ArtsWest Will Reopen Gallery With Daniel Kytonen: In this present moment.

ArtsWest has announced the re-opening of their Art Gallery to the general public. From August 8th through November 14th ArtsWest presents the exhibition In this present moment. Selected from a series of "Spirit Gates", Daniel Kytonen's abstract paintings on transparent plastic sheets transform the spaces they inhabit and invite visitors to approach in-between spaces - between spirit and substance, like divine passageways.

Artist Statement: "The central question in my work is whether there is a substance to liminal spaces. What is our relationship to these places of mystery, and are these spaces unapproachable by their very nature? I am searching for places in our world, both naturally and artificially made; doorways, portals, and passages that are reminders of the possibility of the unseen. This in-between space is also connected to my experiences as a person with learning disabilities, wearing a trauma that no one can see and is often dismissed. In this interstitial space, I am wrestling with how we make meaning in our world and the limitations of didactic understanding, both expressed through forms of writing and imagery. At the same, I am also wrestling with the reality of those forms and their ability to lead communities to a common experience.

In this series I embody these questions through the materiality of abstract painting and floating forms that invite the viewer to experience a moment of mystery. I paint on transparent plastic because the paint becomes a substance in the landscape, rather than an illusion. Important to this process is also the discovery of locations in which I can photograph the work. In photographing the work, the spirit gates become enmeshed with the environment.

These gates have been a lifeline for me through the pandemic and a portal for me to remember the moments divine interwoven in the ordinary, moments that I am able to be fully present; subject to wind blowing, to the rain and snow falling. These gates have reminded me of my helplessness, forced me to wait in parks, return to prairies for the weather to take a breath, often leaving me hoping that I can ride my bike faster than the rain. They have danced playfully, reminding me that my frantic energy to create cannot build the convergence that is necessary to capture one of these moments. They are teaching me that the only thing that I have control over is the choice to be present. In that presence, there are reminders; an open door to find meaning in suffering, to soak in the inherent connectedness of all things; and in those moments or locations we are able to see the truth, if only for a second - like a ray of light bouncing off a labyrinth of mirrors."

Daniel Kytonen is a visual artist based in Seattle, Washington, with a BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Washington. His accomplishments include numerous exhibitions, including work shown at South Seattle College, ArtsWest, Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, Confluence Gallery, and Emerge Gallery. His solo exhibitions and public work include projects through Shunpike Storefronts, Spaceworks Tacoma, the Spokane Public Library, Spokane Arts Signal Box Projects, and Redmond Lights. In 2017, he was a recipient of the Spokane Arts Grant Award (SAGA). Additionally, Daniel has had work commissioned by Forza Coffee Company, showcased in publications like Ruminate Magazine, and was a recent artist-in-residence through Brehm Cascadia. Meet the artist at the Open House Reception on August 8th from noon to 3PM.

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