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Mikhail Shevelkin: Paintings and Drawings; Looking Then Reading: Local Art in the Library

Art Exhibitions at the Institute Library and Gallery

 

The historic Institute Library fills the spaces between bookshelves with local artwork for the first time in contemporary history, showcasing installations and paintings throughout the library floor in the exhibition titled Looking Then Reading: Local Art in the Library. In the Second Floor Gallery, an exhibition of drawings, paintings, and an interactive installation premier in Mikhail Shevelkin: Paintings and Drawings.

 

There will be an Opening Reception for both shows on Thursday January 26th from 7:00-9:00 pm at the Institute Library, 847 Chapel Street, New Haven. Musician and ambient soundscape artist Derek Piotr will perform and refreshments will be served. Looking Then Reading runs through May 25th; Mikhail Shevelkin runs through March 15th. The event is free and open to the public, donations accepted. Please visit www.institutelibrary.org/gallery/

 

In the Upstairs Gallery, Mikhail Shevelkin exhibits many ink drawings, large oil paintings, and an interactive on-site installation in his solo exhibition Mikhail Shevelkin: Paintings and Drawings. For the past twenty years Shevelkin has camped out at the farthest reaching point into the Atlantic Ocean: Truro, Cape Cod. There, waking at dawn every day and trekking miles into the dunes, Shevelkin recounts that he created thousands of drawings unconsciously: “I simply do not remember how I made these”, he states confidently. Another thousand, which he recalls having consciously attempted to manipulate, he deems ruined. Abstract, colorless, and extremely dense, Shevelkin’s ink drawings are all attempts to point toward and understand the absolute, the single point or sphere, also known as zero. Displaying his large and colorful oil paintings of the early 1990’s alongside his recent ink drawings, Shevelkin contemplates the artistic transition between medium and his own development in theoretical understanding. An installation, a gift for all visitors, handpicked from the ocean culminates the reciprocity aimed for throughout Shevelkin’s work and installation.  

 

As regular visitors to the library, Noé Jimenez and Maria Shevelkina took it upon themselves to adorn the bare walls rising into high ceilings, illuminated by natural light flooding through antique skylights. Curating work by local artists Looking Then Reading begins a tradition of art in the library, forging connections among artists and other community members with the historic library space. While many artists have visited and even exhibited their work in the Upstairs Gallery, they often felt a lack of continuation with the Institute beyond their exhibits. By placing artworks in a familiar space, Jimenez and Shevelkina hope to enliven the surroundings and create stronger connections between the New Haven arts community and the Institute Library. Looking Then Reading highlights humanity’s inherent ability to see when they are born, and points to the increasing importance of deeper visual literacy upheld by the written word.  Viewers are encouraged to ponder the visual while simultaneously intensifying their knowledge through the literal. Artists exhibiting include: Susan McCaslin, Heather Hill Young, John Keefer, Barbara Marks, Amy Vensel, Noé Jimenez, Frank Bruckmann, & Steve Digiovanni.

 

The Institute Library is located at 847 Chapel Street, New Haven, Connecticut.  Hours are Monday-Friday 10:00am-6:00pm; Saturday 11:00am-2:00pm. The library and opening reception are free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.institutelibrary.org or call (203) 562-4045.