Bouncing Betty. John Sours, artist
Blue Spiral 1 will open its latest exhibitions on Friday, March 7, featuring Figuratively Speaking in the Main Gallery, Tattoo/Flash in the Lower Level Gallery, A Dialogue with Sparrows: Part II in the Small Format Gallery, and works by Jon Rollins and Justin Turcotte in the Showcase Gallery. The exhibitions run through April 23 with an opening reception on March 7 from 5–7 p.m.
Figuratively Speaking brings together a group of artists who explore the human experience through various mediums, including paintings, sculptures and woven photographs. “Working with the figure gives me the opportunity to be either specific or universal,” says featured artist Jon Sours. “I have often made portraits of real friends or models with the aim of capturing their likeness and personality—but I also enjoy working with found photographs or film stills and combining or collaging them in the hope of creating a new, fuller image.”
A Whisper Over the Waters. Justin Archer, artist
Adana Tillman will present her quilt work in Figuratively Speaking. “My practice is my way of navigating the complexities of self-identity, highlighting both the beauty and simplicity of the everyday in the Black experience,” she says. “The fabrics I choose carry personal significance, often representing moments or memories from my travels or familial history.”
Tattoo/Flash explores the cultural significance of tattoos as a bridge between tradition and contemporary expression. Among the artists, Ekin Balcıoğlu integrates ceramic art with tattoo-inspired imagery. “My art explores transformation and storytelling through the tactile language of ceramics, using sgraffito to carve narratives directly into the surface,” says Balcıoğlu. “The symbols in my work draw from ancient mythologies, civilizations and folklore, much like tattoo designs that carry personal and cultural significance.”
A Dialogue with Sparrows: Part II is a solo show of works by Reuben Negrón featuring detailed watercolor paintings and charcoal drawings. “This series is about a longing to leave a place that one feels duty-bound to,” says Negrón. “By alternating my image making between vibrant, full-color watercolors and moody, black-and-white charcoals, I find that I can imbue my work with a wide range of emotional, atmospheric and narrative tone.”
Tattoo Vase. Ekin Balcıoğlu, artist
In the Showcase Gallery, Rollins’ work grapples with themes of accumulation and destruction. “I’m interested in the things that we keep: a sacred family heirloom, a packet of laser-printed papers jammed into a file box, a photograph of someone you love, a flattened cardboard box you may need one day to move something,” he says. “I layer my canvases with scraps and mementos from a collection that spans my entire life. As all of these things merge onto the surface, whether cherished, despised or meaningless, a constellation of trouble arises.”
When displayed alongside Turcotte’s sculptures, the works create an engaging dialogue. “Our works both encourage the viewer to move: Justin’s sculptures induce a moiré effect, shifting as one sees them in the round,” Rollins says. “My work reads one way across a room, but transforms as you come in close: details and edges matter.”
Blue Spiral 1 is located at 38 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville. Hours are Sunday through Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit BlueSpiral1.com or call 828.251.0202.
