Swelter

July 11-August 14, 2015
Opening reception Saturday, July 11, 6:30-8:30 pm
Artists will be in attendance

Kirk Hopper Fine Art is pleased to announce Swelter, a group exhibition featuring works from such artists as Alejandro Diaz-Ayala, Martin Delabano, Carlos Donjuan, Keri Oldham and Eduardo Portillo, along with works from guest artists Annette Lawrence, Ed Blackburn, Linda Blackburn, Sebastien Boncy, Shayne Murphy and Michael Reeder, and an outdoor site-specific installation by Analise Minjarez and Sarita Westrup.

Summer shows are usually filled with fun and cheerful themes; Swelter aims to do the same but with an added edge of intensity and ominousness. Assistant Gallery Director Giovanni Valderas assembles his first group show since arriving at KHFA, of diverse works from local and regional artists that reflect the fragmentation, challenges and diversity of the times we live in.

Some selected artist bios

Alejandro Diaz-Ayala's artwork evolved from formal representation and portraiture to a broader, freer, less restrained approach to painting. Pop and iconic imagery may hover over a trace of an old European master painting, sometimes beautifully, sometimes with uncomfortable tension allowing for elements of composition and technique to collide.

Salvadorian artist Eduardo E. Portillo arrived in the United States in 2003 to pursue his studies in fine art at the University of Houston. Portillo's recent body of work is far more than just installation. With the influence of painting and sculpture playing such a pivotal role in his work, Portillo strives to combine the various aspects of those different mediums to create an evolving body of work that challenges the preconceived notions of what a painting or sculpture is.

Linda Blackburn and Ed Blackburn are both distinguished artists in their own right, sharing subtle similarities of open-ended narratives of adventure and tales of romanticism. Ed Blackburn was born 1940 in Amarillo, Texas; Linda Blackburn was born 1941 in Baltimore, Maryland. Ed and Linda both received BFAs in 1962 from the University of Texas and MAs in 1965 from University of California, Berkeley. The Blackburns currently reside in Fort Worth.

Analise Minjarez and Sarita Westrup are two fibers artists from the borderlands of Texas and Mexico. Their installations and sculptural works respond to the geographic and bicultural location of the artists' home. They utilize multiple media such as wood, natural dyed cloth, nets, paper and plastics to dissect borders and explore concepts of cultural identity in relationship to place.