Press Release
Helena Fox Fine Art today announced their May exhibit featuring long time gallery artist Julyan Davis of Asheville, North Carolina. Mr. Davis is a storyteller, be it through written fiction (The History of Saints, his first novel published in 2021) or through his narrative paintings. American Ghosts is the fourth of his narrative series.
American Ghosts joins the artist's lifetime of painting the vanishing American landscape with his storytelling skills as a novelist. He follows in the tradition of another British artist, William Hogarth, the 18th c. satirist who gave us ‘”The Rake's Progress.”
Davis's novel in paint begins with the Gold Rush. It follows three characters westward, and across our history: Betsy, the pioneer; Belle, the jilted civil war belle; and Nancy, the strongwoman from a dustbowl circus. Across the worn palimpsest of America's past, their paths will meet again and again.
Cautionary tales, such as Frank L. Baum's Wizard of Oz, can be found throughout history. Taking a cue from the theory that Oz was written as an allegory of the Populist movement and Gilded Age, American Ghosts is, in many ways, for today's young. The artist's son, aptly named Finn, is a character in the story.
The History of Saints, Davis's satire of his hometown Asheville, N.C. during the Great Recession of 2008, was a semi-finalist for the Thurber Prize for American humor. Like Hogarth, he has learned that the best way to address the realities of America's often challenging and always complex past, is to ‘sugar the medicine' with a light and playful touch.
The gallery says they look forward to sharing Julyan's epic new series as well as a story or two. The artist will be giving a talk about the new narrative at 7 pm.
Helena Fox Fine Art is located at 106-A Church Street. The gallery is open Monday by chance, Tuesday through Saturday 11 am to 5 pm. For appointments, email the gallery (gallery@helenafoxfineart.com) with name and phone number.
American Ghosts Schedule:
- Opening May 5, 2023 with artist reception from 5 pm to 8 pm
- Exhibit will be on view through May 27th
