'Transformation of the Elements' Opening Reception

New York-based artist Anu Annam will be holding the opening reception for her solo exhibit "Transformation of the Elements" at Campari Restaurant in Northport Tuesday from 7-9 p.m.

Renowned for her rare ability to capture emotions and auras in her Watercolor Portraiture, Anu Annam's recent Watercolor Collages, releases her artwork from the boundaries of a squared-off area, opening it into the realm of sculpture.

She collages the picture upon itself, transforming an already completed piece into a new artwork that possess all the same attributes, a phenomenon that mirrors reactions in in chemistry. Anu Annam has always worked from the mind, but this work comes from a deeper, bodily place. This work represents rebirth: both rebirth of the piece itself, and rebirth of herself as an artist.

Through her technique of tearing, Anu has set her paintings free from the boundaries of the box. It is a visceral experience which allows her to change a completed painting--completed in the last 24 hours or years ago--and reappropriate a past image to express present feelings. Abstraction overcomes representation and tears interact with brushstrokes. The cardboard guitars of Picasso were an inspiration for this recent artwork.

In removing space and rearranging content Anu tells about her own experiences: Spaces in the head removed, brain injuries, emotional challenges, no mouth, an act of silencing. In this work she has moved beyond the head, into the gut.

This show will feature both Anu Annam's Watercolor Portraits and Watercolor Collages.

Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and wine specials will be offerred at the reception. The exhibit runs through June 24.