Bed-Stuy Art Gallery Shares Guy Denning’s ‘Purgatorio’

It was a transient experience walking into the misty open space on 368 Broadway in Tribeca with what could easily be mistaken for Japanese shrine or temple in the middle of moment of worship.

Candles lined small mantles below each frame, beholding wild images of rubbed-out faces in thick oil paint and silhouettes of burning buildings and forlorn soldiers.

Using oil and mixed media, the artist Guy Denning endeavored to highlight the irony of post-modernism and -- even as time passes -- the problems that never really leave us, that punish us and ultimately form our identity.

On Sept. 8, the Bed-Stuy based Brooklynite Art Gallery managed to court famous oil painter Denning from his home in Finistere, France, to showcase the second of his three-part series based off the poet Dante’s piece, ‘Purgatorio,’ the Italian word meaning purgatory.

The exhibit is just the latest of many stops for Denning, as he’s been touring around Europe mostly, but agreed to work with Brooklynite for the second time.

Although the showcase was planned and sorted out for Brooklynite, Denning preferred to have his work shown in Manhattan instead of Brooklyn for the exposure. In doing so, Brooklynite partnered with the Tribeca FB Gallery for a ‘pop-up location,’ which hosts other pop art-influenced paintings from Brazilian artists like Alma and Zehito.

The exhibit itself, with Denning in attendance, was a timely nod to 9/11 as a contextual reference in a lot of the works on display, featuring the burning World Trade Center and faces of despair, only days before the tragedy's 10th anniversary.

During the event, which stretches from September 8 - 25, Denning made an effort to amplify atmospheric elements to the shrine gallery by highlighting the cathartic aesthetic that Denning tried to convey in his paintings. Misty gas floated in the dim-lit rooms, with candles of different heights, transforming the space into a dream state or outer-world dimension.

To make the opening night even more bizarre, Denning added club DJ Liquid Todd who spun dance music to counter the muted ethereal ambiance.

The paintings themselves were coarse, rubbed out images of urban human beings expressing pain, passion and beauty with an overall dark undertone. However grim and troubled, Denning showcased a delicate talent in portraying an alternative view on how the pain of 9/11 was captured by the media.

He did this by portraying contorted bodies falling from the sky and profiles of lifeless faces, but done so with beautiful brush strokes and dark color mixing and adding on written messages.

Prices for Denning’s latest works range form $1,500 to $4,800 and can be found on Brooklynite’s home site.