If you missed the opening exhibition by Musonium Gallery celebrating their move to Palm Springs, CA, there are still plenty of visual delights on the horizon to feed an eager mind craving art with a twist. Following a sensational inaugural group exhibition and darkly sensual solo by avant-garde surrealist Catharses, Musonium Gallery prepares to unveil two exceptional new solo shows. This Friday, October 4, will mark the opening reception for world-renowned Bob Doucette and his new exhibition HOMAGE, plus pop-surrealist Ginger’s show NO SIGNAL.
Bob Doucette: HOMAGE
In his expansive solo exhibition, Bob Doucette invites you to take a trip through time – but prepare for something a little different, as some of the art world’s finest paintings have been hand plucked and transmuted into something new. With artistic alchemy, Doucette has fused well-known classics with his whimsical humour and purified them through his pop-surrealist lens, creating quite the collection unveiling in HOMAGE.
It is no easy task to reinterpret the masters while maintaining their original calibre. Not only does HOMAGE celebrate Doucette’s ability to merge with numerous artistic styles, but his collection of acrylic paintings shows his understanding of the nuances and intentions of the original muses. By respecting and maintaining the essence of the originals, Bob Doucette has successfully created a new signature series which promises delectable delights across the walls of Musonium Gallery.
Musonium Gallery asked me if I’d like to create a classical art-inspired body of work that makes the viewer feel as though they’re wandering through a museum. Art is my life, so of course I loved the idea!
I started by collecting THOUSANDS of references, and then began creating Photoshop composites. I started painting the important ones I couldn’t live without, and I realized that I was telling a story, a self-portrait that had a natural ending. I did my best to learn everything that I could from these classics – colour, lighting, composition, etc. – challenging myself to paint some works of art that were way out of my comfort zone, so that the whole exercise would really be worthwhile.
Bob Doucette
24″x36″ Acrylic on Canvas
24″x18″ Acrylic on Canvas
About Bob Doucette //
Bob Doucette’s whimsical and highly saturated paintings come from the world of dreams. Sometimes bordering on surreal, his imagery is a product of a decade of theatre work, puppetry and twenty-five years in the world of animation. Bob earned his BFA at Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA at CalARTS, studying both illustration and animation. As an animation director he was responsible for many well-known animated children’s programs for PBS including, Chloe’s Closet, Dive Olly Dive and Clifford’s Puppy Days. He started in animation at Warner Bros. and was involved with many classics like Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs.
20″x16″ Acrylic on Canvas
20″x16″ Acrylic on Canvas
From press release //
Bob Doucette’s acrylic paintings in HOMAGE unite celebrated masterpieces as seen in museum collections around the world with the artist’s uniquely identifiable style, merging visually recognizable yet meticulously reimagined images with whimsical flare. The artworks Doucette chose to reinterpret in HOMAGE were created with respect to the essence of the original historically significant masterpieces, but with new artistic interpretations interpolated at the hand of a contemporary vision. The importance of studying and appreciating the history of art remains undoubtedly relevant today as these notable contributions have direct influence on the cultures that produced them.
This exhibition is a visual timeline illustrating the evolution of art throughout the ages, whilst observing how the history of art unveils knowledge behind who we are as people and the many ways in which we view the world around us. Doucette’s new body of work invites viewers to join a fantastical journey through time, where pop-surrealism penetrates many of history’s most profound artworks, creating contemporary yet familiar representations that challenge how we interpret the narratives behind the original masterpieces.
23″x28″ Oil on Panel
Ginger: NO SIGNAL
Symbolism has long been held in admiration for its mysticism and ability to convey a thousand stories within a single piece of art. Drawing from the human inner world, artists such as Ginger use symbolism and pop-surrealism to reflect on reality in spellbindingly un-real ways. These imaginative visual languages work as gateways to free themselves from the rigid constraints of traditional (and often institutional) artistic methods to convey meaning. Conversely, we as the viewer have our minds opened. It is a chance to see the world anew and contemplate our own behaviours, experiences, and relationships.
Ginger’s solo exhibition NO SIGNAL promises to take you down the rabbit hole and beyond, offering a complex journey through which to re-evaluate the world we live in. We are faced with familiar objects and creatures, but very little else is as we expect. While some paintings allude to recogniseable metaphors, there is never just one right answer: “My intention is for the viewer to be able to see or interpret what I want to tell in each work.” Ginger explains. “It is a way for the observer to make that story their own, personal, to feel reflected in what they are seeing.”
Through Ginger’s recurring motif of the astrological symbol for Pluto in various pieces included in NO SIGNAL, the artist affirms that every end brings a new beginning, offering a chance to grow, renew, and experience rebirth. Signifying that death and destruction are as integral too life, as new horizons are inescapable regardless of the outcome.
Each of her paintings bring something new, feeding the viewer with an appetising array of richly coloured situations which stimulate the imagination, infinitely.
23″x19″ Oil on Panel
About Ginger //
Ginger is a self-taught Spanish artist in love with the singular and mysterious. Her work explores feelings and emotions represented mainly by female figures without facial identification, amulets, symbolic references and nonhuman animals that cohabit in an imaginary and enigmatic world more typical of dreams than the reality we know. These characters recreate situations, fears, desires and hopes that can only be deciphered by an imaginative vision capable of capturing the message hidden beneath the surface, all wrapped in a universe of magic and secrecy that allows her feelings to surface timidly without exposing them in its whole.
27″x19″ Oil on Panel
27″x19″ Oil on Panel
From press release //
The works of Ginger’s NO SIGNAL offer a poignant and introspective perspective of the 2020s thus far, contemplating isolation, uncertainty, and a collective sense of loss.
When mankind collectively encounters global challenges, we are reminded of our shared responsibility as citizens of this world. No matter where we come from, together we are capable of overcoming even the toughest adversities in pursuit of a brighter future for everyone. It is through times like these our resilience is tested and the human spirit’s ability to find beauty, meaning, and hope even in the darkest moments becomes a beacon, representing the intricacies of the human experience.
The profound impact global issues are capable of being felt in all corners of the world force us to pause and confront our vulnerabilities. Each of Ginger’s paintings captures the essence of our times, reflecting the myriad of emotions experienced through shared ordeals that ripple throughout society, reshaping it into a mirror of our past and a vision of our future.
20″x19″ Oil on Panel
HOMAGE + NO SIGNAL
Solo Exhibitions by Bob Doucette & Ginger
Opening Reception: Friday, October 4, 2024 | 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Exhibition Dates: October 4 – November 2, 2024
Musonium Gallery
1090 N Palm Canyon Dr, Suite i
Palm Springs, CA 92262
(813) 613-6611
For Sales & Press Inquiries, please contact [email protected]
About Musonium Gallery //
Nestled in the vibrant Uptown Arts and Design District of Palm Springs, California, Musonium Gallery stands as a beacon of artistic innovation and cultural enrichment. Established in 2024, the gallery is committed to showcasing some of the world’s best contemporary talents, with a focus on a dynamic and carefully curated exhibition program. Musonium Gallery is perfectly positioned in the iconic Coachella Valley, offering a unique blend of natural beauty, architecture, and cultural richness, providing an inspiring backdrop for artistic expression. Each exhibition is carefully crafted to offer a transformative experience that resonates with the themes and narratives behind the artworks.
Musonium Gallery is dedicated to providing a platform and space for cutting-edge contemporary artists to engage with and thrive in the constantly evolving art world.
