The Mutual Gallery’s last exhibition for 2011 “The Imaginative and the Real” opening on 23 November at 7 pm incorporates the work of six renowned artists: Andrea Haynes-Peart, Amy Laskin, Tina Spiro, Samere Tansley, Marisa Willoughby Holland and the sole male artist, Kacey Ferguson. Staged in conjunction with National Commercial Bank, Carreras, Capital and Credit Merchant Bank, Ideal Porfolio Services,   RBC Royal Bank, Super Plus, Island Mist, NEM, BCIC, Nova Scotia Private Banking, Kool 97 FM and J. Wray & Nephew. The exhibition will be opened by Ambassador Pamela Bridgewater, United States Ambassador to Jamaica.

Image by Amy Laskin

The six artists are well known for their work of contemporary expressions in a representational style. The background influences of their paintings differ significantly as some artists in the exhibition espouse the genre of Photographic Realism where the treatment of forms, colour and space emphasize their connection to the actual visual experience. At the other end of the spectrum is Imaginary Realism, a field that has increasingly gained predominance in contemporary expressions encompassing Magical Realism, Fantastic Realism, Surrealism and Visionary Realism.

The Mutual Gallery is pleased to present a new platform in this extended field of representational painting.  The six artists in the exhibition have received extensive training in classical and contemporary techniques which they have applied to their paintings. This has earned each artist an renown which has extended nationally and internationally through exhibitions in galleries and museums locally and abroad and a presence in national and private collections.  The public is invited to view this exhibition on opening night 23 November at 7 pm and throughout the duration of the exhibition which continues until January 2012. Opening hours are Monday – Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and on Saturdays from 10.30 am to 3 pm.   Contact: The Mutual Gallery, Gilou Bauer or Keisha Lee Campbell Tel: 929-4302

Image by Samere Tansley

What is possibly outside the norm is to show a wide selection of genres in one exhibition. The background influences of the paintings differ significantly as some artists paint in the genre of Photographic Realism where the treatment of forms, colour and space emphasize their connection to the actual visual experience. At the other end of the spectrum is Imaginary Realism, a field that has increasingly gained predominance in contemporary expressions encompassing Magical Realism, Fantastic Realism, Surrealism and Visionary Realism. Imaginary realism is characterized by sublime fantasy worlds, executed in a highly detailed technical style reminiscent of the old masters.