leaving the Barnes.
Later that evening whilst walking home through the city centre and past the Board Game Art Park or “The Pit” as the local Philly skateboarders like to call it, I witnessed an argument between two women whom appeared to be suffering from a substance abuse disorder. Their argument quickly turned violent over who would get to smoke the last cigarette. This quickly resulted with the pair wrestling to the ground and mirroring with uncanny accuracy the rolling pose of Renoir’s two nudes. This juxtaposition of Renoir’s artwork, the pit fighters and the coincidental link to “smoking a cigarette”, a theme common within many of the artworks of Barnes collection, all helped culminate this painting
study that I’ve titled Observation 23: The Last Cig.
VOTE #1222 for my Artwork.
For more info or to register to be a voter, visit: https://www.letsconnectphilly.org/community
The Public can visit the Barnes for FREE, see the collection as well as hundreds of works by Philly artists on display, vote for your favorites and your selection determines which four artists will win a on-site residency in the @MuralArts Studio at the Barnes.
Ready to visit for free and vote? All you have to do is register at letsconnectphilly.org Invite as many friends to register as you like (online or on-site)!
Photo from my visit to the Barnes
Smokers from the Barnes Collection
To learn more about The Barnes Foundation and the rich history of it's famous 25 Billion Dollar art collection visit the Banrnes website or watch the controversial documentary 'The Art Of The Steal'. Available to watch on Youtube or iTunes or trailer below:
