February 11th – 28th

Ground Floor Gallery and guest curator Enrico Gomez proudly present LAZULI, a selection of treasures from 11 contemporary artists; Liz Ainslie, Andrea Bergart, Debra Drexler, Ellen Hackl Fagan, Daniel John Gadd, Rachael Gorchov, Jeanne Heifetz, Will Hutnick, Paula Overbay, Russell Rogers, and Joanne Ungar, whose works bespeak the essence of Lapis Lazuli, epitomizing the captivating and enigmatic qualities of this rare and precious stone.

“Today I am … a Small Blue Thing … like a marble … or an eye.” – Suzanne Vega.

An exhibition within an exhibition, Small Blue Thing, in a nod to #newcollectorbk, Ground Floor Gallery’s blog for new art buyers, offers a selection of smaller sized gems from the artists of LAZULI. These choice and accessible finds offer the perfect occasion to begin or expand upon your own fine art collection.

LAZULI and Small Blue Thing: 

Feb 11th – Feb 28th 2016

Artists Reception : Friday Feb 19th 6-9pm

Closing Reception : Sunday Feb 28th 3-5pm

With a long and storied time-line through the history of art, Lapis Lazuli and the Ultramarine pigment it birthed remains apprized by artists across millennia. As expensive as gold in the Middle Ages, Lapis Lazuli was ground into powder creating the pigment used by artists exclusively for the depictions of the Christ and Virgin Mary figures of Renaissance paintings.  The devotion and fascination to this sublime hue was given contemporary form by Yves Klein, the artist who invented IKB (International Klein Blue), a synthetic and intense version of this beloved azure. Today the usages and connotations of these intense blues are as myriad and varied as the artists themselves.

Image: Andrea Bergart, Untitled, 2016, Cyanotype with tinfoil, 20″ x 20″