Here and Now

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Here and Now is a new series of abstract paintings I am creating as part of a solo exhibition at the Dulgar Gallery at South Suburban College in South Holland, IL. I have been developing this work for the past year, layering various mixed media such as silk and watercolor with encaustic paint on panels. In my practice, one of the most important aspects of art making is the process itself and in cultivating silence and reverence as I work. The finished pieces evolve from this silence and become a record of those moments. The imagery I create is intended to be experiential, primarily using color as a vehicle for a moment of contemplation. With your support, I will be able to complete and install this body of work and produce an exhibition—my largest to date— that immerses viewers in images that carry the effect of a fleeting experience beyond the earthly.

About This Project

The title Here and Now refers to the core theme of this series in two ways: describing my own process as the works are created, and also the way in which I would like for us to experience them as finished pieces. When I remember moments in which I’ve had the most profound interactions with works of art, they are experiences with a playfulness and lightness. In many ways, I feel that I am always attempting to recreate some aspect of those moments, and record something intangible inside a physical object. I feel that this process produces works that live in an intermediate space between the outer and the inner, the seen and the unseen.

I often embed organic matter within my paintings, creating visual connections between two worlds. Because encaustic paint is built up layer upon layer, it is particularly well-suited to the atmospheres I wish to evoke. The medium itself can embody a rich, earthy, organic quality as well as an ethereal transparency and luminosity. Encaustic is an ancient medium composed of molten beeswax, oil-based pigments, and damar resin, and was used by Greek artists dating back to the 5^th century B.C. It is built up by layers and fused with a torch between each one.

Producing this exhibition is a special opportunity to show a cohesive body of work in an academic gallery, in a space that suits the scale of the work and is dedicated to displaying it for several weeks. It would allow viewers to see the works in their entirety and the ways that they relate to and play off each other. This will be the largest exhibition of my work to date, with up to 15 large works and 20-30 smaller pieces. The exhibition is scheduled to open in September 2015. Some of these works will also be included in a second solo exhibition at Kemper Gallery, Illinois Institute of Technology in spring 2016.

If this project is one that resonates with you, I am extremely grateful for any support you would like to offer. 

 

ahavani.com

Thank yous

Contribute any amount or choose from the levels below.

• $20
  Exhibition card with personal thank you. ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $50
  Signed, limited edition print of a work from the exhibition (8" x 10”). ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $75
  Exhibition catalogue, with your name included in the acknowledgements. ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $125
  One-day Intro Workshop in Encaustic Painting as part of a group session in my studio, or a signed limited edition print and exhibition catalogue. ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $200
  Original Painting on cradled wood panel (8” x 8”), ready to hang. ($0.00 is tax deductible.)
• $500
  Original Painting, on cradled wood panel (12” x 12”), ready to hang. ($0.00 is tax deductible.)

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Ahavani Mullen

Ahavani Mullen is a visual artist whose paintings, sculptures and installations are engaged with consciousness and materiality. Her current work uses the energetic imprint of specific sounds to absorb and view vibration.

 

She has been awarded fellowships and residencies …

View Ahavani Mullen's profile

• 1 update
• 25 supporters

• Update 1: Gratitude!

  Posted on June 24, 2015

   

  It is not an understatement to say that I have been profoundly moved by the generosity of each person who donated to this campaign! My gratitude to each of you for contributing to this success!

• Thank you to the following for contributing to 3Arts with the recommendation that we support this project.

  • Anonymous Supporter

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