Day: October 29, 2015

…Of Dreams and Nightmares is the title of the current art exhibition being held at the Broad Street Art Gallery, Crestwick Island.  As the title might suggest, the exhibition takes its theme from the time of year, and features the work of artists  .kiki, Cipherscape, Burk Bode, Senna Coronet, Harbor Galaxy, MM, Isa Messioptra, Mich Michabo, Maloe Vansant, William Weaver and Robin the Femboy Wonder.

Each artist presents a single piece in keeping with the theme, resulting in a rich diversity of images, which fully encompass dreaming, dreams, and nightmares, with touches of the surreal and of the erotic.

As with Not Yet Dark, which I reviewed back in July 2015, this is an incredibly charged exhibit ideally suited to the gallery’s cosy confines. Each piece carries its own story, some of which are quite complex and can be interpreted a number of ways, while others speak directly to our the fears we may escape during the day, but can loom large at night or in our sleep.

Take Harbor Galaxy’s Anxiety at 3:00am for example, which binds together a hint of a personal nightmare and a reference to the 3:00am myth, both of which speak to us subconsciously as we look at the piece. Alongside it, Maloe Vansant’s What Lies Beneath offers a similar duality:  the hidden things haunting our subconscious which come out as we sleep, and a reference, perhaps, to the fear that follows us from childhood that something nasty is lurking beneath us, under the bed.

But these aren’t all dark images; Senna Coronet offers a vision of the power of words to carry us away to dreams and imaginings that are neither dark nor threatening in her piece, Lines On a Page Carried Me Away. William Weaver, meanwhile, presents an altogether different view on the nature of dreams (or should that be fantasies?) in his Awakenings (do be sure to catch Isa Messioptra’s little take on this piece which sits just side the gallery’s door; it again offers a clever dual take on things).

All told, another superb exhibition, with all of the pieces available free of charge to visitors. Should you drop in to see them, do please consider a small donation at the door to help with covering the costs of running both the gallery and Crestwick Island.

SLurl Details and Related Links

• The Broad Street Art Gallery
• Crestwick Island (Rated: Moderate)
• My Crestwick Island review (June 2015)