Dutch Kills Gallery is pleased to present a co-exhibition of the work of Whitey Flagg and Herman James. Although the two artists differ in their aesthetic temperaments, they share a regard for our planet’s ecosphere that is both analytical and illustrative, and they each present their reflections on the degradation of the environment due to atmospheric emissions brought forth through human activity.

Whitey Flagg’s large paintings are direct interpretations of carbon emissions, ozone levels and energy flow, as well as other statistical documentation of ongoing threats to the environment. His paintings are abstractions that function as grandly beautiful informational charts that become ciphers for our understanding of the impact of our global consumption. Each retinally charged work remains in the viewer’s mind as a potent reminder of the environmental concerns espoused by the artist.

In addition to being an artist, Whitey Flagg has been an independent curator and gallerist in Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and Seattle. He was highly influential in the creation of the long running multi-media event Welcome to the Plastic Factory in Los Angeles, which fostered countless young artists, musicians, DJs and fashion designers. He was also one of the original founders of Ivy Paris which is still in existence today as a resource for expatriate artists in Paris. His work has been shown throughout the U.S. and the E.U. He maintains a studio in New York City.

Herman James’ paintings are also informed by the environmental degradation created by our global emissions into the atmosphere. His work for Dutch Kills Gallery is part of his larger study called “Loaded Landscapes” that explores psychological aspects of the representation of landscape and their connections to our deepest impulses, aspirations and ambitions. In the pieces for the gallery this month, generally titled Melt, the artist poses “what if” scenarios that illustrate current scientific thinking about the consequences of global warming. The situations he depicts are over the top and darkly humorous. Like Flagg, he seems to understand that memory is best served when the mind is given something extraordinary to command reflection.

Herman James has shown widely in the U.S. in such venues as the Museum of New Art in Detroit, the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, as well as in many venues in New York City including the Joyce Goldstein Gallery and the Monique Goldstrom Gallery. The artist has also shown in a number of venues in the E.U., including Berlin, Germany and Paris, France. In 2007, his work in collage was part of a traveling exhibition in the U.S., the E.U., and through the islands of New Zealand. His work is included in collections in New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Berlin, Paris, Munich and elsewhere. He also maintains a studio in New York City.

AcHT(eN) is the musical collaboration of Jennifer Leigh Aschoff and David Barth Penn. Their work blends cello, flute and keyboards into shapes and patterns, sewing together musical stories to inspire and welcome you into sound, art, music and composition. PoWNS is AcHT(eN)’s first full length LP. An edition of 300, they are handmade from homemade stamps, cuts, folds, and coffee dyes.

The Shooting Star Experiment of Lights is Kurtis Kouns, a New York City based composer and performer who primarily uses guitar and live effects to create an array of ambiance and melodies. Often creating performances based on a single instrument alone, he explores the range of experimentation through minimal use of sound and technology.