Image artwork: Soon-Wai Wong and Mike Jones
ID: Text: “Fresh Eye Gallery Presents Lines & Landmarks, April 4th-May 12th/Reception April 19th, 6-8pm/Featuring works by Mike Jones, Isaiah Okongo and Soon-Wai Wong/4238 Nicollet Ave Mpls 55409” The text has a hand drawn aesthetic. Beneath the text is a black and white line drawing of a city scape. At the top of the graphic is a strip of a color pencil drawing of an unidentified subject.
Fresh Eye Gallery is excited to present Lines & Landmarks featuring work by Mike Jones, Isaiah Okongo, and Soon-Wai Wong. Each of these artists’ work focuses on depictions of physical structures and architectural landscapes.
The physical environments we create serve us as shelter, protection, repositories of culture and heritage and the organized flow of life. They can also be barriers: who can access the spaces we create?
Mike Jones is an illustrator and sculptor. He is inspired by his love of pop culture, particularly Avatar the Last Airbender and Yu-Gi-Oh! Mike’s illustrations are linked to favorite moments from his most beloved episodes. Mike is also fascinated by machines of all sizes and types. Blimps, motorcycles, and trains inspire his illustrations and found object sculptures. Mike is represented by Fresh Eye Arts.
Isaiah Okongo is a visually impaired sketch artist based in Central Minnesota. Most of his work consists of downtown scenes from around Minnesota in pen, ink, pencil and watercolor. His downtown series from 2020 explores places he’s familiar with but also captures details that cannot be seen without a magnifier or zoomed in photograph. He uses this process of drawing downtown scenes in more detail than he can see in real life as a way of understanding the world around him while also being relatable to the people who live and work on the areas he’s capturing.
Soon-Wai Wong is an illustrator and painter. His drawings use energetic linework and detailed observation to create intimate portraits of places and people. Soon-Wai is a world traveler and uses photos taken on his travels as references for his art. His attention to detail juxtaposes the frenetic strokes of ink that form intricate compositions, with human figures moving in and out of focus. Soon-Wai is represented by Fresh Eye Arts.
Exhibition dates: April 4th - May 12th, 2024
Reception: Friday, April 19, 6-8 PM
