October 14-November 27
Featuring multimedia work in fabric, photography and video that addresses
contemporary social concerns, including the suppression of female identity and the recent awakening of feminine power and confidence.
Mixed-media works on canvas exploring the endangered environment,
migration, and issues of diaspora.
Juried Exhibition: “Sarasota Architectural Photography”
A juried exhibition of architectural photography featuring
Sarasota’s cityscapes and landscapes.
Opening reception for all exhibits is Thursday, October 14
(September 28, 2021) Art Center Sarasota’s 2021 exhibition season continues with three exhibits, October 14-November 27. “Flare” features multimedia work in textile design, photography, installation, and video by Sibel Kocabasi that addresses contemporary social concerns, including the suppression of female identity and the recent awakening of feminine power and confidence. “Human Skins” features large-scale mixed-media paintings by Kirk Ke Wang that explore issues of endangered environment, diaspora, and migration. “Sarasota Architectural Photography” is a
juried exhibition of architectural photography featuring the city of Sarasota. The opening reception for all three exhibits is Thursday, October 14, 6-8 p.m. Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. For information, visit www.artsarasota.org or call 941-365-2032.
Sibel Kocabasi is a multidisciplinary visual artist who works in painting, staged photography, and installations. Her art addresses contemporary social concerns, including the deteriorating natural environment, migration, and the suppression of female identity and recent awakening of feminine power and confidence. In her artwork, Kocabasi utilizes diverse media, including traditional rugs, found objects, emergency survival blankets, and fibers. Born in Turkey, Kocabasi splits her time between Istanbul and southwest Florida. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Turkish Traditional Arts (rug-kilim design, natural dyes, conservation and restoration of textiles, and illumination of manuscripts) from the Marmara University of Fine Arts in Istanbul. She received her Master’s in Fine Arts degree (painting) from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, in 2005. Kocabasi is the recipient of the 2010 South Florida Cultural Consortium’s Visual and Media Artists Fellowship and the 2006 Hector Ubertalli Visual Arts Award. Her work can also be found in many prestigious collections, including the Beth DeWoody Collection and The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum in Miami. Her artwork has been exhibited in national and international venues, including the 10th International Cairo Biennial, Tomio Koyama, Japan, International Museum of Art and Science, McAllen, Texas, and Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts, Istanbul.
Kirk Ke Wang is a professor of visual arts at Eckerd College and a sculptor, photographer, and mixed-media artist. He was born in Shanghai, China, and received MFA degrees from the Nanjing Normal University in China and University of South Florida. In 1986, Wang moved to the U.S. as an exchange scholar and, after completing his graduate studies, joined Eckerd College as a full-time professor in 1993. In his work, Wang often explores contemporary issues from the standpoint of diaspora. “My works are investigations of the environmental degradations that result in human sufferings. I believe it’s the artist’s obligation to respond to our social surroundings. When facing human tragedies, any arguments about the ‘sublimity and purity of art’ seem anemic. I call my abstract works ‘Social Abstract,’ a pun on the term ‘Socialist Realism’ that I grew up with when I was a kid in China.” Wang experiments with a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, video, conceptual, performance and installation art. His series, “Human Skins,” explores the issues of the endangered environment and migration using materials collected from thrift stores “that had experienced many lives, from the wealthy to the working class and from Americans to the immigrants.” Wang has exhibited his art works in art galleries, non-profit institutions and museums locally, nationally, internationally, including the Museum of Modern Art, PS1 in NYC and the National Museum of Art of China in Beijing. His work has been collected by museums, galleries and private collectors in the U.S. and Asia, including the National Gallery in Beijing.
“Sarasota Architectural Photography” is a juried exhibition of architectural photography—open to all photography media, including experimental printing processes and displays. The theme is centered on honoring the beauty of Sarasota landscapes, favorite buildings, places, and points of view. Jurors are Carl Abbott, FAIA, an award- winning architect and member of the Sarasota School of Architecture, and Noelle McCleaf, a photographer who explores themes of memory, relationship, and identity in the landscape of South Florida.
About Art Center Sarasota
Art Center Sarasota was the first arts and cultural institution in Sarasota. Founded in 1926 as the “Sarasota Art Association” by Marcia Rader, the art supervisor for the Sarasota County schools district, the Association was later incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1943 and has been in its current location in the Sarasota Bayfront Cultural District since 1949. Art Center Sarasota is a member-supported organization that offers curated and juried exhibitions, adult and youth education programs, outreach initiatives for underserved youth, and culturally related public programming. Art Center Sarasota is admission-free and open to all public; its mission is to inspire individual creative expression, nurture artistic talent and provide the community with accessible and diverse visual art opportunities.