WE'RE MOVING!

Gallery Imperato is currently in the process of relocating. We will be available by appointment only during this transition. Please call us at 443.257.4166 to make arrangements to view artwork.

We look forward to disclosing our new location and the date for a grand re-opening celebration!

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New Exhibit featuring Dana Reifler Amato

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Human Subjects

The City of Greenbelt, Department of Recreation Presents

Human Subjects
Paintings by Sasha Blanton


through October 30, 2009 @ Greenbelt Community Center Art Gallery

15 Cresent Rd. Greenbelt, MD 20770

From Follow @ Die Botschaft 1628

From Follow
Polaroid collages by Matthew Kern
through November 21, 2009

presented at Die Botschaft 1628
courtesy of Gallery Imperato

















Die Botschaft 1628 is a new venue for art and culture in Baltimore's historic Bolton Hill neighborhood. "Botschaft" means "message" and "embassy" (in German), which describes both the architectural space and the cultural mission of this private gallery.

Die Botschaft 1628
1628 Bolton Street
Baltimore, MD 21230
by appointment only

To schedule an appointment, please contact Gallery Imperato at 443.257.4166.

SMOKE RINGS: New works by Rob Tarbell

Gallery Imperato is pleased to announce

Smoke Rings, a solo exhibition of new work by Rob Tarbell from his series, Smokes. Comprised of smoke-marked works on paper that depict performing animals, the work intends to balance accident with control and give permanence to the ephemeral. The parallel between the artist’s subjects and unconventional process makes for a thought-provoking exhibition. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to animal rescue organizations.

The idea for Smokes stemmed from a self-help technique in which sentimental objects are burned to remove their emotional burden. Tarbell took the technique a step further by mounting paper to the ceiling in a Michelangelo-like fashion in order to capture the resulting smoke. Credit cards, photos and slides of his artwork are frequently sacrificed. In the process of being destroyed, the burning objects emit smoke upwards onto the paper thus capturing and containing the memory of what was. The finished pieces depict almost ghost-like images of galloping horses, dancing bears and trickster elephants.

Modifying the behavior of the animals for use in entertainment requires knowledge of their specific natures and how they would respond to different stimuli. The same is true for the use of smoke as an instrument for creating art. The properties must be known and used appropriately or the desired result will not ensue. Attempting to control and direct smoke onto paper is much like taming a wild animal. It is unpredictable and unnatural, yet the result is often breathtaking. The images are kinetic, powerful, haunting and beautiful. They seem to have a life of their own, a spirit, a memory.

Smoke Rings will run from September 18 - October 31, 2009.
Please join us for an opening reception on Friday, September 18th from 7-10pm.

Wrapping Up The Summer In Style

Gallery Imperato's current exhibit, In a Material World... is a hit! The show is receiving great press coverage including a review in The Baltimore Sun, an in-depth interview of artist Melissa Webb by Cara Ober, and a soon to be out review by City Paper's Bret McCabe. People have come out to see the elaborate wears in record numbers and the opening reception (complete with gnomes, women on stilts and ballerinas) was a blast. The last day of the exhibit is September 12.

In A Material World...

Gallery Imperato is pleased to present In a Material World.... Elaborate costumes by fiber artist Melissa Webb will be on display from August 14 through September 12, 2009. A selection of related photographs by Uli Loskot, Lisa Dietrich, and aminibigcircus will accompany the wears. Guests can expect to be served by garden gnomes and mingle among hi-society stilt walkers at an opening reception to be held on August 14 from 7-10pm.

For four weeks Gallery Imperato will be transformed into a mystical dreamland, a haunted forest, a magical storybook, a warehouse of the imagination. The Topiary Woman, Death Dance Bird, Swamp Nymph, Ghost Bride and other key players from former films, living installation works, and lively performances will come to a stand still. Familiar favorites will be joined by newly emerging characters in an environment that allows for an up-close examination. For the first time viewers are invited to explore the saturated colors, complex textures, and history behind a number of Webb's tactile creations in an intimate group setting.