Artists See The ​“Light” At Kehler Liddell

Erich Davis’s Illumination floats in the air at Kehler Liddell Gallery on Whalley Ave. as if it were suspended in water, creating an atmosphere somewhere between cloud and kelp forest. It has a way of pulling in the works around it, making them feel a little more weightless as well, even more than they already are. This is entirely in keeping with the theme of the show — ​“Light” — running now at Kehler Liddell Gallery through Mar. 12, with an opening reception this Sunday, Feb. 12 at 2 p.m.

The juried show is the result of a call Kehler Liddell put out to area artists. ​“In the dark of winter, we seek light — a flame to warm us, a torch to carry,” the call read. ​“This year, the artists at Kehler Liddell Gallery ask you to join us in offering illumination. We look to you for a ray of sunshine, a path of enlightenment, a spark. Set us ablaze with candles and lanterns, provide a flash of brilliance to absorb and reflect on, elucidate something by making visible that which is obscure. Bring a little levity to lighten the mood and our hearts. Winter maybe be dim, and we all cast shadow, these things we know. But please — in any media or mode you shine in — give us something to help light our way.” 

In all, 75 artists answered the call, with paintings, photographs, and sculptures. The result is a lively, playful, and hopeful show that also feels like a celebration of the greater New Haven arts scene and the mood it can create when it comes together for the purposes of making people feel good.

Davis’s piece, as a statement in the accompanying catalog reveals, ​“utilizes cast light to fill the translucent body of the sculpture, making it appear to glow from within.” It moves easily in a breeze, spinning slowly, ​“as if to be observing its surroundings.” The intention, for Davis, is to suggest that ​“as we continue to evolve and adjust to our influences, it is our inner light that we must ultimately follow and allow to shine to realize our potential.”

Kathy Stark’s warm, kinetic canvas, The Place Where Hope and Joy Meet, achieves a similar effect in two dimensions. It seems lit from within, and the dots that comprise it seem to shimmer a little. The overall impression is somehow both cheery and soothing.

Kate Henderson’s light boxes go literal with joyous results, as the viewer first pulls a dark cloth over their heads and then flips a switch to see the show. Henderson informs us in an accompanying note that the pieces were created just before the pandemic, and were intended as ​“an interactive, tactile experience.… The boxes are infinity mirrors with lights, images, and objects, each with a different experience of the sensation of ​‘light.’ Lift the cover and enjoy!”

Sean Gallagher takes ​“light” in a different direction, but aims just as explicitly to entertain. His painting, as overtly political as it feels, is much more in the realm of absurdity than anywhere else. In wearing its sense of humor on its sleeve, it’s a cheeky reminder that even the most serious political movements can be, on some level, fun, and perhaps need to be if they’re to survive the long haul.

Several pieces in the show, meanwhile, simply encourage the viewer to look at everyday things again, to see the world with fresh eyes. Basia Tov’s mixing of pigments and textures is particularly effective in capturing the texture of tree branches and the incandescent light behind it.

By treating the subject the way other painters have done with human portraits — trying to capture both a plethora of details and something of the person’s essential character — Pj Mills imbues a pair of scissors with a quiet dignity.

And, connecting with Erich Davis’s floating sculpture, Kelly Clark asks us to look at the way light plays across the surfaces of submerged faces. ​“The subject of my work continues to be my passion for being in water,” she writes. ​“I am happiest in the sea or a pool. When I was younger, like many kids, I loved to explore the sensation of being in water because it was so different than being on land. Jumping in, swimming, splashing, laughing — feeling free and wild. But even more, I loved being completely underwater. Everything was quiet down there. I felt a weightless grace — gliding, twirling, dancing, all in slow motion.”

Her painting ​“aims to evoke these feelings,” she continues. ​“It depicts a brief, breath-holding moment.” The girl in the painting ​“is fully aware, held only by water, with her hair swirling and moving about — and the light dancing on her face.”

The reveling in such pleasures may seem simple, but in the context of the mission of the show, it’s key. Light can be found within, or in places of monumental natural beauty, as some of the pieces in the show depict. But it can also be found in the most mundane places — the glint of sun off the edge of a spoon, the curl of steam off a cup of coffee, a spark of reflected sun off a puddle — if your eyes are open enough to look.

“Light” runs through Mar. 12 at Kehler Liddell, 873 Whalley Ave. Visit the gallery’s website for hours and more information. Further information can be found in the show’s online catalog.