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A multi-layered experience at Rogue Buddha Gallery
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My own (poor-quality, I'm afraid) photo of the interior of Rogue Buddha Gallery -- a warm and inviting space.
Rogue Buddha Gallery is an unusual place. It's not just the quality of the art (excellent, on this first visit I made) or the genuinely welcoming, unassuming manner of the owner, Nicholas Harper; there is so much quality work and so many truly good people in the arts.
What else is different here is the atmosphere, which feels more like walking into a coffeehouse or a club, complete with music. What's different are the soft-toned green walls and the plush chairs in the middle of the space and the motorcycle parked in the Accent Gallery room at the back of the main space. This is a place that takes the art, but not itself, seriously. I like that.
It took me a few moments to figure out that the motorcycle I mentioned was, in fact, Nicholas Harper's ride which was parked there, rather than being one of the pieces on display. Ever since Marcel Duchamp stuck a urinal on the wall and called it art, we're forced to question what's art and what's just life, like an aesthetic version of the Truman Show -- but I digress. The bike felt like it belonged where it was, its chrome and lights right at home beside the carnival-inspired War Horse by Michael Thomsen. An enormous pentagram, it incorporates parts of pinball machines, religious icons, good-luck charms, a ring-toss game, lights -- even a salt shaker that looks like a black chess piece. From this shining background of organized chaos, a black demon carnival steed charges forward, right at us. It's unsettling and fascinating, and I won't soon forget it. A detail of the work is below.
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On the opposite wall is Jon Langford's Cash, a dark, folk-art style portrait of Johnny Cash, complete with lyrics painted onto the frame. The style, which could have been cutesy, is austere instead; I think Cash himself would probably have liked it. I certainly did, but I may be far too much of a Cash fan to be an objective reporter. Langford does a lot of musically-themed work, and it's worth checking out his site (click on his name above) to see more.
Other portraits in the room are by Nicholas Harper himself, and they range from a shadowy classical look that reminds me of old Europe, to a delicately drawn, surreal gothic style that reminds me of all things Tim Burton. They're all beautifully done, but while Answered Prayers radiated such despair that I had a hard time looking very long, there were other figures -- I didn't see a title on my favorite, a female figure with a quietly impish expression and a dark lace-patterned background -- I found simply delightful. This piece, Chloe, is similar.
What I had come to see was the work of Brian Mark. I had missed the gallery's open hours on my first try, but was determined to get back again before the show came down. I wasn't disappointed. The gallery's main space is full of these pieces, all made of stainless steel treated with acid, blowtorches, dry ice (!) and electroplating; there's a complex, precise process and I'll admit that I understand none of it. It appears to be unique in the art world, this artist's very own (very impressive) invention.
Brian Mark's stated goal is to make art that "dignifies the human experience," a thing I deeply appreciate. So much of our culture seems to do the opposite ("reality" television, anyone?). Mark succeeds, placing his figures in a shimmering atmosphere of layers of garnet, amber, and gold. If you didn't know you were looking at stainless steel, you would never, ever know.
Mark's art requires a level of participation that I'd usually expect from sculpture rather than two-dimensional art. In order to really see these things, you have to get closer, and closer again; you have to walk around, bob up and down and side to side like a curious bird, letting the light catch it from this angle and that one, watching the glittering figures reveal themselves. There's a strong feeling of peacefulness and of reverence for life, and the shimmering quality speaks of magic, ghosts, prayers, jewels.
While Brian Mark's exhibit is now officially closed, you do have another chance to see the whole body of work. It will be on display on Thursday night, at Rogue Buddha's experimental jazz show. The concert, which runs from 9 to 12 Thursday night, is part of an ongoing series called I Quit. Rogue Buddha has been doing these shows for over three years now, and Nicholas tells me that it's completely unpredictable, with different musicians each time.
Work on Friday morning may keep me from attending this one, but I definitely plan to visit Rogue Buddha again.
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