Key West The Newspaper

On View April 2-April 30

Reception Thursday, April 2, 6-8pm

An orange and purple pelican flings his head back to devour a tiny setting sun; the motion — splendid, mythical, and rendered beautifully in clay by artist Adam Russell — articulates the mood of early evening on the island. It’s that moment people gather in Key West to witness the shift between day and night, when the birds disappear, and the stars spread like well-loved stories over the sea.

The vessel is a piece from Russell’s new body of work Future Ancient, debuting this month. The public is invited to celebrate the exhibition when it opens on Thursday, April 2 from 6-8pm at The Studios, 533 Eaton Street. Also opening that evening is Gestures of Power, a photography exhibition by Jodell Roberts.

Key West’s sense of place runs like an ocean current through Future Ancient; for the exhibition, Russell, owner of Key West Pottery and former TSKW artist in residence, has created artworks that are meant to simultaneously describe an event and the culture inhabiting its place.

“The name Future Ancient comes from a romantic idea I have that the art objects of our day might someday give a far-flung future civilization the semiotic clues to unlock who we once were,” Russell says, “vainglorious or just optimistic, it’s a comforting antidote to the thought we could one day be lost underwater — an island city ruin.”

Adam’s love of history and indigenous methodology informs his work, but he filters it through a thoroughly contemporary lens. The result is a colorful celebration of island aesthetics and an over-sized and entirely unique take on ceramics.

“In this body of work I’ve enjoyed playing in that mysterious dimension between science and symbolism,” Russell says, “borrowing from, but creating anew ancient archetypes from cultures around the world.”

An honoring of ancestral things and a respect for contemporary artistic process — a reverent fusion of ancient and modern — is fundamental to Russell’s own practice.

He begins each ceramic sculpture at his potter’s wheel and then alters it to create representational forms in the work. The sculptural lineage he follows is evident; it’s the same process ancient cultures have used for centuries, elegantly thrown artworks embellished with caricature-like forms, reminiscent of totems, masks and walls adorned with hieroglyphics.

The sheer scale of the work is impressive in itself, with several pieces measuring just under ten feet tall.

Adam and his wife Kelly moved to the island from Ohio in January 2010, a few months after completing a residency at The Studios of Key West. Since then they have established themselves in the community, both as artists and business owners. Their gallery, Key West Pottery, has become a dynamic creative space in Old Town.

Future Ancient was partially funded with a grant from the Anne McKee Artists Fund, and sponsored by Debra Butler Design Studio.

Also opening on April 2 is Gestures of Power by Jodell Roberts. Roberts’ long-standing fascination with film negatives began to take a significant turn when teaching pinhole photography and has since developed into a full exploration of the possibilities.

For this exhibition, Jodell’s printed negatives present a world in reverse: luminous darks, light as shadow, foreground and background fluctuating. This shift expands our perception and explores the power, beauty, structure and interconnectedness of all things.  Gestures of Power celebrates the natural and metaphysical world and focuses on our ability to positively affect life on earth.

Gestures of Power is sponsored by Key West Bed and Breakfast.

Future Ancient and Gestures of Power will be on view through April 30 at the Studios of Key West, 533 Eaton Street.