In Sharp Shadowfold Under the Long Blue Dusk (Gallagher)
The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that concurrent exhibitions of digital prints and illustrations by Sean Gallagher (Charleston, SC) and mixed media works by Marc Chicoine (Raleigh, NC) and will be on display at Park Circle Gallery from September 2-26, 2026. The artists will host a free public reception at the gallery on Friday, September 4, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.
When Things Are Gone, They're Gone - Digital Illustrations by Sean Gallagher
Sean Gallagher is an artist whose early fascination with Edward Gorey’s morbid and whimsical style helped shape his appreciation for the macabre and the beauty within everyday moments. Influenced by his parents’ encouragement and their expansive collection of art books, Gallagher found inspiration in the works of renowned photographers like Diane Arbus and Saul Leiter. Their ability to capture the dignity of outsiders and the intrigue of in-between moments deeply impacted his creative approach, guiding him to explore the picturesque in the ordinary and the enigmatic. In addition, before pursuing a career as an artist, Sean Gallagher was a journalist and photographer. In both roles, he aimed to capture the most overlooked moments. While others might call these "slices of life," he considers them instances that precede events unfolding. In those brief snippets, Gallagher believes there are infinite outcomes. In his exhibit, When Things Are Gone, They're Gone, Gallagher aspires to present these malleable moments so that viewers may create their own interpretations from the fragments in time he portrays.
Gallagher’s artistic achievements have garnered significant recognition. His work has been featured in American Illustration 44 and 45, the Communication Arts Shortlist, and the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles. He was longlisted for the 2025 World Illustration Awards and named one of the top 10 undiscovered artists in the Lowcountry by Charleston Magazine’s Under the Radar series in 2023. His art continues to reach wider audiences through numerous publications and exhibitions. Learn more about the artist at https://www.skgcreative.com/.
Nereids (Chicoine)
After the Confetti Falls: Surrealism, Nostalgia, and Presence – Mixed Media Works by Marc Chicoine
Inspired by magical realism in literature, mythology, and memory recall, Marc Chicoine’s After the Confetti Falls: Surrealism, Nostalgia, and Presence invites viewers to step across the threshold of the waking world and into the labyrinth of the human psyche. Featuring a collection of works suspended 'above the real,' the show visually manifests a distinct 'dream logic' where the boundaries of time, objectivity, and identity merge. These concepts take form through a striking mix of human figures, fractured geometry, graphic linework, and hallucinatory psychological landscapes.
Marc Chicoine is a visual artist and dancer born in the Bay Area of California. He received his BA from Chicago-based Northwestern University in Cognitive Science and Communication. He then moved to NYC to further develop his creative ambitions. After designing in the education technology sector, Marc returned to school and earned an MFA from Pratt Institute. Marc's paintings and sculptures focus on bodily narrative, physical objects, and their relationship to craft metaphor. These orchestrated forces merge and occasionally clash with one another to express universal and personal truths. Marc has exhibited across the United States. Showings include the Pratt Institute, Rhode Island Watercolor Society, Art League RI,
Viridian Artists, D'art Gallery Denver, Ashton Gallery San Diego, and Attleboro Arts Museum, amongst others. In his free time, Marc enjoys sharing on the dance floor. He is a practitioner of House dance and Capoeira. Marc believes that his movement practice is integral to his visual work, creatively, rhythmically, and gesturally. Both systems of expression bridge technical prowess with improvisation. Learn more about the artist at https://foundwork.art/artists/
The Park Circle Gallery is located at 4820 Jenkins Avenue in North Charleston. Admission is free, and free street parking is available on Jenkins Avenue in front of the gallery, as well as on the adjacent streets and in parking lots close by. Gallery hours are 10:30 am-5:30 pm Wednesday-Friday, and Noon-4:00 pm on Saturday. For more information about PCG, call 843-637-3565 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.