Bender Gallery is proud to present ‘Spirit of Myth’ a brand new solo exhibition celebrating the works of internationally acclaimed portrait artist, Seth Haverkamp. From October 5th 2024, visitors of Bender Gallery can discover a dazzling collection of artworks that explores Seth’s artistic journey over the past decade.
‘Spirit of Myth’ will feature dozens of works ranging from portraits to still life showcasing Seth’s admiration for beauty and his incredible craftsmanship in exploring colour, form, light and shadow. This exhibition is not to be missed by anyone in the Asheville area as beauty, light and colour are sure to stimulate the senses, spark the imagination and bring warmth to the soul.
‘Spirit of Myth‘
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 5, 2024
Exhibition Dates: October 5 – October 26, 2024
Bender Gallery
29 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC | ph. 828.505.8341
Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 10am – 6pm
Sunday 12pm – 5pm
For inquiries please email info@bendergallery.com
About Bender Gallery //
Established in 2005, Bender Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery and Asheville’s first international art gallery. Bender Gallery specializes in abstract, figurative, pop, and surreal works by notable national and international artists. The artists represented by Bender Gallery are known for their originality and artistic perfection.
Artist Statement //
Beauty is essential to me and is most often found in the little everyday things we take for granted. Such as the way the light hits the land, the drip of raindrops off pinecones, the innocence of a youthful face, and the glint in a crystalline eye. I find myself mesmerized by the way warm light mingles with cool and creates a new color, the interplay of shadow as they wrap around fingers, and the distinctive gesture of a hand holding an object. Our earth is quintessential beauty, and its inhabitants are an integral part of that enchantment.
Storytelling has always been a key part of human interaction. We use it to share our emotions or express our awe of the majestic. It is a way to highlight the spiritual aspects of daily life and make sense of the incomprehensible. I feel I am part of this tradition, and my paintings represent the unseen magic that flows just below the surface. I try to represent stories and feelings equally. My paintings are meant to be a snapshot of an expression, a gesture, a mystical moment.
These are my modern take on the passing down of the tradition of storytelling. I hope to provide a modern feel to the mythical, not a retelling of myths of old. I hope to give viewers an opportunity to delve into the beauty that is both seen and unseen all around us and allow themselves to see that which gets overlooked because it hasn’t yet been formed into a story. I want to create an experience where imagination and reality meet, and the viewer fills in the gaps with their own life story and creates from the subject in the paintings a personal and unique myth of their own.
About Seth Haverkamp //
Seth Haverkamp is an American artist who was born in Syracuse, NY in 1980. He received his BA in 2003 from Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Post college, Seth studied with internationally known artist Nelson Shanks at Studio Incamminati and renowned artist Robert Liberace. Haverkamp won the Portrait Society of America’s International Competition Draper Grand Prize in 2019 for ‘Mars Rising’, a painting of his son in front of a full-length mirror holding a string of origami birds. A portrait of his daughter Echo earned him Best in Show in the 2008 competition.
‘Spirit of Myth’ will be Haverkamp’s second solo exhibition at Bender Gallery. There will be dozens of works on display ranging from portraiture to still life to figures. A catalog will be produced in conjunction with the exhibition that focuses on a decade of paintings. Seth himself will be present for the opening reception to discuss his painting journey.
