We are psyched to be a part of Dark Carnival in Connecticut starting Oct 27th. Please check it out if you are in that area! Here is the official press release.
" Lurking into City Lights on October 27th is "The Dark Carnival": featuring a vast array of breathtaking imagery crafted by a talented menagerie of 13 award winning artists."
Much like the show title suggests, curator & fellow exhibitor Mike Falcigno cast his creative net far & wide; from Connecticut to Colorado, Texas & New York, all the way to Germany in a quest to give fans of the bizarre something very special indeed. A Connecticut native, Falcigno has been creating 2-D & 3-D art for the better part of 2 decades. In addition to film special effects work, sculpting figures for the collector market, & teaching art at several area high schools, Falcigno has long been a staunch supporter of fellow artists. Working at City Lights & Co has allowed Falcigno to finally curate his Dream Show (...or possibly a Nightmare Show depending on your sense of humor) this October-November.
Falcigno enthusiastically explains that " I adore art in so many forms, but there's something about creature design & bizarre imagery that has always fascinated me more than traditional landscapes. Maybe it's the high level of creative freedom that comes with surrealist concepts, creating things previously unseen by human eyes...it just really intrigues me." "I also grew up with an attraction to the circus; P.T Barnum & his Sideshow acts in particular. There are so many incredibly talented artists working in the darker, stranger corners of the art world that I feel are often times under-appreciated. By my estimation, Jack Pierce created an iconic character equally recognizable & important to the Mona Lisa with his beautifully designed Frankenstein Monster. The key here is taking what pop culture has embraced with open arms & presenting it on the walls of an art gallery. I do realize this has been done before in various places, but this show gave me a chance to unite a wide selection of super-talented artists under one banner in our own city. Considering Bridgeport is Barnum's hometown...there were few titles more fitting than The Dark Carnival!" "Being able to showcase the works of these 13 artists in one venue is something I'll always be thankful for, it's nothing short of an honor for me to be able to show residents such a wide array of art from so many different places. Their work speaks for itself, but I urge anyone who can make the opening to attend because the exhibiting artists themsleves are equally interesting specimens!"
Falcigno's life-size & smaller scale creature sculpture will be joined by the work of celebrated Texas based sculpting duo The Shiflett Brothers, along with New York Zombie-art maestro Moses Jaen, Milford fine art sculptor Julia Ambrose, Colorado based sculpting prodigy Adam Dougherty, & the off-kilter character designs of Jake Waldron. Though heavy on sculpture, the exhibit also features a smorgasbord of 2-D work. Vanessa Pastore & Don Seiple offer up a selection of their intensely creepy digital photo-manipulations, German illustrator Rainer Engel presents an entire wall of beautifully rendered illustration with subjects spanning Vincent Price to Nosferatu, & Andy P. (aka. Black Unicorn Studio) threatens to traumatize optic nerves with his bold melding of screen printed color & detailed line art. Rounding out this already large line up is the work of two more Connecticut artists: David Grant offers up several stunning examples of both his sculpture & illustration work & Joe Wilson is sure to turn heads with his highly refined digital paintings.
The Dark Carnival runs from October 27th through November 30 At City Lights Gallery (37 Markle Court) in Bridgeport. Thursday October 27th the gallery will be hosting a FREE Opening Night Reception(5:30pm-9:00pm) for the general public with complimentary refreshments. In honor of Halloween, patrons are invited to attend the opening reception in costume, later in the evening the exhibiting artists will vote for Best Male & Female costume. The 2 winners will receive a unique portrait of themselves in costume (as zombies) rendered by Moses Jaen! All this & a host of other tantalizing oddities guaranteed to enthrall, puzzle, and in some cases SHOCK your senses, The Dark Carnival @ City Lights is an exhibition not to be missed!"
Jarrod
