Archway Gallery
Upcoming Exhibition Calendar
Upcoming Exhibition Calendar
Opening receptions are usually the first Saturday of each month, with some possible exceptions due to holidays. All receptions are from 5 to 8 p.m.
August 1 - September 3, 2020
Roots to Revolution
Featuring New Paintings by Mohammad Ali Bhatti
There will be a Virtual Opening Reception and Artist Talk online at ArchwayGallery.com
“Painting for me is like composing a symphony,” says Mohammad Ali Bhatti. “Color, textures, forms and shapes are my instruments of creativity.” Mohammad’s latest series of paintings is deeply inspired by mysticism and the connections between divinity and mankind in the modern world. He draws on the energy around him in creating his paintings, making intuitive responses to the variable sounds, melodies, rhythms, and textures in the classical music he listens to while painting. “I believe that the creative process is an intuitive and spontaneous activity,” Mohammad explains. “I approach the canvas with an idea, a concept, or a theme that inspires me to begin with random marks and shapes.” His abstract paintings strive to blend sound and the seen world by creating an interplay of small and large shapes, multiple layering of contrasting colors, and the appearance and disappearance of abstract elements that float in neutral space.
This series of paintings reveals an inseparable connection between shapes and colors, guiding the viewer around each whole painting. Contrasting layers are applied with a bold brush creating multiple forms and vague references (ambiguous symbols, calligraphic forms, numbers) suggesting contemporary conflict, confusion, and the chaotic condition of the world. Complexity of design occurs spontaneously and intuitively in the painting process; layering, overlapping, and juxtaposing forms, signs, and symbols into an interplay of movement and energy. “My ultimate goal,” Mohammad concludes, “is to offer the viewer a creation that captures the attention and expands the imagination.” In addition to his recent works, Mohammad will also be displaying some of his portraits, watercolors, and Southwestern paintings.
Dr. Mohammad Ali Bhatti is an accomplished contemporary expressionist painter, who concentrates on themes that are inspired by the mysticism, people, and current social issues around him. Born and raised in Pakistan, he attended local art institutions in his native country at an early age; subsequently, he travelled to the United States and earned an MFA from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Arts from Ohio University, Athens, in 1998. In his early career, he was inclined toward figurative art and became a competent portrait artist. Gradually, his fascination with contemporary abstract expressionism led to inspiration by mysticism, fantasy, and current socio-political conditions. For the last 30 years, he has painted and exhibited around the world with 35 solo exhibitions. His work is unique and is collected world-wide.
The visual interest in his paintings is heightened by multiple layers of acrylic, oil, resins, spray paint, randomly torn magazine and book pages, design patterns, and calligraphic elements which help him to create rich imagery. He utilizes intense vibrant colors applied in bold strokes which enable him to generate an exciting character to his canvases. Mohammad’s art is a synthesis of his aesthetic sensibility and metaphysical versatility, a powerful expression of pride and vitality. This combination becomes a vehicle which allows him to explore interplay of exotic forms and shapes with freedom. His distinctive style, combination of subject matter, bold comparisons, and intense color is instantly recognizable; collectors throughout the United States as well as abroad value and prize his work. Mohammad lives in Houston, Texas and is associated with the Watercolor Art Society of Houston, AO5 Gallery in Austin, and artist-owned Archway Gallery in Houston. He currently teaches a variety of art classes, using a combination of demonstration and hands-on instruction, and has a large committed following of students. Visit his website: www.artistmohammadali.com.
This series of paintings reveals an inseparable connection between shapes and colors, guiding the viewer around each whole painting. Contrasting layers are applied with a bold brush creating multiple forms and vague references (ambiguous symbols, calligraphic forms, numbers) suggesting contemporary conflict, confusion, and the chaotic condition of the world. Complexity of design occurs spontaneously and intuitively in the painting process; layering, overlapping, and juxtaposing forms, signs, and symbols into an interplay of movement and energy. “My ultimate goal,” Mohammad concludes, “is to offer the viewer a creation that captures the attention and expands the imagination.” In addition to his recent works, Mohammad will also be displaying some of his portraits, watercolors, and Southwestern paintings.
Dr. Mohammad Ali Bhatti is an accomplished contemporary expressionist painter, who concentrates on themes that are inspired by the mysticism, people, and current social issues around him. Born and raised in Pakistan, he attended local art institutions in his native country at an early age; subsequently, he travelled to the United States and earned an MFA from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Arts from Ohio University, Athens, in 1998. In his early career, he was inclined toward figurative art and became a competent portrait artist. Gradually, his fascination with contemporary abstract expressionism led to inspiration by mysticism, fantasy, and current socio-political conditions. For the last 30 years, he has painted and exhibited around the world with 35 solo exhibitions. His work is unique and is collected world-wide.
