KiptonART hosts Serge Strosberg

[Serge Strosberg with Oper8tor]

Photos from this event (By Andrew Harris)

As spring continues to settle in, our itinerary at GofG gets that's much more eclectic; last night's private reception of Serge Strosberg's paintings "Paris-New York" hosted by KiptonArt and Culture + Travel Magazine at the URI Gallery in SOHO was a shining example. Strosberg, 41, a Belgium born, Parisian trained artist who recently moved to center of the known world, AKA New York City displayed his work spanning from his times in places from Paris to Southern Florida to New York with the bulk of the show being comprised of Strosberg's most recent Series called "Sins of Paris".

The pieces in "Sin of Paris" illustrate a young fashion victim, and Parisian Actress amid contemporary adaptations of the 7 deadly sins, ya know the good ones, pride, greed, slothfulness and the like. The work, with it's mannerist leaning and painterly touches seemed to explore not only contemporary culture's new translations of old sins, but the artist's fascination with human form and his interaction with his models and muses. We were able to pull the award-winning artist aside (see photo above) during the night to ask him about his work and how he was doing with the pressure of an Art event in SOHO.

Strosberg, who has received numerous accolades for his work is not new to the world of pressure that showing Art Work to people that matter invokes. Hosts KiptonArt has become one of the premier conduits for artist to gallery/art dealer relations and Culture + Travel magazine is the go to guide for people who appreciate not only the culture of travel, but the gallery quality photographs and insightful stories that fill its pages. Strosberg told us that he wanted to focus on the expression of his subjects from their bodies to their faces. He mentioned that the series of 9 painting of a nude Chinese woman on a sofa was an example of how the artist's interactions with his subject can change over time. Strosberg worked with his Chinese model for over six months and his paintings left visual evidence of their relationship becoming more comfortable, From the first painting where she most obviously uncomfortable with her nakedness, "hiding her sex" to the last where the inhibitions of nudity have been stripped away and she feels free to just lie there uncovered so that the art may be done.

Strosberg's work followed humanist aesthetic and many of his models were at the opening so his representation could be put face to face with the real thing so to speak. Some of the proceeds for one of Strosberg's works 'Annabel and Giselle', a large oil painting of Annabel Vartanian and model Giselle will go to the GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis) to help in the fight against AIDS. All in all it was a good show, by an artist we will most likely hear more from in the future. Jump on the bandwagon now, and if you weren't able to make it last night check our visual evidence of what happened.