Two new exhibitions are coming to Carbondale Arts’ R2 Gallery as part of the local art organization’s First Friday celebration on Friday, Sept. 4. The event kicks off with an outdoor talk featuring exhibiting artists Brian Colley, Wewer Keohane and Andrew Roberts-Gray at 5:30 p.m., and the gallery will open to up to 10 visitors at a time at 7 p.m.
Friday’s show is Colley’s first solo exhibition, and he’s calling the collection of panel paintings and watercolors “Self-Reflected Universe.” He said the body of work is introspective, and depicts his personal journey over the last few years through a series of self-portraits.
“So many people go on different journeys throughout their lives and I feel like there’s something in it for everyone,” he said of the collection. “I’m mostly excited to see what (gallery visitors’) reactions are and how it connects me to them.”
Keohane and Roberts-Gray’s joint exhibition is called “Parallel,” which will also debut at the First Friday event. The display includes photographs, paintings and collage art, and some of the pieces were created during their fellowships at the Aspen Art Museum last year. The exhibition touches on their parallel experiences over 25 years of friendship.
“Seeing the works that were coming in from both Wewer and Andrew, they go so well with each other and the work that I’m putting in—it’s amazing,” said Colley.
Both exhibitions will be on display until Oct. 2. Carbondale Arts is also enabling virtual viewing of the gallery and the exhibitions on its website.
