More than 150 works by 81 local artists are currently on display at the Angad Arts Hotel for its bi-annual exhibition, making it the Grand Center landmark’s largest art show to date.
The 12” x 12” Bi-Annual Art Exhibition showcases 159 works ranging from oil and acrylic to sculpture and 3D printing. The only caveat for artists was that each piece they submitted had to have the dimensions of 12 inches by 12 inches.
“A city’s artwork is a reflection of its community and culture,” said Vanessa Rudloff, art relations manager at Angad Arts Hotel. “Providing a platform for our local talent ensures our art community always has a place to be seen.”
Rudloff notes that by only showing artists within 200 miles of the hotel and rotating its galleries on a regular basis, the Angad is able to provide a constant source of exhibition space.
“This enriches the opportunities of an artist and motivates more work, resulting in more prolific artists living locally. It also provides a place that visitors can count on to see what art the city is producing,” she said.
The exhibit’s diverse selection features works such as David Lancaster’s “Apollo 2” as part of the artist’s “Gods and Messengers” series, depicting the Greek god and symbolizing the spectrum of ways a deity may be experienced. Also featured is glasswork from autistic artist and photographer Jennifer Gray whose piece, “Jellyfish,” represents her fragility, as well as her ability to pick up her shattered self.
“With a group of artists this big, it’s hard to highlight just a few. As the curator, it’s like picking my favorite children – don’t tell the others – but we have some unique processes in this show that I would also love to highlight,” Rudloff said. “Andy VanMater currently has a piece called, ‘Hilbert’s Dark Secret,’ a 3D-printed maze of sorts that glows in the dark. Just around the corner is a photograph by Kalaija Mallory that is an inkjet print on silk. The piece, ‘Photogram 1,’ has a mysterious transparency that makes you want to get closer. On the lobby’s main reception wall, we have 21 different artists’ featured portraits but one piece, Summer Kennedy’s, ‘Out Of Touch,’ literally stands out from the crowd. It is a 3D rendering of a face and hands that has been painted to look like a black-and-white checkered illusion. If it sounds confusing to imagine, that’s because it is, and you should visit the 12th floor to see it for yourself.”
All works on display are available for purchase throughout the run of the exhibit, which ends on April 30. Not only do artists benefit from the show’s visibility and possible sales, their work remains in the hotel’s digital gallery with the potential to be spotlighted again.
Rudloff says the exhibition dives deeper into the art being created right here in St. Louis, not just from artists looking to make a career of their work, but also by creatives working in other fields.
“Two times a year, anyone within 200 miles of the hotel can submit work to our Bi-Annual Exhibition – anyone, not any artist, but any person creating something they wish to share,” she said, explaining the exhibit is then curated from the submitted works. “We pride ourselves on showcasing work from those just starting out to ones that have been creating their entire lives. Art is a unique communicator. When you can see a piece from a retired police officer and an international electrical engineer from St. Louis, as well as artists being published in national art publications, it gives a true sense of a city’s community.”
The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Angad Arts Hotel website.
