In Formal Elements, Lenka Konopasek, Arlo Namingha, and Eric Overton showcase their unique definitions of what the West means to them, offering a diverse and captivating look at the landmarks and cultures of our region.
Modern West is excited to feature Formal Elements, a three person exhibition with works by Lenka Konopasek, Arlo Namingha, and Eric Overton, on display March 17, 2023, through May 5, 2023.
Lenka Konopasek, a Czech Republic-born artist, specializes in painting and mixed media works who has been working for over 25 years. As an outsider to American rodeos, Konopasek views this cultural phenomenon as a unique window into Western American culture, with its rich history and complex struggle between man and nature. Rather than idealizing or glorifying rodeo, Konopasek portrays it unfiltered, by blending oils to create a sense of illusion or memory, and showcasing the dynamic movements of the spectacle.
Arlo Namingha, a native of Santa Fe and a citizen of the Tewa/Hopi tribe, is a reductionist sculptor who works in bronze, polished wood, stone and natural materials. He creates sculptures inspired by the landscape from a geological perspective. Through his use of materials and dramatic compositions he incorporates elements to tell the history of the land, as well as a deeply rooted history of his Hopi perspective. He breaks down the imagery of his native land and uses positive and negative space, textures, and movement to tell the stories of his culture and share his perspective of the West.
Eric Overton is a photographer who uses historical ambrotype to capture the essence of the American West. The photographic process allows him to experience the landscape in a way that reveals its historic beauty with no trace of industrialization or civilization. He captures the land in a timelessness approach using his 8x10 camera to slow down and document these spaces preserving them through his lens.
