G Fine Art

This place is amazing. It has to be in the top five places to see fresh, new, interesting art in DC. I’ve never been disappointed by an installation or exhibition here, even if I haven’t always loved the art. Annie Gawlak knows what she’s doing and she herself is fantastic. Friendly, smart, interesting, easy to talk to and interested in your reaction to what’s currently on. If she is there, meet her. The art here is the best of the best.
Diana K. has already said everything I’d say about the atmosphere and look of the gallery itself, but I just want to reiterate that I think this is one of the must-​go-​to places for truly interesting art in DC. It’s probably the most sophisticated gallery I’ve been to in the District, the most sophisticated AND the least stuffy.

Really fabulous space in a wonderful building. The place just screams creativity while still managing to hint at its origins as a car dealership. The soaring windows, high ceilings, and wide open spaces invite the outside in, creating a space that feels light and airy; free and ready to be shaped by whatever art fills it.

This gallery is in a gorgeous, airy second-​floor space in an industrial-​feeling building that houses a few other galleries as well as Viridian restaurant. I’ve been to a couple of shows here and have always been impressed with the art shown. After perusing their website it’s obvious that they have a bunch of extremely talented artists. Graham Caldwell is a favorite artist of mine and any photos you see of his creative hand-​blown glass sculpture/​installation work do NOT do it justice.
The gallery offers exhibits beyond those featuring its own artists. Another show I saw was «Other than Art», a show curated by an outside curator and put on collaboratively with the Curator’s Office (really cool one room space in the same building) and Provisions Library in Dupont Circle. The idea was «the utopia in the everyday» and all the works of art were both visually engaging as well as useful and functional in real life (tents, shelving units, etc). Super interesting and really cool.
Best of all, Annie Gawlak, G Fine Art’s director, made a point to explain this show to me and help me understand it. Every time I have been there, she has greeted me warmly and offered to talk to me about the show. She is extremely nice and can make the gallery’s contemporary, and sometimes abstract, art less intimidating and more understandable, thus more enjoyable.

LIke art? Like wine? On a budget? This is your place.
The openings here are always a cool place to check out fresh new art (the art can be kind of hit or miss), hang out with your friends and catch a buzz for free. There are three galleries in one building so there is alot to see. There is also a gallery across the street and Irvine Contemporary is down the street. Sign up for the mailing list so you’ll know what’s coming up.

This gallery just opened a few years ago, but has already earned a rep for featuring young artists from around the globe. I had heard some buzz about the Iona Rozeal Brown exhibit, so I wanted to check it out.
The paintings looked like pages out of a Japanese graphic novel (OK​.so maybe it is a comic book). The mixed media that Brown used was different — all of the backings were wood panel but some paintings had gold leaf on them while others had patchwork.
The Juke exhibit in the back was something I had never seen before. There were about ten or so video monitors all lined up. When I got up close to one of the monitors, I watched someone lip syncing. But there was no music that I could hear. It was kind of fun trying to figure out what song they were singing at the time.

I liked the work on exhibit by Iona Rozeal Brown — especially the lines and surface texture — but someone I know said that it reminded her of another artist who has a piece at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (I think it’s titled «Night of 1,000 Condoms» but I don’t remember the artist’s name.) All art is derivative, of course (unless
the artist is a recluse) and I thought Brown’s stuff was technically gorgeous and fascinating in content. And I liked the gold leaf!
I didn’t spend much time with Jefferson Pinder’s «Juke» exhibit (note previous review’s reference to «packed like pickles») but will head over soon to spend a little time there.
Don’t be put off by my 4 out of 5 rating. I’m a hard sell.
Show’s up ’til Jan. 6, 2007 — Hours: Tue — Sat 11 AM — 6 PM

Saturday we went to the opening of this show at G Fine Art:
blending lines by iona rozeal brown
Juke by Jefferson Pinder
It was packed like pickles in a Vlasic jar, so we didn’t get to gaze upon the pieces as we would’ve liked; however, I really enjoyed Iona Rozeal Brown’s merging of Kabuki-​typewoodblock prints with African-​American culture.
Jefferson Pinder’s «Juke» is a group music/​video installations focusing on racism and identity.
I’m going to have to go back and see it when it’s not wall-​to-​wall in there.
The show runs November 18, 2006 — January 6, 2007
Here’s info on G Fine Art taken from their site. It’s a beautiful space in the theatre district, so pop in there when you get a chance:
G FINE ART
1515 14^th St NW Suite 200, Washington, DC 20 005
202−462−1601
Hours: Tue — Sat 11 AM — 6 PM
Founded in September 2001 to exhibit and promote international art from the 1960s to the present day, G Fine Art places a special emphasis on young artists-​those dedicated to exploring cutting-​edge cultural and artistic issues by pushing the boundaries of traditional media. Yet the gallery’s mission is not tied to any youth cult. Rather, G Fine Art seeks to create opportunities for younger artists to expand and explore new dimensions in their work, while enabling already established artists and those who came to prominence in previous decades to be celebrated for the depth and contemporary relevance of their art.
G Fine Art stands at the center of Washington, DC’s thriving art scene, which in recent years has come to complement the offerings of the city’s world-​class museums and private collections. Physically, the gallery is located in a landmark building in Washington’s theater, club and gallery district; its open space plan and technical resources offer the flexibility to accommodate any proposal that its artists might submit.
Professionally, however, G Fine Art is most accurately located within the international artworld of contemporary galleries and museums united by similar missions, conceptual approaches and cultural experiences. Through its activities and its artists, G Fine Art actively participates in and extends the thought-​provoking conversation about contemporary art and its influences that occurs at notable art fairs, in distinguished journals and at other public forums.