Purple Art
[March 14 2022]
“Ride The Tiger,” an exhibition by Colleen Barry and Will St. John, at Caelum Gallery, New York
The Brooklyn-based artists, Colleen Barry and Will St. John, come together to present « Ride the Tiger, », an exhibition, hosted by their long-time friends Adam Driver and Joanne Tucker.
The show brings together two universes that are built from a shared experience. After studying in Rome, the couple came back to New York to a disconnect between their classical approach to painting and the changes the art scene was and is undergoing.
« Ride the tiger, » is a product of their search for their voice and footing in the changed and revolutionized art world. Barry and St. Johns both found their anchor and their own aesthetic that encapsulates their stand as well as their skills.
They « unlearned » what they had to in order to find a language that resonates with them and today’s the world. St. John’s portraits are depictions of people that question marginalisation, or inspire new approaches to representation and identity.
Barry’s work drifts further away from classical figurative painting. It’s a more personal representation and projection of the artists’s feelings towards today’s world.
The artists ground their work in the world and the people. The art works inspire different feelings and realities, and speak to insiders and outsiders as they challenge the preset boundaries of representation.
Photos by Ava Perman
