“Healing Beauty,” the solo exhibition of Mike Dargas premiering in mid-January, would explore the feminine fragility and aspects of identity through his portraiture paintings at Opera Gallery, Hong Kong.Featuring 15 new art works of the artist, who is holding his first solo exhibition in Asia, the exhibition captures the artist's explorations of the ephemeral feminine form. The portraits present an underlying interest in covering or coating the skin with liquid or other materials. The lifelike element can be seen with the pose of the sitters, often in movement with drips suspended in time. Mike Dargas got fascinated with honey as a basic material and it became a base element of the present series.“My paintings are trying to capture an emotional snapshot and are trying to evoke a certain feeling to the viewer,” says the artist. For Mike Dargas “faces are mirrors of the soul.” His art is very personal and he effectively uses portraits to reflect emotions and personal stories of his own artistic journey. His decision for painting a face is based more on a feeling rather than his relationship with the sitter. Dargas recalls that in his earlier series, he presented a male subject, as the emotions involved were dark and destructive depicting his inner conflicts and anger.The liquids in this series imitate the various masks we use in our everyday life to hide and protect ourselves. According to Mike Dargas, beauty for him has a healing effect, and in turn, it would become a harbinger of his future works.The exhibition is on view from January 19 to February 9, 2018 at Opera Gallery, W Place, 52 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong KongFor more details, visit: www.operagallery.com/Click on the slideshow for sneak peek at the exhibition
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