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KATHERINE KESEY

website | https://katherinekesey.com/

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/katherinekesey/

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The exhibition addresses contemporary portraiture through the lens of young-adulthood, and aims to balance postmodern apathy and cynicism with candid moments of intimacy and spontaneity. Fragmented yet immersive, ironic yet sincere, the work conveys connection in a series of snapshots; stream-of-consciousness images which encourage viewers to engage with their perceptions of memory, intuition, and ideology.

The work is multimedia, including combinations of graphite, neon and metallic gel pens, ballpoint pen, and highlighter marker. All works are on various sizes of drawing and kraft papers. Though multimedia, the work retains a continuous element through stylistic choice and subject matter.  

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Both journalistic and improvisational, this body of work deals contemporary portraiture through the lens of young-adulthood, and aims to balance postmodern apathy and cynicism with candid moments of intimacy and spontaneity. 

Using candid photography taken by herself or by close friends, Kesey depict moments of normal or thoughtless existence in an intimate and important way, layering each piece intuitively in order to allude to the myriad of knowledge, moments, and histories that drive us. 

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By relying largely on accidental combinations of images or mediums, Katherine emphasizes the randomized, stream-of-consciousness aspect to how people deal with the world around them. As society becomes more attuned to psychological impacts from childhood, mental health, regional influence, etcetera, she use this methodology to point out that hasty decision-making, meandering thoughts, misinformed ideology, and cynical disillusionment are not only common, but very human in nature. 

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And, by insisting these combinations have meaning, Kesey exploits our desires to understand, recognize patterns, and ally with one another, ultimately pointing to a sense of common community and humanity. 

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MICHAEL SORROW

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/sorrow_mcgee/

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To provide the audience a glimpse into local, contemporary portraiture is the purpose of this exhibition. When not straying from typical mediums & classic presentation you are presented with a phenomenal opportunity to focus on the subjective part of what it means to create an objective portrait.  A portrait begs to be more than an objective likeness. For instance, a spectator may see the specific image of a person when witnessing them but does the mind not always wonder who that person is or, more importantly, of what value they may hold for the 
spectator.  Considering this, to behold any individual is to cross a great distance into the space of their life, be it real or imagined. Identities, volunteered, imposed, or superimposed must be conveyed in any specific portraiture. There are artists within the Rock Hill community exploring these natures of portraiture and this exhibit is an unveiling of two artists’ studies. 

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Michael Sorrow uses intentional mark making, compounded by brazen color choices, to weave together a superimposed likeness of my subject; it is both the image of the model and the artists impression of them simultaneously. His choice of medium, typically oil pastel on paper, is necessary to help a drawing reach maturity quickly. All portraits are drawn in person and brought to completion, as often as possible, with the model set before him. Drawing from reference in the studio creates an impression of the subject that is too far skewed to create the overlapping duality of who the person is and who they are perceived to be. Michael's portraits must represent both the truth and the idea.