Details of artwork by (L-R) Jaraz Jenkins, Joy Black (above), Jenny Reed (below), Rebecca Shkeyrov.
Opening Reception for April/May 2023 Exhibitions
Artspace presents four solo exhibitions by artists whose past experiences have formed their present aesthetics from April 28 - May 20, 2023. The opening reception, scheduled for Friday, April 28, 2023, 6-9 p.m., features artwork by Jaraz Jenkins, Rebecca Shkeyrov, Joy Black and Jenny Reed. An artist talk by our featured artists will take place on Saturday, April 29, 2023 beginning at 2 p.m. Also on view will be a group exhibition by Artspace Artist Members.
Jaraz Jenkins presents Politics as usual, a collection of oil on canvas paintings he made during the Covid 19 pandemic. With the uninterrupted time to sit down and watch TV, he “quickly realized that there is a stark contrast in the way American people view politics.” These paintings offer the viewer a fun but serious perspective from “authentic people from the bottom who don’t feel included in our American policies.”
Jenkins is a professional artist from Richmond, VA. Art has been a part of Jaraz's life for a long time. As a child, he would draw pictures to escape the harsh reality of poverty and systematic racism. Through grade school, Jaraz did well in art classes and quickly realized that painting was his greatest strength. As a young man, he never thought being a professional artist was a reachable goal because of his living environment. Jaraz attended Virginia Commonwealth University's Painting and Printmaking program from 2015-2018 and graduated with a BA in Fine Arts. After college, he stayed in Richmond and became a teacher to give back to his community. jarazart.com
In her exhibition, Paintings Painting Paintings: Nested Selves, Rebecca Shkeyrov “showcases the artist indulging her aesthetic inclination towards depicting artwork within her work.” From childhood, Rebecca was obsessed with matryoshka dolls and Flann O’Brien’s novel The Third Policeman which features objects within objects stretching out to infinity. Shkeyrov hopes to “uncover the complex and evolving relationships between three figures viewed through the lens of painting: the literal self, the idealized self, and the inner child.”
Rebecca Shkeyrov,received her BA in Studio Art and Art History from William & Mary in 2020 and has exhibited in cities across New York, Virginia, Ohio, and Maryland. She began creating ceramic sculptures during her 2022 residency at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. When not creating art, she can be found studying to become a Certified Hypnotherapist. rebeccarov.com
Joy Black presents mixed-media paintings in her exhibition, Boundless. Created during a recent three-year period of upheaval and loss, these abstract intuitive works were the artist’s therapy as she was “pulled from one tragic loss to the next with no time to process what was happening.” Her paintings tell stories, reflecting the “energies of our natural world and the essence of our own internal energies.”
Joy Black is an abstract artist based in Richmond, Virginia. She intuitively expresses the energies of our natural world, and the essence of our own internal energies, on stretched canvas with acrylic and mixed media. Joy earned a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, specializing in Communication Arts & Design, and enjoyed a 40-year career as graphic designer, art director, and creative manager in design studios and ad agencies, and three entrepreneurial creative ventures. A senior instructor of the healing art of Qi Gong (Chi Kung), Black has studied the practice for more than 15 years and traveled to Thailand and China for further training. Qi Gong has deepened her sensitivity to the various energies she paints, and her artworks frequently radiate the peace and balance of those connections. Instagram: @joyblackart
The ceramic and fiber assemblage sculptures by Jenny Reed are physical manifestations of the space between herself and her surroundings. The inspiration for her exhibition’s title, Paradise is Exactly Like- came from a song by Laurie Anderson that begins with “Paradise is exactly like where you are right now, only much, much better.” Reed states, “Both surprisingly optimistic and brutally mundane, these works imagine what could be so great about the here and now.”
Jenny Reed is an assemblage sculptor whose work is predominantly composed of ceramics, fibers, and other craft based materials. Her works depict abstracted, whimsical representations of domestic objects and spaces. Jenny received her BFA from Northern Kentucky University and MFA from Indiana University Bloomington. Her work has been featured in numerous exhibitions throughout the US, including The Lormina Salter Fellow Solo Show at Baltimore Clayworks and Spring / Break Art Show in NYC. Jenny also creates community art projects, and recently showcased Community Installation: Drawing the Still Life with support from the Maryland State Arts Council. She has participated in workshops and residencies across the US and beyond, including Scuola Internazionale di Grafica Venezia (Italy), Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Penland School of Craft, and Baltimore Clayworks. In addition to her art practice, Jenny enjoys gardening and hanging out with her favorite tubby orange tabby, Benjamin. jennyreedart.com
Rounding out our March-April shows in the front of the gallery, Artspace Artist Members will present an exhibition of artwork in a variety of styles and mediums. Artspace is a nonprofit and artist-run organization, populated with experienced professionals as well as emerging artists. These artists work in a variety of mediums including clay, encaustic, interactive installations, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking and more.
Exhibition webpages:
Jaraz Jenkins / Politics as usual
https://www.artspacegallery.org/jaraz-jenkins-april-may-2023-exhibition
Rebecca Shkeyrov / Paintings Painting Paintings: Nested Selves
https://www.artspacegallery.org/rebecca-shkeyrov-april-may-2023-exhibition
Joy Black / Boundless
https://www.artspacegallery.org/joy-black-april-may-2023-exhibition
Jenny Reed / Paradise is Exactly Like-
https://www.artspacegallery.org/jenny-reed-april-may-2023-exhibition
Artspace Artist Members / Group Exhibition
https://www.artspacegallery.org/artspace-artist-members-aprilmay-2023-exhibition
Exhibition Dates: April 28 - May 20, 2023
Opening Reception: Friday, April 28, 6-9pm
Artist Talks: Saturday, April 29, 2pm