'Souvenirs II' by Christina Mrozik / 'The Work of Awakening' by Bene Rohlmann

Light Grey Art Lab’s upcoming October exhibition and artist talk features the work of Bene Rohlman and Christina Mrozik, two contemporary artists whose work incorporates subtly dark content, where each artist implores the viewer to investigate the themes within. Both artists work have been informed by the duality of nature, mysterious visual patterns, and organic texture.

This exhibit invites viewers to look closely at culture, nature, and the intricacies of life. The new collections include an array of original watercolor paintings, signed editions, mixed media patterns, risograph prints, pins, postcards, and wares. The opening reception begins with an artist talk and Q&A, followed by the reception and artist meet and greet.

 

Souvenirs II
Bene Rohlmann’s work includes multi-colored risograph prints, signed print editions, original illustrations, and drawings, incorporating animals, graphic symbols, and cultural motifs, work inspired by travels through Europe and South America. His lowbrow aesthetic incorporates iconic characters, vintage-inspired motifs, and subversive content within complex arrangements of collage, mixed-media, and drawn content.

“I consider my works as souvenirs, that I am bringing home from traveling through my mind and imagination. Even to myself, the person who finds them, it is often unclear where they are coming from exactly. The only thing I know for sure is, that I love exploring that world and showing you what I have found”​ -Rohlmann.

 

The Work of Awakening
Christina Mrozik has spent the majority of her life observing the natural world and the various relationships within it. Drawing from the external, Mrozik uses a combination of flora and fauna, occasionally adding prose, to parse the complexity of our inner worlds. She primarily makes drawings, often composed from watercolor, graphite, acrylic, and ink, and has recently delved into the world of ceramics.

“This body of work was created while moving through the mental solitude of a year of loss and reckoning and into a space of quiet healing. Merging pieces of organ, flora, and animal, these drawings are an attempt to capture the “haunted” feeling of inaccessibility, expressing an experience outside the clarity of language. The work was my way of asking the unanswerable questions reeling in my mind: How do I reintegrate the body when it has been separated from rationality? What are the edges that separate pain from empathy? What is it to witness your own unraveling, a part of you painfully aware of what’s happening, yet not accept it as your whole self?” - Mrozik

 

Opening Reception
The opening reception and artist talk for ​'Souvenirs II​' and ​'The Work of Awakening​' ​is Friday, ​October 26th from 7-10pm. ​​The opening reception will kick off with a public artist lecture and Q&A with Christina Mrozik and Bene Rohlmann in the gallery from 7-8pm. (Doors open at 6:45 pm - seats are limited.) The opening reception will follow and includes the two solo collections, artist signed prints and wares, spooky music and refreshments, photobooth (patrons encouraged to dress up for Halloween!) and a retrospective of Light Grey Travel programming and events. The show is free and open to the public.

 

IC: Christina Mrozik