Scene4 Magazine | Qué Pasa

Gallery Bergelli announces exhibition of mixed media paintings by Bay Area artist Sanjay Vora. In his multi-layered paintings, Sanjay Vora explores the realm of love, memory and nostalgia. Vora first paints a representation scene, often based on photographs from his childhood. The scene will ultimately lie underneath layers of veiling. Through the practice of covering and retrieving representational, figurative scenes with layers of repetitive abstraction, he encounters his own sense of history and truth. Through the physicality of covering and retrieving the scenes, a type of psychic architecture and archeology is formed. The painted veiling separates the “then” and “now.” The result, in the end, is his personal celebration of the beautiful. Vora was inspired at an early age to be creative.

The Chinese artist He Hong Wei generously offered 5 paintings from his powerful and poignant series created at the time of the Asian SARS epidemic to raise emergency funds for the earthquake disaster in China. Peter Quintana's Gallery Oc-Eo Art has kindly hosted this initiative. We are very pleased to confirm that works were purchased for the eclectic Azam Collection in London. The SARS series was intended to be loaned to Oc-Eo Art for their forthcoming 'Hometown' exhibition opening July 1st, however the scale of this disaster and the suffering of those people affected prompted the artist into giving his work. He Hong Wei's paintings were an artistic and personal response to the SARS virus, yet these works also appropriately echo the distress felt in this current crisis following the earthquake. This series has won accolades in Beijing and his talent as a contemporary Chinese artist has been widely acknowledged. He Hong Wei paints passionately and with integrity producing striking and memorable works with bold painterly gestures. This has been a genuine effort to raise funds for the appeal and 100% of the sale will be donated to the cause. The plan is to contribute the money to a fund being raised by the Songzhuang Artists Association (of which He Hong Wei is a member) to build a much-needed new school in the affected area. Our sincere thanks go out to everyone who responded to this appeal and in particular the artist. To view the works recently acquired for the Azam Collection please visit www.azam.com