Portrait Works by Chloe Fimiano, Anthony Coleman, Susan Wallack, and Jaither West
ON VIEW: November 15, 2019 – February 23, 2020
Visionary Voices highlights detailed and expressive works by four talented makers: Chloe Fimiano, Anthony Coleman, Susan Wallack, and Jaither West. Each artist is self-taught in their practice and creates artwork directly informed by their experiences and imaginations. The artists in this exhibition have a distinctive approach to portraiture, interpreting themes such as politics, empowerment, cultural commentary, and community. The work in Visionary Voices collectively illustrates their need to create and their unfiltered expression of individuality, resulting in an extraordinary portfolio of paintings, drawings, mixed-media, and more.
Chloe Fimiano is a Philadelphia-based artist who has a passion for primary colors. Fimiano’s expressive imagery depicts her female narrative, featuring women of all shapes and colors situated in backgrounds that blend everyday scenes with fantasy. Her patterning often covers her canvas, which merges the subject with the scene, creating dream-like stories within her work.
Anthony Coleman began drawing his unique portraits at a young age. Anthony’s distinct style combines the color and mood of cartoons from the 70’s and 80’s with his keen eye for portraiture. An extremely prolific artist, Anthony has drawn thousands of portraits, each expertly capturing the unique characteristic of the subject through his own personal style.
Susan Wallack creates brightly colored, mixed-media paintings influenced by African masks, Renaissance portraiture, and modernist collage artist Kurt Schwitters. Her portraits illustrate her unrestrained imagination, drawing inspiration from current events and merging them with surrealism and fantasy.
Jaither West’s work is a visual exploration of his passions. Each work takes the viewer on a journey as he explores geographies, eras and subjects of interest. His research methods are a stream of consciousness, flowing from one topic to the next, the common thread being his thirst for knowledge and new experiences. From South Korea to B-Boy culture of the 80’s, West’s paintings inspire a curiosity and transport the viewer on his journey of exploration.
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens is pleased to invite you to experience Visionary Voices during a pay-what-you-wish opening reception on Friday, November 15, 2019, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM.
