“Fusion” a two person show with Jamey Grimes and Charles Clary at the Birmingham Library

In June, the Birmingham Public Library will host an exhibit unlike anything shown before at this venue. The sculptural work of Charles Clary and Jamey Grimes will intrigue, mystify, and challenge viewers. The artwork may resemble objects seen in nature, yet they are fictional fabrications born of the artists’ imagination. The exhibition titled “Fusion: Sculpture by Jamey Grimes and Charles Clary” is scheduled to open on Wednesday, June 26, 2013 in the Fourth Floor Exhibition Gallery of the Birmingham Public Library, downtown location. An opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, June 29 from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. in the Fourth Floor Board Room. The exhibition runs through August 2, 2013 and is on view during regular hours of operation.

Charles Clary states that “I use paper to create a world of fiction that challenges the viewer to suspend disbelief and venture into my fabricated reality. By layering paper I am able to build intriguing land formations that mimic viral colonies and concentric sound waves… Towers of paper and color jut into the viewer’s space inviting playful interactions between the viewer and this conceived world. These constructions question the notion of microbial outbreaks and their similarity to the visual representation of sound waves, transforming them into something more playful and inviting.”

Jamey Grimes describes his sculptures as “fragments of a conversation with Nature. The dialogue can be hostile, soothing, or both. Storms, trees, and the sea personify heightened emotion, wisdom, and awareness. Reflecting on my own vivid experiences with Nature, I realize that imagination plays a powerful role, transforming observations into unique, dream-like forms. This process guides experimentation with synthetic materials. As I find unlikely relationships between memories and materials, metaphors open and expand this dialogue.”

Clary is Associate Professor at Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro Tennessee where he teaches painting and design. He received his BFA in Painting from Middle Tennessee State University and an MFA in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. He has received numerous honors and awards including the New York Workspace Residency (2004) and Emerging Alumnus award (2010), both from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He has also been featured in publications including “Papercraft 2” (Gestalten and “PUSH Paper” published by Lark Books. He has exhibited nationally and internationally at such venues as the Diana Lowenstein Gallery in Miami, Florida and a recent solo show at Galerie EVOLUTION-Pierre Cardin in Paris, France.

Grimes teaches design and drawing at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He received his BFA in painting and BS in Biology with a Mathematics Minor from Birmingham-Southern College and MFA in Sculpture from the University of Alabama. He has shown at numerous galleries and museums around the country including the Alabama Artists Gallery at the Alabama State Council on the Arts in Montgomery, Alabama, Salt Space Gallery in New York City, and the Gutstein Gallery in Savannah, Georgia. Among his many honors are the 2012/13 Alabama State Council on the Arts Visual Arts Fellowship Recipient and the Director’s Award at the Annual Members’ Juried Exhibition at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts in Wilmington, Delaware.