Van Aelst show opens tomorrow at Real Art Ways

Real Art Ways
56 Arbor St., Hartford, (860) 232-1006
Kevin Van Aelst
June 17—Aug. 15, 2010.
Opening reception: Thurs., June 17, 6—8 p.m. during Creative Cocktail Hour (Admission: $10/$5 for members)

Press release

Real Art Ways presents a solo exhibition of Kevin Van Aelst's color photographs. Van Aelst's work rearranges and reconstructs common artifacts into extraordinary scenes. The exhibition opens Thurs., June 17, with a reception with the artist that evening from 6—8 p.m. as part of Real Art Ways' Creative Cocktail Hour. Admission to the reception is $10/$5 for members. After the reception, admission to the exhibition is free. The exhibition runs through Sun., Aug. 15.

Kevin Van Aelst is one of six artists selected for a solo exhibition as part of our annual open call for emerging artists, Step Up.

Kevin Van Aelst's work explores how the minutiae of the world are capable of communicating much larger ideas. Van Aelst's media includes food, clothing, gum, holiday lights, eyelashes, arranged polaroid photographs, and candy.

In the artist's words:

The images aim to examine the distance between the 'big picture' and the 'little things' in life-the banalities of our daily lives, and the sublime notions of identity and existence. While the depictions of information--such as an EKG, fingerprint, map or anatomical model-- are unconventional, the truth and accuracy to the illustrations are just as valid as more traditional depictions. This work is about creating order where we expect to find randomness.

This is Van Aelst's second solo show at Real Art Ways. Kevin Van Aelst was born in Elmira, New York and grew up in Pennsylvania. He received a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University in 2002 and an M.F.A. from the University of Hartford in 2005. He currently lives and works in New Haven, Connecticut and is teaching at Quinnipiac University and ACES/Educational Center for the Arts High School Program. He is a recipient of a 2008 fellowship grant from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Photos of his can be seen weekly illustrating "The Medium" in the New York Times Magazine.

Step Up 2009 was made possible through the support of our members, the Alexander A. Goldfarb Memorial Trust, Howard and Sandy Fromson, Greater Hartford Arts' Council United Arts Campaign, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Travelers Foundation, Robinson and Nancy Grover, Gary E. West, National Endowment for the Arts, Lincoln Financial Group, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the Nimoy Foundation, and the Ensworth Charitable Foundation.