Steve Sangapore, a Boston artist and formerly Fine Arts Barista at The Fictional Cafe, is one of the most innovative creators it’s our privilege to know. He paints, sculpts, writes philosophy and hosts fascinating exhibits. In all his creative pursuits he’s always welcome at The Fictional Cafe. This week, Steve and fellow artist Rob Sullivan open a new art exhibit at Boston’s Fountain Street Gallery.
This ambitious show of painting and sculpture brings to life its title, a Latin term that directly translates to “you watch” or “you look.” The work invites viewers in with its combination of traditional and modern practices and, echoing the contemporary specular, involves aspects of lenses and mirrors. Whether communicating transparency, the beauty of form or human spirituality, it is as if the artist is portraying images through a lens. With reflective mirrors, the viewer’s gaze is placed within the works, prodding us to re-examine ancient religious and mythological expressions.
Steve Sangapore is a contemporary oil painter and mixed media sculptor. Using vastly different stylistic approaches of composition, medium and structure throughout various series, his work can be described at once as aesthetically traditional and conceptually contemporary.
Rob Sullivan works with oil as his primary medium, putting a contemporary lens up to the traditions of figure painting and narrativity. Color theory, transparency, and conceptual frameworks embedded within the imagery push the expected conventions of the genre toward unfamiliar, allusive meaning.
Both artists are core members of Fountain Street Gallery, a contemporary gallery in the SoWa Art + Design District of Boston. In the Featured Image above, on the left is Steve Sangapore’s “Narcissus,” oil and 24k gold leaf on cut PVC mounted on mirror, 36 x 24 inches. On the right is Rob Sullivan’s “Ardens,” oil on wood panel, 30 x 30 inches.
“Specularis” opens Thursday, May 4, with an artists’ reception on Friday from 5-8PM, and continues through May 28. The Fountain Street Gallery is at 460C Harrison Avenue, Suite 2, Boston. If you cannot attend in person, please visit the Fountain Street Gallery website, and be sure to check out the Sidewalk Exhibit.
Congratulations, Steve and Rob!
Your Friends and Fans at The Fictional Cafe
