The Examiners. Tim Tate, artist
Momentum Gallery, in downtown Asheville, presents three new exhibits, beginning with an opening reception on Thursday, November 16, from 5–8 p.m. and running through February 3. The reception is free and open to the public.
Small works | big impact is an annual exhibition that allows collectors to discover and acquire original works by artists new to the gallery. This year’s show of intimately scaled pieces explores materiality, nature and socio-political commentary. Highlights include Davis Choun’s constructions from upcycled clothespins, Samantha Bates’ pointillist landscapes and Tim Tate’s Examiner Series, which is a group of video-linked sculptures examining the parts of our current world that feel out of balance. Although small in scale, the pieces in this collection convey the sensibility and proficiency of their accomplished artists.
The Ascent. Topher Straus, artist
“I make work that speaks to the personal relationship of images, the recognition of the familiar in an intangible and reaching sort of way,” says Bates.
The gallery also revisits the theme Nocturne. New material by artists including Topher Straus, Stephen Paul Day and Christina Bothwell merge to make a collection of enchanting works in various media. Paintings, cyanotypes, sculptures and original prints celebrate the drama and mystery of night. Artists capture a world shrouded in shadow, with the moon and artificial light defining shapes that emerge from darkness. Imagination picks up where detail leaves off, creating a sense of magic and intrigue—the potential of the unknown and unseen.
“The way the light of the night fills negative space is beautiful and inspiring to me,” says Strauss, whose work in the show will include his bold, seven-and-a-half-foot wide depiction of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the similarly scaled Scorpio, a depiction of the constellation in the night sky above a snowy mountainscape. “If these original works don’t fit within your space or your price point, we also have a handful of limited editions that are a bit smaller,” he says.
The latest series of oils by landscape painter John Cleaveland (this month’s cover artist, p. 8) is titled Vietnam. In keeping with a long-standing tradition within his work, the contemporary realist made two trips in 2023 to the southeast Asian country to explore and document areas that bore witness to significant conflict. Cleaveland’s paintings contain stunning detail, with palpable grit and energy, leaving viewers to feel as if they could walk right into the images.
Momentum Gallery is located at 52 Broadway Street, Asheville. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 12–5 p.m. To learn more, call 828.505.8550 or visit MomentumGallery.com.
