Harry Irene

“Harry Irene” is a group exhibition curated by gallery artist Joe Bradley, featuring the work of seven American artists making their debut in Brussels. The exhibition encompasses a variety of artistic mediums, including paintings, collages, ceramics, and sculptures. Interestingly, the exhibition’s name is inspired by a Captain Beefheart song, reflecting the crossover between music and art within the show.

Captain Beefheart, also known as Don Van Vliet, was both a musician and artist, similar to Ed Askew, Brian Belott, and Annie Pearlman, who are part of the exhibition. The connection between music and art is one of the thematic elements explored in “Harry Irene”.

Another common thread in the exhibition is the pure artistic expression. For instance, Hawkins Bolden, who was blind, created sculptures without adhering to artistic trends or considering an audience. Laura Craig McNellis, who has nonverbal autism, has been painting since childhood to express her observations. These artists hail from Memphis and Nashville.

Alice Mackler, at the age of 92, spent decades developing her art privately before gaining recognition in the late 1990s. The use of mixed-media techniques, unconventional materials, and found objects is another recurring theme. Mackler often constructs her sculptures using small clay pieces and incorporates images from fashion magazines. Cloud, Belott, and Bolden all incorporate found objects and accumulative techniques, while McNellis creates her art on newsprint paper.

Overall, “Harry Irene” is a vibrant and multidisciplinary exhibition that presents the work of outsider artists and art world mavericks who, as paraphrased by Mackler, simply create art on their own terms.