Gallery Z is Reinvented and Reinvigorated - Inside Art with Michael Rose

Gallery Z is Reinvented and Reinvigorated - Inside Art with Michael Rose

For two decades Gallery Z has been a fixture of the Rhode Island art scene. Recently relocated from Federal Hill to 100 Bellows Street in Warwick, the space continues to show and sell the work of a diverse collection of artists in a robust exhibition space. The gallery’s current exhibition, “Dalla Collezione II,” Artists From the Gallery Stable, features over 130 artworks in a range of media. Displayed salon-style throughout Gallery Z’s new home, which boasts more room than its old storefront on Atwells Avenue, this exhibition retains the same eclectic spirit that has drawn visitors in for years.

 

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In the artworks on view, Gallery Z’s specialization in works by important Armenian artists is particularly prominent. One length of wall in the main exhibition space is dedicated to works by multiple generations of the Elibekian family. Viewed together, they display not only a familial history, but also chart the artistic development of artists throughout the twentieth century. A separate alcove of the new gallery space is also dedicated to a regularly rotated display of pieces by artists of Armenian descent. While the gallery handles plenty of local notables, this element of Gallery Z’s program remains unparalleled in Rhode Island and beyond.

 

 

Founded in 2001 by photographer Bérge Ara Zobian, Gallery Z was long located next door to Scialo Brothers Bakery on Atwells Avenue in Providence. Departing Federal Hill in late 2020, Gallery Z decamped to an unassuming industrial space in Warwick where it reopened in the spring of 2021. The move has granted Zobian the opportunity to reinvent his business model. Now hosting quarterly, rather than monthly exhibitions, Gallery Z’s second exhibition in its new location boasts a rich variety of work from paintings and sculpture to assemblage and works of decorative art. It is wonderful to see a landmark business like Gallery Z settle into its new quarters so easily. The update is successful enough to make it feel as if the gallery has been in Warwick all along.

 

 

Other highlights from the current exhibition include evocative cityscapes by RISD trained painter Michael Sherman, figurative work by San Francisco artist Marty McCorkle, and assemblages by Rhode Islander and Gallery Z staff member Julian Penrose.

Works on view in the exhibition by Sherman capture views of Italian cityscapes with painterly finesse. Sherman is an alumnus of RISD’s European Honors program and his architectural imagery is the product of intense study paired down to the bare essentials. Now based in New York, Sherman maintains a Rhode Island connection through his representation with Gallery Z and his paintings evidence the international viewpoint of the gallery. McCorkle’s paintings utilize digitally-manipulated photographs as their foundations, making for distorted and unexpected views of the nude figure that is so popular throughout art history. The resulting work probes the nature of painting and expands on its possibilities. Where Sherman’s paintings are brushy and romantic, McCorkle’s are precise and technical.

Julian Penrose is a Rhode Island artist who also works with Gallery Z owner Bérge Ara Zobian to curate exhibitions in the space. Born in Brazil, Penrose grew up in Philadelphia and studied under Paul Darrow in Claremont, California. His assemblages bring together recycled and found objects to create three-dimensional collages and assemblages that build visual connections between disparate parts. In Penrose’s work, a weathered box often serves as the capsule for shiny objects. Looking closely, one can find a vintage Twinings Tea tin tucked in alongside unexpected curiosities like a four-legged starfish or a disembodied antler. Penrose’s work, represented by Gallery Z for some time, is a celebration of collection and composition.

 

 

In Dalla Collezione II Gallery Z shows off a facility for creating assemblage-like exhibitions that bring together a wonderful variety of work to entice new and seasoned art collectors. Gallery Z’s founder, Bérge Ara Zobian, is a prolific artist in his own right, having shot both fine art and commercial photographs over a long career. Zobian has been a positive and collegial influence within the state’s art community for years and this new venture adds an exciting chapter to his story.

In one corner of the gallery, Zobian keeps a library of gallery books that catalogue two decades of exhibitions. Behind this series of weathered bindings, one can find the details of twenty years of successful shows that have celebrated artists near and far. As the much-loved Gallery Z is reimagined in its newly outfitted space, the future looks bright for this Rhode Island institution.

 

Gallery Z is located in Unit 8 at 100 Bellows Street in Warwick. The gallery is open Thursdays and Saturdays from 12-5pm each day, with advance appointments recommended for visiting. Reach the gallery at 401-454-8844. Learn more about Gallery Z at www.galleryzprov.com.