Laura Arminda Kingsley
We are delighted to announce our collaboration with the multidisciplinary artist Laura Arminda Kingsley.
With a profound exploration of human existence through the lenses of evolutionary biology and microbiology, Laura's work challenges conventional narratives. Her art serves as a catalyst for introspection, inviting viewers to contemplate the interconnectedness of all life forms on Earth, transcending hierarchical boundaries of race and gender.
Central to Laura's artistic vision is the resistance against colonial ideologies that have historically marginalized individuals based on race and gender. Her work serves as a powerful testament to the universality of human experience and the shared journey of all living beings on this planet.
In her artistic journey, Laura employs a diverse range of mediums including paintings, sculptures, animations, poetry, installations, performances and video.
Image 1: Portrait of the Artist, Photo: Juliette Fong
Image 2: Murmurs of the Deep, 2021, Printed Vinyl, left 4 x 17 m, right 4 x25 m at The Leadenhall Building London, Sculpture in the City London, Photo: Nick Turpin
ARTPOWHER Contemporary at Artsy Foundations
January 23 - February 14, 2024
ARTPOWHER Contemporary is delighted to announce its participation in the upcoming Artsy Foundations Winter online fair, featuring a curated selection of works by Aline Alagem: "Looking at you looking at me." Her showcased paintings provide a unique realm where softness and strength seamlessly coexist.
Alagem disrupts traditional hierarchies of subject and gaze, casting the feminine figure not only as the heroine but also as the narrator and observer; in her commanding presence, she fills the space and leads. Each piece within this body of work serves as an island of profound reflection, offering tranquil moments to connect with inner powers and expand the heart.
In addition, we are excited to introduce Alagem’s new 'Hope Paintings,' a collection of miniature artworks that function as a sort of charm and good luck Tarot, carrying the potential for hope and reflecting one's inner strength. Infused with a transcendental frequency, each piece is charged with intention, creating a meaningful connection between the artwork and its recipient.
The real diamonds incorporated in two miniature paintings represent the potential of transformation: "Everything we experience holds this potential power. Our pain becomes and leads us also to our ultimate sacred treasure. Perhaps it is hope, perhaps it is our truth, or our resilience." - Aline Alagem
Foundations is a seasonal online fair curated by Artsy, spotlighting fresh works from tastemaking galleries that discover and nurture rising artists. This year’s fair includes presentations from 130+ galleries in 36 countries across the globe, featuring exceptional talents whose practices deserve greater recognition.
Meaningful Connections
In the collaborative spirit of ARTPOWHER - #togetHer, we're delighted to announce a new partnership with Aesthetics & Principles.
Founded by the incredible Margot Heinrici, Aesthetics & Principles is dedicated to uniting brands and contemporary art, championing artists, and fostering meaningful connections with dynamic and innovative brands. TogetHer, we amplify our Vision & Mission.
Aesthetics & Principles:
Art connection: Embracing ARTPOWHER.
H.E. Luccock once painted the idea that "No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it." Within the realm of art, the power of connecting minds is inherent, transcending its origins as art manifests as a state of mind. It's no coincidence that the spark between ARTPOWHER and Aesthetics & Principles was ignited. Continue reading here
ARTPOWHER Contemporary at Artsy Foundations
July 11 - August 8, 2023
We are thrilled to announce that ARTPOWHER Contemporary has been invited to participate in Foundations, a new online fair curated by Artsy, that spotlights fresh works from tastemaking galleries known for supporting emerging artists. This year’s fair includes presentations from more than 100 galleries across four continents, featuring rising and underrecognized talents from across the globe.
For this event, we're pleased to showcase a solo presentation by Shannon Bono: To Summers End in Gambia.
Shannon Bono’s latest series entitled To Summers End in Gambia, is documentation of her experiences and events occurring in last 6 months of 2021. This intimate series explores themes of love, loss as well as witnessing the power of West African divination.
