Slowly but surely galleries are having openings again. 

The Pandemic brought our lives practically to a standstill.  Stay home, get vaccinated, wear masks.  Two years later the art world took the bull by the horns and started presentations such as our Art Basel, Art Miami and Context, etc.  Galleries have also been ‘strapping in’ and once again inviting the public to view their newest works of art.

We attended an opening recently at the U of M Gallery in Wynwood to view the works of Charlisa Montrope.  Entitled Manmay Lakay, Charlisa shared her large scale, colorful, mixed media prints and artists’ books with invited guests.  Her statement reads, “Montrope seeks to create a hybrid visual language combining traditional and digital methodologies in contemporary printmaking, heavily layering color, and form through collage techniques.  A multitude of materials and processes is used to reflect the multiculturalism she experiences and ongoing relationship to the island of St. Lucia.  Conflating maps of the colorful, linear abstractions evoking a sense of place but also a sense of dislocation.  They create a tapestry of her past, her present, and possibly a map to her future.”

RG, (Architect) and me (a former student of Architecture in Paris, France), arrived at the gallery and were immediately greeted by the talented artist.  She gave us a short history about how she ‘arrived from there to here’ and was now enthusiastically sharing her newest creations.  RG and I looked carefully at her prints and were entranced.  We had to get really close to ‘investigate’ Charlisa’s creative techniques.  Her clever backgrounds are architectural terrain maps!   Her prints are layered, minutely worked over and the finished products are full of exciting discoveries. She has also created a ‘book’ that is 58’ long.  We thoroughly enjoyed viewing her latest works.

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