COUNTERPOINT
an art exhibition by Jim Gilbert
Stables Gallery 8/12-8/14
• Reception Friday, August 12th • 4-7pm
Mid-August is Milagro time in Northern New Mexico. When the miracle of the monsoons grace our parched soils with an often daily short afternoon thunderstorm. The blue air is crisp with ions, the aspens shimmer and the flower pots overflow in the plaza and on Bent Street in Taos. It’s a lovely time to peruse the launch of an epic exhibition, entitled “Counterpoint” at the Stables Gallery.
The artist, Jim Gilbert, is a Northern New Mexican born and bred whose career spans the period of the 50s in Europe through timeless Southwest images to visual statements of our current times. He will be exhibiting 80 works from the collection of his 150-piece series, “Counterpoint,” which he created from 12/20 to 8/21 utilizing a combination of drawing, photography, and electronic graphics to develop a very special body of abstract work.
Gilbert had a few things to say about how this particular series is different from others he has created:
“After the first work was completed, I looked at it and I asked myself, what do I have? I realized that I had created something that was akin to music. The images are a form of visual music. When a person listens to music, it sets a mood and often stimulates feelings and other responses. I have no expectation of what people should see, “hear” or feel, that is a very individual discovery. In creating this series, I found myself being more of a channel. My job was simply to get out of my own way and let the internal-external world flow through the image.”
“Art is a reflection and I wanted to capture society’s reflection of my art. Posted alongside each work will be reactions from people world-wide. I reached out to many people personally. And then because of the size of this series, family and friends joined in the project and helped me gather comments from people around the world.”
“Asking people to respond to an image seemed simple enough, but it turned out to be a bit more complex. I realized early on that I had to figure out a way to communicate that I wanted them to feel very comfortable and easy about responding to the image. That there were no right or wrong answers and I didn’t have any expectations about positive or negative feelings expressed about the work. The results are diverse, honest, sometimes deep, amusing, and often fun.”
“I’ve received responses from Kenya, Malaysia, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Mexico, China, Italy, France, Antarctica, and many from the United States. The comments are from people of all ages, from six-year-olds all the way to 96-year-olds. They are from people in all kinds of occupations and professions. They really cover the spectrum of humanity.
Because of the participation of so many people who are part of making it happen, I have come to think of the Exhibition as an Event, not just a show of art.”
Date/Location
Stables Gallery
133 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte, Taos
- Opening Reception Friday, August 12th from 4:00 to 7:00PM
- Friday, August 12 – 10:00 to 5:00PM
- Saturday, August 13 – 10:00 to 5:00PM
- Sunday, August 14 – 10:00 to 5:00PM