Between the borders of the carefree teenager and the solid ground of an established 30-something lies the tentative seas of the mid-20s. Finding himself in this margin, Zach Pearl presents a new body of work - ARCHIPELAGO - a community of drawings that depicts the struggle of keeping one's head above such waters.

This collection comes on the heels of my taking a look at what's been happening on the Featured Forums - specifically the one titled What's With the Kids These Days?, which deals with younger artists and what they might be doing differently than what older artists like myself were doing at around their ages. The young artist named Zach (Zachary) Pearl has just opened a one-week only exhibition of his drawings at Susan Hensel Gallery.

Archipelago is a showcase of work in which Pearl deals expressively with his own life as a twenty-something artist, as a recent graduate of art school who is embarking upon his career. I urge you to seek it out - as it's reflective of the questions that have been arising in the Featured Forum discussions, specifically those generational questions which were posed at the outset.

Pearl's work is illustrative of something I've been thinking about twenty-somethings in general - and twenty-something artists in particular: it occurs to me that what you see above (or on) the surface of their public persona - as is the case with anyone - is likely not all there is to them, as individuals or as artists.

It's too easy for the older generations of artists - or in the arts community in general - to simply make note of that surface persona and not delve further into these young artists' individual lives and works.

Follow the links provided here for more information on the strong connection between Zach, his works, and in the "What's With the Kids These Days?" discussion in the mnartists.org community boards - it's a forum that continues to draw interest among the members of mnartists.org.
--James Michael Lawrence

Susan Hensel Gallery
3441 Cedar Avenue South / Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-722-2324
The exhibition runs from February 22 - February 28
Gallery hours are 10 to 5 Mondays - Other days please call for an appointment. Visit the website for more information: www.susanhenselgallery.com

Zach Pearl on mnartists.org

Zachary Pearl on mnartists.org

Zach Pearl on the Web
For more information about Zach - his resume, and to view more examples of his graphic design work.

Susan Hensel Gallery
For more information about Zach Pearl's current show and his association with the Susan Hensel Gallery.

Susan Hensel's Gallery Blog
For more information about Zach Pearl's current show and his association with the Susan Hensel Gallery - including photos of the installation of ARCHIPELAGO and from the opening brunch.

Unclassified