23 Sandy Gallery • Chris Haberman • Wonderland July 3 – August 1, 2009
23 Sandy is pleased to present Wonderland featuring paintings illustrating the classic Alice in Wonderland by Portland artist Chris Haberman. Wonderland will be on display July 3-August 1, 2009.
Chris Haberman’s work often inspires the viewer to ask, “How did he come up with that?” The same question is often asked of Lewis Carroll when reading the Alice in Wonderland. The marriage of this particular artist with this particular story makes all the sense in the world. Who better to take Lewis Carroll’s anthropomorphic characters and morph them, yet again, into characters that stay true to their origin, but take on the definitive Haberman persona?
The classic, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, was written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, in 1865. This tale, full of literary nonsense, tells the story of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into an imaginary world of peculiar creatures. Alice in Wonderland maintains an enduring popularity with adults and children, having never been out of print, and adapted many times over.
Haberman is known for his intense, vibrant paintings that contain elements of whimsy, satire, and social consciousness. At first glance, Haberman’s work has an erratic quality, but his process is actually quite intentional. Haberman’s paintings reflect a complex conglomeration of images and words, enhanced by a masterly use of color.
Chris Haberman is a published writer, painter, musician, and arts activist native to the Portland area. He has been exhibiting here for the last seven years. Haberman uses repurposed materials whenever possible, which is most of the time, often allowing the original material to be exposed and become part of the painting. He was awarded the Tom Doulis Fiction award, the Wilma Morrison award for excellence in journalism, and is a member of the Academy of American Poets. Haberman is currently mentoring at Caldera, an organization that provides arts and environmental programs to underserved Portland youth. He will also be a featured artist on OPB’s Oregon Art Beat this fall. This will be his second solo show at 23 Sandy Gallery.
