Bodies, Islands

From sunny St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, artist Tomas Lanner runs the online Salt Gallery. Most recently he asked three local artists, Luca Gasperi, Mandy Thody, and Mike Walsh, along with two from California—Ron Kenedi and Christopher Jernberg—all with diverse backgrounds, to produce a body of figurative art that would capture “how contemporary up-and-comings handle a classic subject.” Their resulting work makes up the exhibit Figuring the Figure, on until May 3, 2009. For another exhibit, Lanner asked Phoenix-based artist Luis Gutierrez “to make a collection of paintings reflecting his imaginary visions of the Virgin Islands before setting foot here.” To Lanner, the collection Gutierrez painted in response, “Statement from the Outside,” was “striking and unafraid.” Gutierrez’s work is on display until May 13. The whole thing just makes me want to get on a plane.