Athen B. Gallery presents “Hanging Gardens” a group exhibition by Andrea Heimer, Kate Klingbeil, Michael Olivo, and Woodrow White. These artists use their work as a way to explore both the tangible and imagined parts of life, and how both play a role in our over-arching view of reality. However stark, lush, or rose-colored the perspective, our existence is just an ever-shifting illusion of sorts.

For this exhibition, the four artists have worked individually on paintings, prints, pottery and sculptures and collaboratively on other projects, including video.

+++ View their work Saturday, March 12th at the opening reception. Athen B. Gallery, 1525 Webster Street, Downtown Oakland, 7pm

Artwork by Andrea Joyce Heimer

“The focus of my work is mono scenic narrative painting…the figurative elements focus on the interactions between human beings in moments of conflict, transformation, or disconnection. Emotional themes of loneliness and detachment are expressed in various environments including houses, yards, forests, and bodies of water, with figures directly interacting with their surroundings and each other. The ultimate goal of the work is to expose painful and embarrassing realities in a flat matter-of-fact visual manner, as a means of acceptance through serenity.” – Andrea Joyce Heimer

Kate Klingbeil in her studio

“The awkward moment, the time in between feeling comfortable and melting in embarrassment. These fleeting ideas floating in my boiling blood, laid out in creamy texture and sweeping lines, are a tangible translation of life, as it exists inside.” – Kate Klingbeil

Artwork by Woodrow White

“My work experiments with the failure of the illusion, examining the nexuses of narrative, history and artifice. Palette, subject matter and personal connections inform the dual nature of each tableau. Through the realm of kitsch, such as museums and movie sets, I aim to connect these subjects to a conversation about painting and illusory art, at a time when all trust in images has been lost.” -Woodrow White

Artwork by Michael Olivo