Chelsea, NYC. Viridian Artists Inc. is pleased to present "ROME", an exhibition of mixed-media reliefs by the artist Robert Mielenhausen. The exhibition opens Tuesday, May 17th and continues through Saturday, June 4th. There will be a reception on Saturday, May 21st 4-7pm. The artist wi... Read more
Chelsea, NYC. Viridian Artists Inc. is pleased to present “ROME”, an exhibition of mixed-media reliefs by the artist Robert Mielenhausen. The exhibition opens Tuesday, May 17th and continues through Saturday, June 4th. There will be a reception on Saturday, May 21st 4-7pm. The artist will be present to give a talk on his work Thursday, June 2, 6-7pm. All are invited and admission is free.
Mielenhasusen’s latest body of work explores architectural remains of ancient Rome. The artist ingeniously conjures fragments of temples, villas, and scenographic walls that are scattered throughout the Italian peninsula. As a result, the Viridian Artist’s gallery space is transformed into a sumptuous departure of times past. The conceptualization of these artworks is derived from photographs of what once stood and still does which the artist has taken and gathered while traveling in Italy. Acting almost as a visual historian or anthropologist, Mielenhausen depicts visual elements and rhythms found in early Roman art and architecture. Through his compositions, the artist investigates spatial relations, textures, and atmospheric light which he feels set the stage for western art to follow.
“Villa Poppea”, a prominent work of the group, and recently published in the April 3rd issue of The New York Times is imbued with a sense of both solidity and decay. This theme of impermanence is reflected throughout the exhibition. The artist has layered the surfaces of his art works with glue, polyurethane and textural materials along with his photographs and occasional found objects. Mielenhausen’s intent is to interpret in a contemporary manner, by means of construction and deconstruction, what has come before. The art embraces both the literal as well as the abstract and gives the contemporary viewer a fresh look at the ancient world, stepping outside the realms of trend and sensationalism.
This is Mielenhausen’s first solo exhibition at Viridian, though he has previously had solo shows at Adelphi University, the Old Watermill Museum, Michael Peter Hayes Gallery in East Norwich and other locations. His art has been featured in numerous group shows throughout New York City and Long Island including OK Harris Works of Art. Most recently his work was featured along with a select group of Viridian Artists at Onward Gallery in Tokyo, Japan. His work is in numerous public & private collections.
