April 10th-June 6, 2021
The Compound Gallery is pleased to open its 2021 art season with Peopled, a two person show featuring works by Ben Belknap and Chris Donnelly. Belknap’s delicate ceramic sculptures depict detailed miniature worlds inhabited by mysterious people. Belknap’s worlds straddle the periphery of psychological fantasy and realism leaving the viewer to contemplate which actuality is on display. Chris Donnelly’s thoughtfully carved wood sculptures personify captivating faces, some familiar, yet each with a distinct personality. Many of Donnelly’s expressive pieces were inspired by his memories of people and places he once encountered in the waking or dream worlds. In a time when our public places are less frequently inhabited by crowds, these two artists bring together their visions of real and imaginary people that interact and congregate inside the gallery walls. Peopled features a glimpse into a peculiar humanity bound in ceramic and wood. The juxtaposition of scale and detail among these works, brings the viewer on a thought provoking journey through relationship, proportion, and reality.
