Burlington City Arts is pleased to announce a new exhibition by Vermont artist Galen Cheney, entitled Street Level, opening Friday, May 4th from 5-8pm with an artist talk and reception. Street Level, featuring Cheney’s large abstract paintings, will run through June 23rd on the main floor of The BCA Center on Church Street in Burlington.
In Street Level, Vermont artist Galen Cheney creates abstract paintings using a multi-layered technique that makes them chaotic, vibrant and dense. Drawing inspiration from Aramaic script and urban graffiti, Cheney’s ethereal landscapes evoke the emerging sense of hybridization encapsulated by contemporary culture and global society. With a diverse visual vocabulary, Cheney’s work uses line, form and color in a way that pushes and pulls the audience, creating a completely unique experience with each piece.
In a recent artist statement, Cheney says “I have long been attracted to the history, complexity, and form of language. Much of my current work includes the use of nearly recognizable letters as abstract forms. The use of spray painted letters/language, embedded in a painterly, abstract wall painting also evokes the tension between street/outsider art and establishment/insider art. That conversation interests me; as a formally trained painter still working on the fringes, I feel like I walk the line between those two worlds.”
135 Church Street Burlington, VT 05401 P 802.865.7166 F 802.865.7044
Image: Calligraffiti 3, oil on wood panel, 48" x 32", 2012
