DREAMSVILLE

Qin Tan, Anthony Padilla, Adam Sorensen & Blake Blanco
On view: April 20th - May 19th
Opening Reception: May 4th, 4-7pm

5-50 Gallery is proud to present DREAMSVILLE, featuring work by Qin Tan, Adam Sorensen, Blake Blanco and Anthony Padilla. The paintings included in this exhibition, though bold and brightly colored, unveil eerie, surreal vistas on contemporary life. On view are: Qin Tan’s symbolic figures and surreal landscapes, intertwining the virtual and physical realms experienced in today's digital age; Adam Sorensen’s otherworldly, mystical landscapes, both utopian as post-apocalyptic far away views over colorful bays, streams and rocky riversides; Blake Blaco’s enigmatic portraits and mythical scenes; Anthony Padilla’s luscious landscapes, windows into the natural world where flora and fauna are sovereigns. Forbidden invitations to enter this glorious, yet hazardous, realm of nature in which humanity does not seem to belong.

In her work, Qin Tan explores internal dialogues and methods of expression that reflect on what it means to be human in the present day. She incorporates cues from visual languages embedded within today's popular culture, digital landscapes, and computer games to capture new methods of expression that intertwine the virtual and physical realities experienced by human beings of our era. The narratives of these paintings often revolve around symbolic stick men figures that explore surreal spaces of nature. These figures can be observed with dramaticized teeth and body proportions, evoking the same exaggerated sense of self expression that is conveyed by emojis through modern electronic messages. Their accentuated and contorted physical forms reveal their psychological state of being and yearnings. Tan enjoys playing with contrasting creative decisions to imbue these figures with personalities that give them a distinct sense of incongruity as well as a human-like sense of conflicted existence. The artist's work ultimately seeks to depict the conflicting sense of truth from her own personal experiences of a physical reality that is heavily augmented by the virtual aspects of the digital world she is enveloped in.

Anthony Padilla's artwork transports viewers into the kingdom of nature, where flora and fauna reign supreme. His large scale oil paintings depicts streamlined, highly detailed close-ups of the natural realm, highlighting the abstract and surreal qualities of our natural world by using elements found in nature. More specifically, the dense luscious scenery found in the tropical jungles of our planet. Padilla’s paintings are forbidden invitations to enter the glorious, yet hazardous, realm of nature in which humanity does not seem to belong.

Within the abstracted contours and vibrant colors of Blake Blanco’s work lies an invitation to traverse the enigmatic terrain of identity. It's a landscape marked by the ever-shifting boundaries of selfhood, a labyrinth where the lines between perception and reality blur. Each brushstroke is a trail through this terrain, navigating the complexities of emotions, memories, and societal constructs that mold our sense of self. A journey that reveals the fluidity of identity, where one's essence is both a culmination of experiences and an ongoing quest for understanding. The nature of the Blanco’s work is a testament to the beauty found within the chaos of self-exploration. The nature of the Blanco’s work is a testament to the beauty found within the chaos of self-exploration.

Landscape painting affords Adam Sorensen a wealth of tradition and influence, and provides a platform that seems familiar and recognizable. Nineteenth-century Romanticism, Japanese woodblock prints, and Abstract Expressionism all factor into his artistic vocabulary. By evoking these traditions, Sorensen’s paintings question the legacies of human creation, probing how the lessons of these former movements can be applied to contemporary art and, through his isolated subjects free of a human presence, their impermanence after the end of humanity. The scenes he composes function as both utopian and eerily post-apocalyptic, which can be seen metaphorically as social concerns in contemporary life. The utopian aspect of the works is a result of the whimsical color palette that is at once surprising and enchanting and the beauty of the scene. The eerie, post-apocalyptic feeling of the work comes from the complete lack of a human presence, and the reminder that everything that humanity is and has done will eventually fade. By inviting the viewer in visually, he asks them to recall where we have been, explore where we are now, and confront where we may be headed.

DREAMSVILLE will be on view from the 20th of April through the 19th of May, with an opening reception on the 4th of May, 4-7pm.