July 21st–August 20th
Reception: Friday July 21st from 6 to 10pm
In the spirit of last years “Identity Crisis” Lineage Gallery presents “Up!” featuring the work of 19 remarkable artists many of which are making their east coast debut at Lineage Gallery. In Up! we see a wonderfully diverse grouping of work and a group of artists that represent the very top end of the contemporary arts spectrum who are continually advancing the creative community. Welcome to “Up!”

Perhaps the most interesting thing about UP! is the tremendous range of artistic styles that are represented throughout the show. Audiences will be treated to everything from Jophen Stein’s colorful character driven paintings, to peculiar images from Ben Tour and the surf inspired graphic illustrations of Randy Noborikawa.

Up! is fueled with intelligent humor and strong wit. The artists in Up! all seem to carry with them a new kind of energy and this will surely excite our audiences. This is clear in the work of artists like Mike Davis and Curve who are making their Philadelphia debut in Up!

An interest in natural history, fine arts and sculpture has opened up a world of possibilities. By merging antique hardware, animal bones, velvet, leather and a variety of other materials Jessica Joslin creates new and unusual species. The construction of these skeletons helps to present a world of strange and wonderful animals that might have otherwise never existed.

Pat Rocha is a natural story teller, and his work seems to document the very real events that take place in his imagination. His illustrations present the viewer with carefully rendered character studies that are both humorous and emotionally thought provoking.

With a more illustrative style we have San Francisco based tattoo artist Henry Lewis whose eclectic group of artistic influences includes Jean-Michel Basquiat, Peter Paul Reubens, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, allowing Lewis to create images that embody a unique blend of classical and modern styles with a slightly harder edge.

On the softer side, Up! also includes the work of Anne Faith Nicholls, Sylvia Ji, and Amy Sol.

Anne Faith Nicholls infuses here images with themes of uncertainty, loneliness, chaos, decay and growth. Her vast visual vocabulary includes birds, branches, trees, hearts, letters and looking glasses. This iconography coupled with her intuitive painting style gives her work an unusual depth that is inspired by her experience and love of art, history, antiques, animals and life in San Francisco.

Also from San Francisco is Sylvia Ji whose work explores themes of beauty, sexuality and femininity. With a soft pallet, Silvia carefully places her figures in a variety of provocative poses, and curious situations. Her canvases are references to the people and places that she encounters. The figures act as archetypes that carry powerful and emotional messages of hope, fear, sensuality and control.

Continuing with the theme of femininity and sensuality we have Amy Sol who uses soft subtle colors to construct the female figures, exotic animals, and rich dreamlike landscapes that populate her canvases. The characters that inhabit the images inspire the viewers on the other side of the window to participate in the moment of peaceful reflection. This signature style has captured the imagination of a growing number of collectors who have come to love and admire Amy’s work.

Keeping in the tradition of “Identity Crisis” the list of talented artists seems endless. Surrealism is always a big presence at Lineage Gallery particularly in their group shows. Joel Dugan and Kris Kuksi both paint surrealist images in the classic style, while artists like Greg Simkins and Italian born, Florida based Francesco LoCastro have more of a pop-surrealist sensibility.

Lee Harvey Roswell’s work incorporates a variety of illustrative and surrealist styles. Roswell merges classical and contemporary techniques into fantastic images.

While the show is primarily a showcase for artists that are new to the Philadelphia area it also features a few names that are familiar to fans of Lineage Gallery including Chris Mars, Sean Christopher and Naoto Hattori. All three artists were featured in “Identity Crisis.”

Chris Mars has made a name for himself as a brilliant visionary painter. His densely lit earthly toned creatures populate imaginative medieval villages and take part in frightening, wonderful, sometimes hideously beautiful scenes. His work can be seen in public and private collections around the world. Naoto Hattori’s “twisted surrealism” comes to Lineage Gallery by way of Tokyo, Japan. His unique brand of surrealism was recently featured in “Exquisite Life” a three person show at Lineage Gallery last December.

Sean Christopher recently received his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He has been showing regularly in New York City and brings with him three spectacular new works.

If you have been following Lineage Gallery since the gallery opened at its current location in Olde City, Philadelphia you already know to expect the unexpected from this group show. For those who missed last years inaugural exhibition “Identity Crisis” at Lineage Gallery, “Up!” is a great introduction to the art and artists that you can see at this unique art space and offers you a wonderful sneak peak at what you can expect coming up in the next year.

Up! is also the first of many exhibitions planned for our gallery 2 (located on the 2nd floor of the gallery) and will be on view July 21st – August 20th 2006.