Enlight...Residency Exhibition @ Darke Gallery, Friday, August 31, from 6-9pm

DARKE | gallery is pleased to present Enlight, Emily Sloan's solo exhibition.  The opening reception is Labor Day weekend, Friday, August 31, 6-9 PM.  The exhibition continues through Saturday, September 29, 2012.

Emily Sloan is DARKE gallery’s artist in residence for 2012.  Sloan will be using the gallery as a studio, along with a small stipend, to create an exhibition that will open on August 31.  The four Saturdays in August are open studio days, when the public can stop in and see the work in progress.  These open houses may include a simple time to visit, a performance exercise or something inspired by mandalas.

Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning "circle." In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions, art often takes a mandala form. These mandalas, concentric diagrams, are often used as a spiritual teaching tools and as aids to meditation and trance induction in meditation practices.

The psychoanalyst Carl Jung saw the mandala as "a representation of the unconscious self”, and believed his paintings of mandalas enabled him to identify emotional disorders and work towards wholeness in personality.

In common use, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos.

The exhibtion will include a series of mandala-inspired shade sculptures and a video Sloan has created with Jonathan Jindra.

Referencing the mandalas, shade and light, the show title will be: "Enlight"

Emily Sloan has an MFA in sculpture and interdisciplinary studies from the University of Houston and an MA from Stephen F. Austin State University. She has participated in many artist residencies, exhibitions, and the New York Studio School's Drawing Marathon in 2004. Sloan's work incorporates drawing, sculpture and painting. Many of her pieces use humor to engage the viewer in a dialogue about the environment and preoccupations with the social. To view more of her artwork visit: www.emilysloanblog.blogspot.com.

Current projects include the Southern Naptist Convention 2012 at Venice Beach, CA; and The Kenmore exhibition object at Skydive Art Space.

Now in its sixth year, DARKE | gallery exhibits contemporary art of the finest quality, with a focus on emerging and established artists with Texas ties.  Located at 320 B Detering @ Feagan, the gallery is open noon to 5:00 PM, Wednesday through Saturday, and by appointment.   For more information call 713-542-3802 or visit www.darkegallery.com.