XI ZHANG TO BE ANNOUNCED AS BIENNIAL RESIDENCY RECIPIENT SEPTEMBER 28TH AT THE MCA DENVER'S CONTEMPORARY ARTS PLATFORM PRESENTATION AT 6PM

We've calmed down since last week's news regarding Plus Gallery artists Xi Zhang being selected for an artists residency in Buenos Aires this November in conjunction with the Biennial of the Americas.......but just barely.  We got more of the skinny on this fantastic opportunity and how it integrates into the vision of the upcoming Platform 5280 Biennial of the Americas.  We don't want to spoil all of that for you here, find out more about Xi's involvement as well as the upcoming Biennial program at next week's "Contemporary Arts Platform Presentation" hosted by the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver at 6pm.

A few months back the an initial preview hosted by the Biennial provided an overview of the Contemporary Arts Platform.  Next Friday's event will be an in-depth look at the projects in the 2013 Biennial that will be activating Denver's public spaces, highlighting  the Urban Architectural Interventions, Public Art and Performance, and many important community partners such as the Downtown Denver Partnership, and the Denver Film Society. The event will be co-hosted by Maruca Salazar, Director, Museo de las Americas, and Adam Lerner of the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver.  Joining Biennial Director Abaseh Mirivali's team in their presentation will be the curators for the Urban Architectural Interventions Gaspar Libedinsky, from Buenos Aires, Carson Chan, Canadian residing in Berlin, and Paul Andersen, a practicing architect in Denver.  Xi will be there as well to fill his fans and the public in more about the residency opportunity.

To attend the presentation you must RSVP by September 20 to meettheplatform@platform5280.org.

See you there!

Xi Zhang's latest painting: "AS01E04"

BIENNIAL OF THE AMERICAS: PLUS GALLERY ARTIST SPOTLIGHT ON BRENDAN TANG

Plus Gallery is  bringing some serious talent from up north to Denver for our upcoming Biennial of the Americas exhibition "You are Here" in July.  In leading up to the kickoff, Plus Gallery will offer notes and images on the five artists we have selected for our exhibition, recently recommended by the Denver Post in their summer preview last weekend:
http://www.milehighmamas.com/2010/05/31/big-exhibits-bloom-all-over-town-tut-the-biennial-and-an-outdoor-henry-moore/

First up is Brendan Tang, one of the lead artists we selected in moving our concept forward.  We became aware of Brendan's artwork through our friend Rob at Object + Thought, and were thoroughly captivated by his unique combination of contemporary Manga motifs with Ming-dynasty era porcelain.  Further investigation into the artist revealed not only one of the highlights of the Canadian market, but an international caliber artists whose career is on the rise. It is clear that no stereotype or border has the capacity to contain Brendan Tang, his ceramic works have made their way across borders and into museums and numerous prestigious galleries throughout Canada and the United States.

Brendan Tang in studio

Manga Ormolu Version 5.0-b

Work in progress

And finished

Tang began his artistic endeavors at the Malaspina University Collage in British Columbia, followed by a Bachelor of the Visual Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.  His education was not all-canadian however, having finished his studies with a Masters of Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University.  Tang's work has been shown at The Vancouver Art Gallery, Ottawa Art Gallery, The Power Plant in Toronto, Montreal Arts Intercultural, Gardner Museum in Toronto and The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft. In addition, Tang and his artwork have been published in various print sources, including Hi-Fructose, Fuse, and Clay Times, the prominent blog Boing Boing as well as countless other print and online sources. Most significantly, Tang was selected just two months ago for consideration of the Sobey Art Award, Canada's most prestigious prize for contemporary art confirming his importance and fueling the progression of his popularity across borders.

We are also pleased to announce that Brendan will be joining us for the opening of our exhibition on July 9th, as well as an artist talk that weekend.   We highly recommend advance collector consideration of his works prior to the show.

Recent press references can be found at:

http://www.canadianart.ca/online/reviews/2010/05/20/brendan-tang/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=EWeeklyCampaign&utm_content=1060580298&utm_campaign=CanadianArtMay202010&utm_term=BrendanTang 

 

http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/movies/story.html?id=2700550&p=1 

Information on the artists nominated for the Sobey Art Award can be found at:

http://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/en/sobeyartaward/2010sobeyartaward/2010longlist/default.aspx 

To see more on Brendan and his work, visit his website at

http://www.brendantang.com 

PLUS GALLERY ANNOUNCES PARTICIPATION IN UPCOMING BIENNIAL OF THE AMERICAS

Plus Gallery is proud to announce that we will be hosting an outstanding exhibition focusing on Contemporary Canadian Artists for the upcoming Biennial of the Americas this July.  We have firmed up our curatorial effort and will be making steps towards becoming an exciting focal point for this major international event.  Stay tuned to our newsletter and facebook page for further announcements including the artist lineup, which promises to be one of the most visually engaging of our history.