Southside Contemporary
Art Gallery
SCAG is an Art Gallery Agency
Nestled in the vibrant heart of the city, our gallery is a beacon for art enthusiasts and collectors alike, offering a sanctuary where the pulsating energies of contemporary art blend seamlessly with timeless classics. With a meticulously curated collection that spans various mediums and movements, our space is more than just a gallery; it's a dynamic platform where emerging talents and established artists converge, creating a dialogue that transcends cultural and temporal boundaries.
Represented
Artists
Rain Spann
Huey Lightbody
Rain Spann
Mission Statement
My practice is rooted in the process of experimenting with the abstraction of geometric and organic forms, most of which incorporate layering and mixed media, centered around the idea I call "Geometric-Organicism." This idea reflects the relationship that humans have with nature and technology while also highlighting our interconnectedness with each other and the world around us. I find joy in exploring themes such as growth, duality, and perception since it gives me a chance to reflect on personal experiences and perspectives. My aim is to encourage viewers to reflect on their own relationship with the world, themselves, and others. I also hope to encourage others to appreciate the beauty of the many forms around us. Lately, I have been experimenting with more collage techniques to create multi-medium works that are focused on the metaphorical/literal layers of the human figure.
Bio
Rain Spann is an exhibiting fine artist based in Virginia. Spann has devoted extensive time and dedication to his study, utilizing his resources, observation, and environment to further understanding of his surroundings and their foundation. With influences of his digital background and the natural order of nature, Spann implements a blueprint to his own visual language, "Geometric Organicism.” Geometric organicism embodies the fantasy of surrealism, forms of futurism and dynamism, and the intensity of neo-expressionism. With this language, the artist practices self-expression and self-exploration through figurative expression. He strives for balance in his work, often layering shapes and colors to create vibrant and hidden figures. Recently, he has journeyed into collage to further deepen the layers of his work. A signature element of Spann’s pieces are the petal-shaped floral projections found by the figures of the skull, indicating a passage of time and hopefulness for the future. Spann is also a graphic designer, engineer, and director.
Meet our awesome team
Aleyah Grimes
Co-Owner, Gallery Manager
Ra-Twoine "Rosetta" Fields
Co-Owner, Lead Curator
Past Exhibitions
Black Card Abstracted (January 19th 2024 - March 2nd 2024)
Black Card AbstractedBlackness as a culture remains an integrative, multifaceted, and constantly evolving framework. The cultural structure positions itself between history, current context, and future directions. It echoes the voices and truths of those consciously and unconsciously involved within these cultural bounds. Through this exhibit, we engage this subject through the works of select artists synchronizing active discussions regarding various themes with an overarching focus on navigating the intersections, dynamics, and complexity of Black culture and identity.The exhibit immerses in the deconstruction of projected biases and schemas of Blackness through authentic exploration, reflection, introspection, critique, congruence, and acceptance. We maintain specific direction and narrative within the arts. Across various media, artists explore their connections and perspectives of themselves and others centered within their understanding of Blackness. Together, we will explore unbounded conceptualizations of who we are: individually, collectively, and universally.Featuring works by:DATHAN KANE RAIN SPANN
HUEY LIGHTBODY SERRON GREEN
INDIA SOLOMON TOMMY THE ANIMATOR
KELLY U JOHNSONCurator
Ra-Twoine “Rosetta” FieldsCuratorial Assistant
Aleyah Grimes(Continued below)[Gallery Front Glass Windows (centered: right facing gallery)]“BLACK CARD ABSTRACTED”Group Art ExhibitJanuary 19 - March 4
Keep It 1000 (May 26th 2023- June 24th 2023)
“Keep it 1000”
Group Art ExhibitAs Southside Contemporary Art Gallery continues to fully open its
doors and develop its creative presence in Richmond, VA, we have
curated a group exhibit of emerging artists with a primary focus on
engaging new and experienced collectors.
“Keep it 1000” houses works by 11 artists immersed within several
diverse practices and media. All works are priced at $1000 or less,
creating accessible entry points into fine art. We will offer programming
focused on fine art collection, pricing artwork, establishing trusted
relationships with galleries, and more. We are also driven to continue to
create ways to not only provide entry points into fine art and access to
emerging artists, but also create relationships with community members
focused on education and empowerment. Empowering the community
through education is vital for the arts and we aim to continue to become
a fundamental component within the wider creative ecosystem.ARTISTS:Angelique Scott
Nyasha Chigama
Christopher Smith
Philip A. Robinson Jr.
Dathan Kane
Rain Spann
Hope Morgan
Spencer Charles
Jack Fox
XploreFreedom
Kellyu Joh
Dathan Kane: PORTALS (September 15th 2023 - October 27th 2023)
PORTALS explores the intricate and intentional intersection between studio and public art. Through intimate studio practice and community engagement, Kane constructs distinct but integrated worlds available for all to engage, Through mural work, he established a cohesive body of work, representative of his murals and collectable painting, that collaboratively tether to one another. Kane’s technical use of dichromatic, repetitive, and geometric abstraction serve as puzzle pieces connecting the overall composition of the world he organically shapes. He journeys towards mastery through reductive consistency: technique, color, and form. These natural forms and binary contrasting colors become points of nostalgia and familiarity, allowing all to openly engage, consume, and respond to the works. Recurring elements within the mural and canvas work instantly connect the viewer to something that is recognizable to themselves. Kane creates moments of universality experienced individually and collectively by diverse viewers.
