Hidden Kingdoms @ The Dream Factory

July 21, 2014

‘Hidden Kingdoms’, a new exciting group art exhibition coming to The Dream Factory in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, will begin on 25 July and run through 5 September 2014. The show is being co curated by Ryan Myers and Jel Ena. Because the gallery is relatively small, and represents a genre of art not readily known to the local German audience, the shows exhibited at The Dream Factory are often intimate and evocative. The gallery prides itself on providing visitors with the narratives for the works shown. Up until now, most of the group shows have been literary or culturally relevant in nature. “Hidden Kingdoms” is unique, as it allows all 29 international artists to communicate their vulnerabilities, aspirations, and the human condition using a single language, symbolism. The works displayed provide a deep, ground breaking look into the artist’s point of view. When I spoke to the owner of the gallery, Elizabeth Sanchez Rasking, I asked her what this show meant to her personally, here’s what she had to say,

“As a little girl I was always fascinated by the magic of sharing secrets with close friends, hiding from the world inside a blanket fort with a best friend and a flash light, there was nothing more exciting then to talk about the worlds we wanted to see, and the people we wanted to be. When Jel and Ryan approached me about ‘Hidden Kingdoms’, I jumped at the chance to have The Dream Factory host it. Hosting the show allows me to be that little girl again, The Dream Factory to become my blanket fort, the residents of Frankfurt to become my best friends, and the use of symbolism to serve as the single light source needed, for Jel, Ryan, and I to share 29 secrets”.

The show has many amazingly talented artists involved, including Ryan Myers, Jel Ena, Heather Nevay, Lori Field, Aunia Kahn, and Carrie Ann Baade, just to name a few. I was given the pleasure of discussing the show with Ryan, and I must mention that Ryan is one of the kindest, most sincere people I’ve ever spoken to. Both he and Jel have been working very hard on this project, and are extremely excited, (not to mention a little nervous), to finally be able to see it all come together. If you’re in Germany, or lucky enough to get there, don’t miss out on what I believe will be a MAGICAL show! I asked Ryan to explain in his own words what this show is about, and what the meaning is behind the title, here are his thoughts on the aesthetics of the show.

“Art and language share something profound and fundamental; both utilize a system of symbols meant to portray the human experience. Be it for stories, feelings or moods, the symbolism available is only limited by the artist’s imagination. Vast and rich, the world an artist creates may be entirely self referential or more reflective of the world at large. Symbolism in art in its original incarnation was a literary and artistic movement in the late 19th century. The imagery was fiercely personal and esoteric, a lesson in self decadence drawing often upon mythology and dream imagery. Symbolism when deciphered reveals an artist’s world previously hidden. These hidden kingdoms disguise the artist behind the work in environments wealthy in personality, a true peek into the artist’s world. The images of these hidden kingdoms are immensely vivid and a ready, untapped treasure trove for a gallery show.”

With this in mind, artists Ryan Myers and Jel Ena are bringing together a group of carefully selected contemporary international artists in both 2D and 3D media, which they think will best portray a modern interpretation of Symbolism, and bring their uniquely individual artist stories to the public. The Dream Factory is the perfect venue for the symbolist theme. With an already established catalog of high quality exhibitions and a client base accustomed to images rich with symbolism, a show of this type should provoke interest from a wide base of collectors and art enthusiasts. Fundamentally, the idea was to put on a show worthy of the reputation of the gallery and the artists alike, to bring together the fans of the gallery and the artists to try and build a bigger audience for both through skill and imagination. “Hidden Kingdoms” should prove to be an excellent opportunity for all involved.