Bono’s work depicts experiences of black womanhood from her own perspective, tying in African culture and spirituality as a means of understanding and taking up space. More notably in this new series is the presence of still life such as plants and mystical objects used in magical rituals. She wishes to look beyond the images of still life and explore their symbolism which is further defined by her experiences and the titles of the paintings. Figuration is still a staple within her paintings in attempts to tell relatable stories and make peace with these unique situations.
Bono works with a mixture of acrylic, oil and spray paints. The repeating patterns are created using stencils to replicate the repeating patterns of Dutch wax fabrics. She layers these patterns with 3D liners adding an extra layer on top of canvas and wood panels.
Shannon Bono has been recently part of Windrush: ’Portraits of a Generation’ with His Majesty The King. A BBC documentary celebrating the accomplishments of the Windrush generation.
Marking the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush to British shores in 1948, the documentary follows a remarkable project spearheaded by His Majesty The King.
The ten portraits are on display in an exhibition titled Windrush: Portraits of a Pioneering Generation at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh until mid September and will travel to the National Portrait Gallery in October 2023.
Shannon Bono painted a portait of Linda Haye OBE. Haye worked for the civil service in Jamaica before her mother convinced her that she would have more opportunities in the UK. She arrived in October 1958, setting her sights on her lifelong dream of studying sociology, and graduated in 1972. She dedicated her life to youth and community services and was the first woman of colour to be a full-time member of the Police.
Portraits Of A Generation, on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer - watch here
Read here - The Guardian : Windrush generation celebrated in a series of 10 portraits in pictures
I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED - Gretchen's Affirmation Ads
(un)fair (un)expected art fair
March 3 - 5, 2023
Milan, Italy
ARTPOWHER Contemporary has been invited to be part of the (un)framed section at (un)fair in Milan, Italy. A dedicated section that facilitates the relationship between independent spaces and the audience on today's contemporary art world. ARTPOWHER is delighted to present for this occasion a participatory solo show by the brilliant Internet Performance Artist Gretchen Andrew.
With Affirmation Ads, Gretchen presents her second major body of work. While she targeted the uncontrolled power of Big Tech through Google with her search engine manipulating Vision Boards, she now turns against the advertising-based structures of Facebook and Instagram and allows you to own and control your digital space, treating your Instagram feed the way you would your living room.
Andrew conceived for her solo presentation with ARTPOWHER new works on paper that use her signature elements of collage and drawing to manipulate systems of power with art, code and glitter. Affirmation Ads were recently featured in the December 2022 issue of Art – Das Kunstmagazin.
All visitors to the booth will be instructed how to digitally install the Affirmation Ads in their own social media feeds, with the aim to avoid inflicted advertisements of Instagram, receiving instead the positive message I Have Everything I Need. The first visitors to the ARTPOWHER Contemporary booth, PS1, will be invited to sit down with the artist and talk about the work while Gretchen applies the fake nails featured in the works onto the hands of those wanting to be part of her art intervention.
Affirmation Ads is based on something that has been personally advertised and targeted to Gretchen on Instagram with. By collecting one of the physical expressions of the Affirmation Ad, collectors will not only have the work installed in their home, and in their digital life, but also empowering the thousands of social media users who will see and be uplifted by it, and who will feel a new sense of control over their digital spaces.
“These physical expressions of the Affirmation Ad idea are for all who love that the impact of the works is unlimited, and believe technology should work in service of their goals and dreams, not prey on their insecurities. I made Affirmation Ads for people who believe in taking power into their own hands.“ — Gretchen Andrew
Read full Press Release
Portrayals of Black Joy - February 2021
Sola's painting Laying in the Grass II has been selected for a digital billboard campaign "Portrayals of Black Joy" launched by Artsy in partnership with Outfront Media, spotlighting emerging Black artists in major cities in the US throughout the month of February. Courtesy of the Artist and ARPOWHER Contemporary! The campaing features also emerging Black artists - Derrick Adams, Dominic Chambers, and Kay Hickman.
