By Angela Romeo
To say that Simeon Den is unique would be akin to knowing how many grains of sand are on the beach. The Simeon Den Gallery/Fine and Temple Arts promises to live up to its namesake.
The Simeon Den Gallery/Fine and Temple Arts will have its grand opening on Saturday, September 17. Located at 68895 Perez Road, #I-27, Cathedral City, the gallery is the latest to join the Perez Road Art & Design District. “I am very involved in Cathedral City,” said Simeon. “When we moved to Cathedral City it was a goal of mine to contribute to our community and my forte was through the arts. It made sense for my gallery to be here.”
Simeon and Husband Peter Palladino are founders of the Agnes Pelton Society. “Agnes Pelton was midcentury painter. She came to Cathedral City Cove and created many of her most important works. I am helping to carry on the rich tradition of art in Cathedral City.”
“The gallery is non-traditional art space. It highlights the contemporary Fine and Temple Arts – art that references the Minimalist, Modernist, Transcendental, Zen and Palm Springs/Desert aesthetic. It will also be a place for self-reflection. In keeping with the Temple Arts the gallery will host classes in yoga, meditation, and tai chi. It is a place that will welcome many people to visit, for the art and participation in the various arts.” Transformation seems to be a central theme with Simeon and the gallery. Simeon is a master of transformation.
Simeon is artistic director of DiosGracias Butoh Theater, a style created by Tatsumi Hijikata. The Butoh is a dance of content. “It is best described as moving sculpture. This art form emerged from the post-WWII Japanese avant-garde art scene in response to the bombing of Hiroshima. Dancers dressed in white are painted white and the slow-moving, meditative style conceptually speaks to the non-linear passage of time,” explained Simeon. “This art form draws from the past but took its roots in the modern world. Butoh requires discipline from the performers and the audience. With no words, the audience must surrender to the movement.”
As part of the opening Simeon will include Butoh performance. “The opening will showcase several art movements. The performances will begin at 7:30 pm, at moonrise. There will be a live performance of Night, from sunset to midnight under the light of a full moon. Night is a performance of live contemporary dance, acoustic music, spoken word, hula, and Butoh Dance. There will also be an unveiling of Time, a 30 foot long wall installation on an exterior wall of the gallery.”
Simeon Den Gallery/Fine and Temple Arts will be producing solo exhibitions throughout the coming season. “I am selecting works that showcase the sublime Zen inspired to the edgier Queer Culture art,” continued Simeon.
The gallery currently has works by photographer Rob Lebow, visionary behind the work Gorgeous. Lebow has captured a subculture, not of a gay world or a straight world, but of the world at large. The work quickly blurs the lines between sex and sexuality. “Rob’s work also fits with what I term, the political and subversive “gay gaze” Art of Queer Culture. LGBTQ community has always been – it is not new. What may be new is the flexing of the political and economic power of the community. From that another art form has risen. The gallery gives a home for this art form. By doing so discussion and awareness give hope to acceptance of all people.”
Upcoming exhibitions include Bruce Kimerer’s Modernist interpretation of plein air paintings depicting Palm Springs settings; the quirky and moody photographs of everyday Los Angeles by Kym Ghee; the large scale whimsical paintings of former Zen acolyte Jon Hamblin; the virtual reality photo landscapes by Gary Borsgtedt; and the magical nouveau surreal paintings by New York painter, Siobhan McBride
Art is many things and takes many forms. It takes a master to meld these forms together. The Simeon Den Gallery/Fine and Temple Arts is that experience of art forms. It promises to be the focal point of tradition, avant-garde and the bravery of truth.
For more information visit www.simeondengallery.com.
