After spending an evening at the Fi-Nite Gallery for the "Beyond Mod" exhibit, located at 1370 Plum St. in Corktown, one would think they had visited an art museum. The loft-style front entrance gives way to an interior complete with natural hardwood floors, high ceilings, brick walls and a minimalist furniture setup.
Jazz music greeted each patron, and both the first and second level of the gallery displayed art in just about every corner. For the opening reception on Friday evening, the Fi-Nite Gallery was full of eager contemporary art enthusiasts.
In conjunction with the 555 Gallery, the Fi-Nite featured several art pieces from many local artists and regional artists such as Cedric Tai, Ernest Carl Fackler, Hillary J. Fisher, Jack Johnson and Sara Adrian.
Out of the five artists featured, three were most impressive -- Cedric Tai, Ernest Carl Fackler and Sara Adrian. Each of them showcased different styles of artistry, which made these three artists stand out from one another.
Cedric Tai is an artist widely known for using acrylic plastic as his canvas. Tai utilizes an array of colors in his piece entitled "Every Time I Try to Understand I Draw a Line." Tai uses a variety of elements to make his artwork unique, including spray paint, latex paint, window markers, India ink and house paint.
Gallery patron Neil Wagner of Lansing spoke highly of Tai's artwork.
"I really like Cedric Tai's work because of the mixed media style and efficient use of colors," he said.
Another patron passed by and added, "His work is unique, colorful and inspiring. The sculptures and paintings are mixed together to form a design along the wall."
Local artist Ernest Carl Fackler also created a buzz among patrons on Friday evening. Fackler uses a variety of soft pastels as well as hard pastels in his work.
In the piece titled, "Ascending Smoke," Fackler constructed navy blue lines to form geometrical shapes such as triangles, squares and rectangles that from far away looked as though the painting was a maze of different shapes.
Fi-Nite Gallery curator Maya Caldwell explained, "I think Ernest is inspired by the cubist and the futurist movement; he employs studies of motion and colors." Also turning heads at the Fi-Nite Friday evening was Sara Adrian with her paintings titled "Bus Stop Waiting" and "Woman Looking into a Man."
"Bus Stop Waiting" tells a story from a visual perspective of a young woman who is stressed out, tired and angry. Adrian paints with so much detail that viewers can clearly observe the distinctive expression and lines in the young woman's face.
Adrian paints with definition and uses vibrant colors. Due to the continuous non-directional lines that silhouette the young girl in the background with colors such as red, gold and white, it is evident she centers her painting around the mood of her subject. The "Beyond Mod" art exhibit at the Fi-Nite Gallery must be experienced in person in order to appreciate the slew of diverse contemporary work adorning the gallery's walls.
The exhibit is free to the public and will be at the Fi-Nite Gallery through Thursday, Sept. 20.
