Janelle Anderson: Parade of Thieves

LOCATION: Alto Gallery - 1900 35th St, Suite B

CATEGORIES: Art Events | First Fridays

UPCOMING DATE AND TIME:

• Fri, May 3, 2024 - Sat, Jun 1, 2024  

Join us at Alto Gallery First Friday, May 3, 6 - 10 PM for the opening reception of Parade of Thieves, a solo exhibition of new works by Denver-based artist Janelle Anderson. Artist in attendance.

ARTIST STATEMENT

In Anderson’s current series of paintings and drawings, Parade of Thieves, which she’ll present in a solo exhibition at Alto Gallery in Denver, Colorado, in May 2024, Anderson delves into the intricate interplay of time, dreams, memory, and the concept of the collective through the portrayal of fragmented horses and birds. These majestic creatures are subjected to a transformative process, their bodies spliced and reassembled like pieces of a complex puzzle. This collision of reality and abstraction evokes the multi-faceted perceptions and experiences of the individual and the collective.

The juxtaposition of detailed form, vague blank space, and the splicing of figures, invites viewers to contemplate the conventional notion of linear time. Horses and birds move through space as a parade of thieves — running on stolen time through forgotten memories, recalled in flashes; spontaneous and fleeting. Anderson aims to prompt a dialogue about the fluidity of time, the way it dances through our consciousness, and the manner in which memories and dreams intertwine to shape our understanding of reality.

The figures, while retaining their individuality, are also prominently a part of a collective whole. Horses and birds in Anderson’s work act as symbols for the self and the collective, embodying a strange beauty through collage-like layering of fragmented figures that connect and overlap.

This reflects the collective nature of human experience, where our individual lives play an active role in society and history, influencing and being influenced by those around us. Just as the collective memory shapes our perception of the past, these fragmented beings invite viewers to consider the extent to which individual experiences contribute to the collective consciousness.

BIO

After graduating with a BFA from Metro State University in Denver, CO in 2011, Janelle W Anderson began exhibiting layered mylar drawings influenced by existentialism, the ephemeral, dreams, and memory. These evolved into collage-style paintings where images intersect with a dream-like cadence, prompting curiosity about memory, perception of time, and physicality. Anderson’s current focus is multi-panel works exploring the relationship between the individual and the collective, while continuing to delve into the intricacies of time, memory, dreams, and consciousness.

Anderson has received several accolades throughout her career, including the Nagel Art Thesis Award and Honorable Mention for her thesis installation at Metro State. She was a member of Denver co-op Pirate: Contemporary Art from 2011 - 2014, and completed a residency with the Firehouse Art Center in Longmont, CO in 2021.

Anderson is currently an Artist in Residence at RiNo ArtPark, in Denver, as part of the RedLine Contemporary Art Center Satellite Studio program. Her studio is located within Alto Gallery, where she will present a solo exhibition, Parade of Thieves, in May 2024. Most recently, Anderson has been awarded a large-scale, multi-panel commission for the Freudenthal Library at Trinidad State College, slated for install in July 2024.