NCECA: The Message Is Medium (March 15 - April 19, 2024)
Aleyah Grimes
In Our Element
November 10th 2023 - December 15th 2023
“In Our Element” explores the wide range of human emotion and how these expressions are reflected in our surroundings. Exploring themes of mysticism and surrealism, each piece reflects on the evolution, and at times unpredictability, of nature, animals, and the universe, and the effect this has on our connection to ourselves and others. It is the artist’s intention with this exhibition to emphasize the beauty of contradictions, and in turn, create a body of work that highlights our similarities to nature. Where there is aggression, there is softness. Where there is danger, there is passion. And where there is vulnerability, there is potential. In Our Element invites the viewer to reflect on their own emotions and power and find deeper meaning and connection as they immerse themselves in the world around us.
Curator: Aleyah Grimes
Curatorial assistant: Ra-Twoine “Rosetta” Fields
FELICITIES
Franchell Mack Brown1 a: the quality or state of being happy especially: great happiness.
b: an instance of happiness
2: something that causes happiness
~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary
My childhood came with many challenges. The moments I would recount when thinking or talking about those years were struggles. Reconnecting with my childhood best friend, I realized there were many joyful moments in repression before that time. Linking up with my bestie from the block has been a gentle reminder that I am in control of my happiness. At any moment, I can choose to shift my perspective for any time and situation that has taken place in my life. I actively choose joy as a state of being. This is why I create. In my multi-media practice, I navigate toward meditative processes. My creative execution is a haven for peace and healing. Building with my hands feeds my tactile nature. I have an affinity for textiles and their transformative properties. Using everyday materials such as ribbon, rope, metal, and glass echoes my view on life. Balancing soft and hard speaks to the ebb and flow of living. My work narrates my life. I choose to align with joyful experiences, the felicities. This is what this work is about.
For most of my life, I have taken actions to heal hurts and repair the effects of trauma from earlier years. These past few years of re-bonding, conversations, and introspection have been cathartic. I am grateful for all my life experiences. They have molded me into who I am. I appreciate the lessons and the light. I intend to continue to grow in raising my vibration as I create and share my work. My practice encourages peace and healing, which can manifest through the use of color and movement. These immersive experiences share therapeutic qualities, inspiring joy and increasing happiness and healing.
For those who recognize that they need it, may you find some level of healing when viewing the labor of my journey. May you choose happiness.
“Thoughts become things… focus on the good stuff.”
With appreciation and gratitude.FELICITIES is the prerequisite to the POWERSHIELDS and the upcoming series and exhibit trilogy.
Curator:
Ra-Twoine Fields
Dissonant Harmony
Rama AlFarkh: Dissonant Harmony (August 23, 2024 - September 27, 2024)Our inner landscapes are like twisted curves, simple and complex, complete or on their way
to become complete; meeting, repelling and interacting in the centre making a dissonance
Harmony to complete the picture so the concept of duality appears in a body struggling in
endless energy To reach another war of decisions that their consequences shape our life.
The essence of duality of feelings can be recognized by Recognition that feelings can’t be a
division between happiness and sadness, trust and fear, faith and doubt. I don't think that a
feeling can be pure, it is always tainted by other feelings behind it to deny the concept of the
absolute that we imagine before experiencing it.
Can you imagine how opposites meet, how they coexist and reinforce each other? The
questions are multiple and the simple answer is: We are humans.Dissonant Harmony is an exhibition of Dynamic paintings with a flow of energy that invoke
questioning and attention in viewers about understanding their emotions, and accepting
themselves. By embracing our complexities, we can grow, develop, and navigate our
feelings. As a journey of self-discovery and emotional exploration.
Huey Lightbody: They Call Me Pain (June 28th, 2024 - August 9th, 2024)“He who learns must suffer.” - AeschylusEnter into a dialogue involving and engaging the formalities of my work. Here, I delve into the process of personal survival mechanisms and why they exist. From the deep seeded facticity of my being, I reflect on imposed ideologies from conception. In truth, any era of my work and presentation unto those external is an in-depth dive. The immersion is one of openness creating uncomfortable spaces that release me and you. This exhibition sparks a vulnerable exchange between self, observer, and those in relative space, nurturing an atmosphere where uncomfortable realities find liberation. Encapsulating the gritty realities of my life, this showcase unveils unfiltered truths and navigates through a raw, visceral visualization. “They Call Ma Pain” delves into addiction and obsessive compulsion, capturing the entire spectrum of my sourced passions, now offered here for you to exhume in intimate space.Curated by Ra-Twoine Fields
Rain Spann: Growing Spirit (July 7th 2023 - August 26th 2023)
Growing Spirit
by Rain Spann
Growing Spirit evolves directly from Rain Spann’s previous solo exhibition: Spirit on Fire. Continuing to engage in an intimate introspective process involving the spirit, it builds upon an intent to depict the experience of overcoming challenges and embracing sudden change. Growing Spirit shifts to a visual exchange and embodiment of expanded consciousness. Throughout his process, Spann encountered realizations that overcoming is only the catalyst for transformative force. It inspires us to further our spiritual evolution and growth.This exhibit and body of work not only serves as a reflection of the artist's personal journey, but also intends to inspire others to embrace every version of themselves. Spann proliferates this idea by conveying key thoughts and experiences through repeated elements, symbolism, and figurative abstraction. Growing Spirit is not only a statement to the artist’s own growth, but also a representation of the transformative moments & feelings universally experienced.Curator: RaTwoine “Rosetta” Fields
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