The visual interest in his paintings is heightened by multiple layers of acrylic, oil, resins, spray paint, randomly torn magazine and book pages, design patterns, and calligraphic elements which help him to create rich imagery. He utilizes intense vibrant colors applied in bold strokes which enable him to generate an exciting character to his canvases. Mohammad’s art is a synthesis of his aesthetic sensibility and metaphysical versatility, a powerful expression of pride and vitality. This combination becomes a vehicle which allows him to explore interplay of exotic forms and shapes with freedom. His distinctive style, combination of subject matter, bold comparisons, and intense color is instantly recognizable; collectors throughout the United States as well as abroad value and prize his work. Mohammad lives in Houston, Texas and is associated with the Watercolor Art Society of Houston, AO5 Gallery in Austin, and artist-owned Archway Gallery in Houston. He currently teaches a variety of art classes, using a combination of demonstration and hands-on instruction, and has a large committed following of students. Visit his website: www.artistmohammadali.com.
September 5 - October 1, 2020
Reinvention
Featuring New Works by Barbara Able and Daniel Able
To Be Rescheduled
Diverse-City, An Ode to Houston
Featuring New Photographs by Isabelle Perreau
In Participation with FotoFest 2020
When Isabelle Perreau first “met” Houston twenty years ago, she was not seduced by its beauty. Instead, she recalls, “I saw scary highways, like the tentacles of a gigantic octopus, and ugly buildings juxtaposed without harmony, the immensity of the town, and the suffocating weather.” Her first impressions of our city were colored by her personal frame of reference which was of Paris France, one of the world’s most beautiful and culturally rich cities.
But, Perreau was undaunted. Ever the curious traveler, she donned her “explorer’s outfit,” and began to get acquainted with her new city, neighborhood by neighborhood. As she did so, she was surprised to discover a fascinating, multi-faceted city – “a big lady with many different faces.” Along Houston’s streets, Perreau found the whole world united -- colorful India, fragrant China, joyful Latin America, and expansive Africa. “It was like traveling without having to take the plane!” she recounts. Under Houston’s inhospitable shell, Perreau discovered its irresistible charm, it’s diversity, and the deep wealth of its intertwined cultures. “I was conquered and fell in love,” she exclaims. “I embraced my new hometown from the bottom of my heart.”
Perreau’s exploration is not finished; “Houston doesn’t reveal herself all at once,” she explains. “You need to be curious, open, and enthusiastic to tame her. She is in a perpetual transformation, reinventing herself at every minute. She is an adventure!” This exhibition from Isabelle Perreau is a tribute to her adopted home. “It’s a love letter to Houston -- a ‘photographic ode.’ She deserves it!”
Perreau’s work in this exhibition is a reflection of her deep belief that Houston’s diversity and international character is the source of its strength and richness. “Houston is the most diverse city in the United States,” she notes. “This, of course, is the result of immigration.” Perreau sees Houston as a shining example of a multitude of nationalities and religions living together in respect, solidarity and friendship. “It’s a human lesson for everyone that, with decency and respect, peace is possible.”
But, Perreau was undaunted. Ever the curious traveler, she donned her “explorer’s outfit,” and began to get acquainted with her new city, neighborhood by neighborhood. As she did so, she was surprised to discover a fascinating, multi-faceted city – “a big lady with many different faces.” Along Houston’s streets, Perreau found the whole world united -- colorful India, fragrant China, joyful Latin America, and expansive Africa. “It was like traveling without having to take the plane!” she recounts. Under Houston’s inhospitable shell, Perreau discovered its irresistible charm, it’s diversity, and the deep wealth of its intertwined cultures. “I was conquered and fell in love,” she exclaims. “I embraced my new hometown from the bottom of my heart.”
Perreau’s exploration is not finished; “Houston doesn’t reveal herself all at once,” she explains. “You need to be curious, open, and enthusiastic to tame her. She is in a perpetual transformation, reinventing herself at every minute. She is an adventure!” This exhibition from Isabelle Perreau is a tribute to her adopted home. “It’s a love letter to Houston -- a ‘photographic ode.’ She deserves it!”
Perreau’s work in this exhibition is a reflection of her deep belief that Houston’s diversity and international character is the source of its strength and richness. “Houston is the most diverse city in the United States,” she notes. “This, of course, is the result of immigration.” Perreau sees Houston as a shining example of a multitude of nationalities and religions living together in respect, solidarity and friendship. “It’s a human lesson for everyone that, with decency and respect, peace is possible.”