Press Release: E. M. Corpus in SAA 10th Annual Open Studios Tour
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For Further Information, Please Contact:Edward M. Corpus emcorpus@emcanimator.com (831) 277-6673 http://emcanimator.com Exhibition: Horrendous and Beautiful Metaphors of Trauma and Transcendence
SEASIDE, CA – May 16, 2016 -- Edward M. Corpus will display a unique brand of outsider art at his home studio this coming Saturday, May 21st, one of ten local artists participating in the Seaside Artists Association 10th annual Open Studios tour. Three of his works are also on display at the Walter Lee Avery Gallery in Seaside City Hall.
Outsider Art is a category for works that defy categorization. Roger Cardinal coined the term as an English equivalent to the French Art Brut – “rough” or “raw art”. French artist Jean Dubuffet described it as art created outside the boundaries of official culture, such as by prison or psychiatric hospital inmates. “Often, outsider art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds,” according to Wikipedia’s definition.
Although Edward Corpus’ personal style contains a mixture of whimsy and psychological themes – sometimes very dark – he considers himself a humanist.“I believe many of today’s social ills stem from a system that implicitly sanctions violence and aggression, especially in its males. Sexism and division are hard-wired into this society. A profound spiritual and cultural revolution must occur, hand-in-hand with a socio-economic one, if there is to be significant change. Creative art – visual, musical, kinesthetic – can help bring about that revolution.“The dark side won’t go away by denying its existence. It needs to be acknowledged and faced. Simultaneous with embracing the dark though, you have to pose transformational alternatives – love, the reclaiming of lost creativity and relational connections among people.
“My art presents visual metaphors of both: childhood-rooted traumas, and their transcendence. As an artist I can serve as a champion for all men, women and children by way of my visual representation skills.”
The self-curated Seaside tour runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., a gamut of visual styles from traditional painting and drawing, mixed media and digital work, photography, metal and woodworking, for viewing and to purchase. Each studio will also issue free raffle drawings for selected artwork.
Maps to the studios of ten participating artists are available through SAA chairperson Sandra Gray (sandrag394@gmail.com) (831) 402-2274, at each tour stop and at Seaside City Hall. The Walter Lee Avery Gallery in City Hall will remain open Saturday as part of the tour. Open Ground Studios, Peace Resource Center and the Red Door Garden Galleries will also open their doors to the public as part of the tour.
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