Duke City Darlins: Sophisticated Vandalism

The opening reception for Sophisticated Vandalism is this Friday, June 15, from 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM at Archetype Dermigraphic Studio/Gallery. I recently spoke with Dezy Hardin, the founder and CEO of the Duke City Darlins, about the upcoming show. Hardin described Sophisticated Vandalism as a collection of paintings, drawings, prints, designs, photography and other works by the members of the Duke City Darlins. Since most of their group events revolve around charitable fundraising for the community, this art show gives the members a chance to showcase their artistic talent to the public. 

The Duke City Darlins have partnered with Archetype Dermigraphic Studio/Gallery as the venue for their art exhibition. This studio is all about promoting a high ethical standard and a sense of community and brotherhood for those who are in the tattoo industry. Not only a tattoo studio, but a place for artists of all mediums to collect knowledge from one another and to inspire each other to branch out and tap into new veins of thought. Sharing their mantra, the Archetype Dermigraphic Gallery believes, “Art is for sharing, not only imagery, but reaches to the gut and root of human experience. They invite all those who love art. Whether you produce it, like to look at it, or love to wear it.” 

The Duke City Darlins are a dynamic group of women who specializes in organizing, hosting, and managing local and national charity functions in New Mexico. The Darlins are the epitome of grassroots humanitarians. They are women of the "alternative lifestyle" being tattooed or otherwise modified. The Darlins have the common goal of bettering the community as well as educating the public on safe tattoo and body modification practices. By contributing greatly to society, the Duke City Darlins hope to change the negative stigma placed on modified women and create a sisterhood of lifelong friends. For more information visit www.dukecitydarlins.com.

Sophisticated Vandalism will hang during the month of June at the Archetype Dermigraphic Studio/Gallery, 529 Adams Street, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108, (505) 265-0972, www.archetypetattoo.com.

Tara Massarsky: Conveyance at The Art Salon at Inspire

First Friday’s ARTScrawl led me to The Art Salon at Inspire in Downtown Albuquerque.  The idea for this urban salon is unique.  Designed for an intimate and comfortable experience by offering visitors avant-garde hair design, the Inspire Salon also provides an appreciation and understanding of art and its role in society through direct engagement with original artwork. 

Tara Massarsky, the featured artist for June and July, opened last Friday with her exhibition Conveyance. Massarsky consciously develops her own visual language by using a restricted palette or through extravagant abstraction. She finds that these ideas are best developed through a series of paintings, allowing the viewer to witness the X and Y of creativity. This concept can be seen in her series, Solve et Coagula, which allows the viewer to “tap into places of stillness and uncomfortableness, places one naturally resists tampering with.”

Massarsky has been influenced by great artists such as Dorothea Tanning, Arshile Gorky, Egon Schiele, Ad Reinhardt, Max Ernst, Willem De Kooning, and Adolph Gottlieb for their mastery of disinclination, passion and knowledge of art making. She also admires the minds and earnestness of the American Abstract Artists for their geometric adherence to a picture’s internal structure. Massarsky was academically trained at The Art Student's League in New York City and The Corcoran School of Art in Washington D.C. She has been exhibiting her artwork since 1988 and has numerous works in private collections in New York, California, and New Mexico. In May 2012, Massarsky was awarded Best of Show at the New Mexico Showcase Juried Exhibit at 516 Arts.

Conveyance will hang through July 31 inside The Art Salon at Inspire, 423 Fourth Street, SW, Albuquerque, NM, 505.242.4549, inspireartsalon.com. Get acquainted with the evolving visual language of Tara Massarsky at the Artist Talk and Closing, July 28 from 7:00 - 9:00 PM, taramassarsky.com.