Jonathan Madrigano Fellowship for the Arts to honor its newest recipient, Ryan V. Brennan,

with two-day exhibition at The National Arts Club.

The National Arts Club is pleased to announce Beneath the Unraveling Horizon, a solo exhibition of works by Ryan V. Brennan. The exhibition is hosted by the Jonathan Madrigano Fellowship for the Arts. Beneath the Unraveling Horizon will feature new multi-media works and a special piano concerto written by the artist for the occasion. A public opening reception will be held on Friday, April 30th from 6-10pm. Additionally, the exhibition will be on view Saturday, May 1st from 11-4pm and will include several artist led tours taking place throughout the day.

For this solo exhibition, Ryan Brennan explores the nostalgia for an aging dream of future prosperity- on both a personal and societal level. Using 3-D Collage, mixed media, video and installation, Brennan challenges beliefs that both society and the individual once held true, but have been revealed to the contrary.

Included in the exhibition will be his 2009 Cinemallage series, entitled, Close Your Eyes and Look as Far as You Can See. These cinemallages fuse together collage, sculpture and video. Using stop animation, video is filmed throughout four pieces (Chapters 1, 2, 2.5 and 3), then played within the pieces themselves. Close Your Eyes and Look as Far as You Can See depicts a tale of a young man’s journey through a future utopian fantasy world where he learns how the power of imagination can make a change in the world around him. This story employs the naïve language of fairytale as a vehicle to engage several real issues in today’s society, evoking hope and community, in a trying time of uncertain future.

Brooklyn based artist Ryan V. Brennan attended Savannah College of Art and Design where he received a BFA in 2005. His work has been featured in solo shows at Brooklyn’s Work Gallery, Scope New York Art Fair, in group shows at the Brucennial, two projects with No Longer Empty, and the Wassaic Summer Project as well as forthcoming solo exhibitions at Part Time Studios in Philadelphia and Maniac Gallery in Los Angeles.

Founded in 1898 by Charles de Kay, The National Arts Club is a private club whose membership is dedicated to furthering art and artists in America. The mission of the National Arts Club is to stimulate, foster and promote public interest in the arts and educate the American people in the fine arts. The National Arts Club is located at 15 Gramercy Park South (20th Street) between Park and Irving Place, on the southwest corner of Gramercy Park.