NEW YORK, NY – Chelsea’s Agora Gallery will feature the original work of Z. Michael Schmidt in Metamorphosis . The exhibition opens November 11, 2017 and runs through December 2, 2017 with an opening reception on Thursday, November 16 from 6-8 pm.
Z. Michael Schmidt’s predominantly black and white portraits depict the solitude of the human condition with compassionate simplicity. Never posing his subjects or imparting instructions, Schmidt’s tightly cropped images focus on faces and the stories they tell. Stark, clear, and straightforward, the photographs are pared down to their essentials, the subjects weaving complex webs of human emotion via simple gestures and candid expressions.
In early works including Scream, (Switzerland), Secrets, (Switzerland), and Smile, (Switzerland), Schmidt captures his animated subjects in tight compositions. Rich with subtle detail, these photographs, taken in an asylum, expressively emote the diverse reactions to involuntary enclosure. In his later contemplative portraits documenting the every day, Señor Louis, (New York), Pensive (New York), Father and Son (Jerusalem), and Cleopatra (New York), the artist exposed the psychology of his subjects with solemn intensity. These works adopt a serious tone, documenting unspoken exchanges and complex body language with grace and empathy.
Sphinx, (Egypt), an outlier in an oeuvre of portraits, chronicles a desert journey on horseback, capturing the countenance of the Sphinx like a traditional portrait.
Exhibition Dates: Nov. 11 – Dec. 2, 2017
Reception: Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Gallery Hours: Tues-Sat 11:00am – 6:00pm
Gallery Location: 530 West 25th Street, New York, NY
Event URL: https://www.agora-gallery.com/artistpage/Z._Michael_Schmidt.aspx
Featured Artists:
Osvaldo Bacman | Ed Belbruno | Laura Colantonio | Josep Francés Anaya | Andrew Glass | Monika Gloviczki | Donato Grima | Theresia Innerhofer | Martin Randall Joyce | John Kingerlee | Malvisi | Vicente Marzal | Koki Morimoto | Eduardo Ojeda | Z. Michael Schmidt | Irene Shcherbakova | Eunhyue Shin | Dave Weindorf
About the Exhibition
Metamorphosis
Featuring eighteen artists, Metamorphosis is an exhibition of contrast and change. The works on view present diverse and opposing perspectives on time, place, and the human condition, calling into question the arbitrary nature of boundaries. Through dynamic juxtapositions, the exhibition conjures feelings of harmony and mutual transformation despite the presence of difference.
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