Do you remember those transitional times between adolescence and adulthood? Perhaps some of those memories are fond, others not. Whether your own evolution was memorable or not, the subject is ripe for artistic interpretation, which is exactly what Kate Gridley has done here.
On view now through July 16 at the Fort Collins Museum of Art in Colorado, “Passing Through: Portraits of Emerging Adults” is a fascinating artistic investigation into youth identity in the 21st century. Featuring paintings by Kate Gridley, the series of works “mark moments in which 17 emerging adults in and around Gridley’s hometown of Middlebury, Vermont, transition to realizing their selves and claim their voices. Oil portraits of adolescents are seldom painted in our culture, which relies more heavily on the immediacy of photography and video. The artist created this series of 17 portraits to honor the transition between adolescence and adulthood. Different religious and cultural beliefs, a range of identities and orientations, experience, failures and successes as well as family structures and health issues are represented across the group. In addition to the oil portraits, this exhibition will include sound portraits of the subjects talking about where they are in their lives as well as their hopes and fears for the future.”
To learn more, visit the Fort Collins Museum of Art.
This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.
