Richard Barnet “Ghosts of War”

440 Gallery

poster for Richard Barnet “Ghosts of War”

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440 Gallery presents Ghosts of War, a solo exhibition of works on paper by Richard Barnet. This is Barnet’s first solo exhibition at the gallery.

Richard Barnet describes himself as a sculptor first and a draughtsman second. For this exhibition, Barnet has focused his attention on assembling an energetic body of work that describes his state of mind during the past few years. Drawing—in pen, pencil and watercolor—is the means of processing what he’s thinking, and lately he has been preoccupied with thoughts of his own mortality. At 81, Barnet feels an intense motivation to get things done while inspiration and energy is plentiful.

Ghosts of War explores the concept of a metaphorical ricochet, i.e., conflicts that keep returning and cannot be resolved. Whether his conflicts are idealogical, personal or even spiritual, Barnet grapples with the idea that when one least expects it, things come back to haunt you.

In this series of drawings, Barnet merges discordant elements into one thing, defining “either/or” and pushing elements towards “both/and” in the sense that all things can become one. In Child, see the Russian Tanks! Glory to the Red Army, the liberation of Auschwitz, January 25, 1945, the artist renders angels and stars against a barrage of shrapnel flying everywhere. House of the Demon brings together surreal architecture, part gothic cathedral, part bunker, in an even more esoteric landscape made up of blue skies and pock-marked earth. Are those oil slicks? Pools of acid? We’re not sure but it is ominous and deeply contrasts the blitheness of a cloudless blue sky. What ghost is haunting the artist here? Is it the existential crisis of climate change or the battle of civilization through religion?

Richard Barnet lives and works in New York City and has a BA from Antioch College, a MA in sculpture from New York University, and a MFA in sculpture from Lehman College. He is a dedicated art educator and has taught at The Cooper Union, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, The Art Students League of New York, and College of Mount Saint Vincent. He is a member of the National Sculpture Society and the recipient of numerous grants and awards for his work. Since 1969 Barnet has exhibited extensively throughout the U.S. including solo shows at Southhampton College and the William Holman Gallery in NYC.

Media

Schedule

from February 16, 2022 to March 20, 2022

Opening Reception on 2022-02-19 from 14:00 to 16:00

Artist(s)

Richard Barnet

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