Soppeland in Akron, New Directions in Cleveland at Harris Stanton

The Harris Stanton Galleries are excited to be opening the 2018 calendar year with two very different exhibitions celebrating artists at different stages in their careers. Longtime gallery artist Mark Soppeland will have a solo exhibition, The Shrine of Realization and Other Extraordinary Objects and Visionary Images at our Akron Gallery, opening January 11. The Cleveland gallery will host our yearly New Directions exhibition, which features fresh young talent and opens February 8.

Mark Soppeland, Shrine of Realization, mixed media sculpture

Mark Soppeland’s work attempts to synthesize a variety of arts and crafts influences with personal, formal and historical issues. His Guardians series incorporates the projection and manipulation of light into his work, which has led him to experiment with installations that transform both the objects and their environment. In relation to the Guardians he states, “In the creation of these works I perform the roles of conceptualist, designer, craftsman, historian, philosopher and magician. Although I will occasionally identify specific issues with which I am concerned, it is the multi-leveled interrelationships that define the complexity of our existence that are at the heart of the work.” The exhibition will feature Guardians as well as new painting and collage work. On display concurrently with the exhibition are new, never-before-seen original graphics from the estate of Marvin Jones. Mark and Marvin had numerous two-person exhibitions at the gallery during Marvin’s lifetime. The small display will pay homage to that.

Shelby Solomon, Overdue, monotype printing, serigraphy on Arches

New Directions has quickly become a favorite exhibition of HSG viewers, as it always promises fresh perspectives and exciting work. This year’s show is no exception. Kent State University graduate Shelby Solomon uses her training in metalsmithing and printmaking for this exhibition. She states, “This body of work is exploring the idea of an ‘Iconoclasm of Self,’ utilizing printmaking and jewelry/enameling to express an abstract representation of my self-destructive and embellished behavior.” Also a KSU graduate, painter Avin HannahSmith is influenced by the current racial and political climate. His work depicts characters, or Afro-aliens as he calls them, which are abstract representations of preconceived notions and prejudices that African-Americans face today. Cleveland-based artist Kate Snow studied printmaking and design at Zygote Press for five years. Her stripped-down approach relies heavily on elements of design to explore the uneasy relationship between chaos and control. Using line, repeating shape, and a limited palette, she seeks balance within complexity and questions how we connect, rely on, and betray ourselves and each other.