The works in Richard Heller Gallery's Emblematic Representation act as symbols, conveying deeper meaning beyond their literal appearances. From ancient cave paintings to modern emojis, humans have long utilized visual and gestural cues to express abstract ideas, emotions, and cultural values. Examining this phenomenon reveals a fascinating interplay of cultural context, shared understanding, and the innate human capacity for symbolic thought.
Corey Arnold’s iconic, tempestuous photograph, The Bering Sea is as much mindscape as it is a seascape. Sabrina Bockler’s, Allegory of Spring references Botticelli’s Primavera, an allegory employing mythological figures to celebrate the lush growth of Spring. Sofia Bjurström’s ghostlike dancers and theatrical stagings can equally be defined as dreamscapes while David Jien’s meticulous renderings of objects in austere interiors evoke references to philosopher’s stones.
Like Bockler, Nieves Gonzáles dialogues with art history and also interrogates, reinterprets, and transforms it, leading to meanings that emerge distinctly from the currents of contemporary life. Ada Bond is an obsessive collector of moments, memories and images sourced from dark crevices of both the internet and her mind; Bond creates intrinsically cryptic pieces designed to keep more secrets than they divulge. Sean Norvet balances surrealism with the mundane reality of everyday life. Through the combination of unlikely elements the subject matter melds together to create a hypnagogic experience; the transitional state of wakefulness to dreamlike hallucination.