Living with Art, the uptown salon-style gallery, re-opened with the installation Pattern Migration ~ works by artists Capucine Bourcart and Beatrice Lebreton.
As described by the curator, Connie Lee, “Paterns exist naturally and by design, celebrating cultural heritage and forming a contemporary language. Although the artists’ work in different mediums, they share a methodology predicting layered works that invite closer inspection” ~ and that we did.
“Both artists grew up in France, in culturally diverse households, migrated to the U.S. and now call Harlem home. They also share the experience of being mixed-race. Bourcart has the ability to see pattern in the ordinary, often less visible, while Lebreton reimagines traditional patterns found in African textiles, giving them a place of honor in contemporary art.”
The Salon, which opened about a year ago, is now in its third exhibition, bringing in new artists and new work about every quarter. “I collaborate with artists who live and work uptown, emerging artists, women artists, Black and Latinx artists. I most often work with artists to develop public art installations. We work closely for about one-year, and in that time, I get to know them and their art practices well.” ~ Connie Lee
About the artists ~
Capucine Bourcart ~ Born, Colmar, France (1975), lives in Harlem, New York. “Originally from France, Capucine Bourcart has called Harlem her home for the past 14-years. Of Vietnamese origin, Bourcart grew up in Alsace (the Germanic region of Eastern France). Her multicultural background and inherent curiosity informs her work.”
“Bourcart’s collage technique, of cutting, layering and stitching is reflective of the influences from extensive travel and living abroad. Inspired by personal interactions, social issues, and both urban and natural landscapes, she delves deeply into details, colors, and textures using pattern as a contemporary language.”
“Her creative process is meditative and structured with visual fragments and themes that she interprets from daily. life. There is also humor in her work, to create distance and enhance the impact of the chosen theme.”
Beatrice Lebreton ~ Born, Tours, France (1955), lives in Harlem, New York. “Originally from France, Beatrice Lebreton has lived in the United States, first in Texas ~ but finding Harlem to be the place she wanted to stay. Lebreton is inspired by her multicultural heritage. her paintings are narratives and draw influences from traditional African motifs and cosmology.”
“The artist reinterprets these symbols to convey the spiritual in Africa’s culture, creating a visual link between the past and the present.”
“Utilizing patterns, even in abstract paintings, to form a system of visual and written imagery that holds meaning which the viewer can interpret layer by layer. Upon close inspection, they reveal legends, histories, and myths.”
“The artist’s work often celebrates womanhood, women in general and women of color in particular. Her goal is to shatter stereotypes and illustrate growth and change. Women have vital roles in the development of their communities. Lebreton thinks of her portraits as ‘representations’ of women, elevating them to goddesses.”
Below, artist Capucine Bourcart, camera in hand, taking a few shots of her artwork, ‘Nid-de-poule‘ covering a wall in the exhibition, Pattern Migration at Living with Art. Video courtesy Living with Art.
Those familiar with uptown art installations in parks and public places will have seen works curated by Ms. Lee when she puts on her hat as Director of Public Art Initiative and President of the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance. They include Capucine Bourcart: Eat Me!, a colorful photographic mosaic of 1,500 printed metal squares picturing healthy food installed on a chain-link fence surrounding a sports field in East Harlem; The large-scale installation Roots On Fire by artist Susan Stair in East Harlem’s Art Park; Naomi Lawrence: La Flor De Mi Madre on Park Avenue at 121st Street; Present Histories: An East Harlem Photo Album by artist Kathleen Granados; I don’t Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Ah Me… by artist José Carlos Casado and Peaceful Perch by artists Kim Dacres and Daniel A. Matthews, both in Marcus Garvey Park; Atlas of the Third Millennium by artist Jorge Luis Rodriguez, as well as several large sculptures by Rodriguez placed in center mediums in Harlem and East Harlem; White Park Art Wall was part of a White Park renovation; Caesura: a forum which was a large-scale architectural and sound installation by artist Jessica Feldman and architects Jerome W. Haferd and K. Brandt Knapp, located on the Acropolis in Marcus Garvey Park, in the shadow of the historic Harlem Fire Watchtower; and several collaborations with art institutions including Studio Museum in Harlem to name just a few.
Outdoor art installations can be found in a colorful, yearly brochures in various shops and restaurants throughout Harlem and East Harlem.
“I wanted to create access to art for emerging collectors, and after toying with the idea of curating exhibitions and presenting the work of the artists that I know well, salon-style, I moved the project into my current space, where I have great walls.” ~ Connie Lee
Can’t make it to the gallery? Walk into the exhibit right Here.
Living with Art is an ongoing series of curated exhibitions installed salon-style in a Harlem Brownstone, in the Mount Morris Historic District close to the #2/3 subway station. Viewing is currently by appointment only. Contact Connie Lee at connieleecdg@gmail.com. Follow on Instagram and Facebook. Follow Connie Lee on Facebook.
Extraordinaire…Bravo a toutes….