hpgrp gallery New York presents

 

Mythos

New Art by Sculptor Neil Tetkowski.

 

Opening Reception with the Artist:

 

Thursday, September 4, 6:00-8:00pm

 

Running until October 5, 2008

 

Mythos:

The pattern of basic values and attitudes of a people, characteristically transmitted through myths and the arts.

Neil Tetkowski:

 

Why Mythos?

 

I create my own Mythos through my art. It is the prism that defines my world.

 

What about the new work in this show?

 

The artworks in this show are like islands, isolated but connected to something greater. The forces of nature are evident as well: fire, earth, air and water. These are the forces that define the memory of the material. It’s no joke that my hands have worked the earth of every country of the world. So when I form a piece of clay, to me it’s the Earth, and I’m “re-forming the world.” The Earth is literally and metaphorically transformed. Although the art doesn’t say everything, I can think anything. It is a free moment when I create.

 

About the Artist:

 

Neil Tetkowski creates art that communicates beyond cultural barriers. It is with this global perspective that his art is embraced throughout the world. Tetkowski has led many public art performances with community participation. These events and installations reflect his conviction that art can be a vital community process accessible to a broad audience.

Tetkowski is the founder and director of the Common Ground World Project, an international non-governmental organization that uses the arts and education to focus attention on global environmental concerns. In 1997, Tetkowski presented this concept to several offices at the United Nations. Within a few months, the Common Ground World Project was officially endorsed by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

 

A tremendous effort was required to recruit, motivate and coordinate people around the world, to extract earth from their country and send it to New York. The project culminated during the spring of 2000 when Tetkowski built a sculpture on location at the United Nations using these unique earth materials and physically involved people from every country of the world.

 

The completed World Mandala Monument was exhibited at the United Nations in 2002. The Ford Foundation made a generous grant to support the final fabrication and installation of the World Mandala Monument in the main visitor's lobby at the UN in New York.