Ronnie Rysz show opens in Norwalk Thursday evening

22 Haviland Street Gallery
22 Haviland St., South Norwalk, (203) 852-6727
Ronnie Rysz: Losing All Touch
Aug. 5—Sept. 12, 2010
Artist Reception: Thurs., Aug. 5, 6—9 p.m.
Gallery Talk: Sun. Aug. 29, 3—5 p.m.

Press release

22 Haviland Street Gallery opens its most recent solo exhibition, Losing All Touch, on Thurs., Aug. 5, 2010 with a reception that evening from 6—9 p.m. The exhibition will showcase ink drawings, mixed media paintings and relief prints by New Haven artist Ronnie Rysz. A gallery talk including the artist and curator Laura Einstein will take place Sun., Aug. 29, 2010 from 3—5 p.m. The exhibition runs through Sept. 12.

Losing All Touch addresses the diminishing importance of physical communication between individuals... "In this exhibition there are no intimate relationships. Quality time is discarded in search of other stimuli, whether arbitrary Internet information, a status posting, or shallow abbreviated text exchanges," Rysz states. "My work explores the contemporary audience's lust for the destruction of their muse. Each image captures the characters' ambitious attempts to attain excellence through aggressive competition with one another and within themselves. They brandish obnoxious postures accentuated by loud colors and patterns to amplify their supposed individuality, but ultimately these subjects succumb to the overpowering conformity of pop culture." The artist's commentary is accentuated by the precision of his compositions, where crisp marks and garish patterns of color combine with exaggerated facial expressions and body language to create a chilly distance between his characters.

Curator Laura Einstein states, "Ronnie's use of humor is both sarcastic and cynical, yet maintains a playful tone. I believe that Ronnie has a sense of reality that is all too familiar to each of us as we confront the ever-present virtual breakdown of traditional human interaction."

22 Haviland Street Gallery is a commercial gallery established in 2003, presenting cultural events and fine art exhibitions in all mediums. The gallery is located in downtown South Norwalk, CT at 22 Haviland St., across from the Haviland Street Parking Deck (parking fee $1/hr). Hours: Fridays from 6—9 p.m., Sat/Sun from 1—5 p.m. and Wed. 3—5 p.m. There is free Parking on Sundays. Call (203) 852-6727 for more gallery information.