Negative Capability: The Artist As Healer

January 5 – 28, 2023

Negative Capability: The Artist As Healer focuses on the power of portraiture to speak to the universe inside us.

Curated by Seattle artist Saundra Fleming and featuring South Carolina artist Cliffton Peacock, Aleksandar Dordjevic (Serbia), Andrea Harborth (Germany), NW artists Liz Kennedy, Alexis Ortiz, Kate Harkins, Jeffrey Heiman, George Brandt, Carol Adelman Kennedy, Ingrid Sojit, Lynette Charters, Courtney Hudak, Nahom Ghirmay and K. Taka, the show explores the diverse range of postmodern portraiture.

The portraits in Negative Capability demonstrate the particular power artists have to challenge our perceptions, represent psychological challenges, and pursue their interpretation of beauty.

The poet John Keats coined the term negative capability to describe the capacity of the greatest writers to pursue a vision of artistic beauty even when it leads them into intellectual confusion and uncertainty.

Artists who have the courage to endure psychological stress and confusion in their process don’t stop the development of their work because it’s too destabilizing or painful. The finished works offer the viewers a healing experience. Portraits truly “see” their subjects beyond the surface. They are healers of psychological crises, reaching for a self-healing psyche and a higher state of consciousness.

Fleming’s focus on negative capability comes from her view of the common thread within the shaman and the artist. Working through destabilizing darkness is similar to a shaman’s state of mind when going into a trance in order to heal or predict for their community. This is akin to the visionary searching of poets, mystics, or artists who heal or predict for their community.

From the inspiration she has found through portraits, Fleming’s existential reality is lifted up. She mentions, “I almost feel as if I am being held”.

Gallery 110 will be hosting a panel discussion featuring Carol Adelman Kennedy, Liz Kennedy, Alexis Ortiz, Jeffrey Heiman and Paul E. Nelson (moderator) to discuss the concept of negative capability and the artistic process on January 8, 2023 from 1-3pm.

Negative Capability: The Artist As Healer will be on display at Gallery 110 from January 5 – 28, 2023. Gallery hours are Thursday – Saturday from 12pm – 5pm and by appointment.

See the exhibition featured in Real Change!

Reception: January 6, 2023 from 4-6pm
 
Panel Discussion: January 8, 2023 from 1-3pm
 

Participating artists: George Brandt, Saundra Fleming, Aleksandar Dordjevic, Liz Kennedy, Cliffton Peacock, Jeffrey Heiman, Alexis Ortiz, Kate Harkins, Carol Adelman Kennedy, Ingrid Sojit, Andrea Harborth, K. Taka, Nahom Ghirmay, Lynette Charters and Courtney Hudak

Panel Discussion:


 
 

This entry was posted in Past Exhibitions on by .

About gallery110

Gallery 110’s mission is to provide dynamic opportunities to established and emerging professional artists in an environment that encourages creative expression, experimentation, and collaboration. As a nonprofit organization, the gallery fosters artistic and professional connections between its associated artists and the arts community at large through creative dialogue, the presentation of challenging and enriching curated exhibitions, public opportunities, and collaborative projects.