FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Houston Artist Jonathan Leach Paints Mural at 13 celsius Wine Bar
Houston, Texas - January 19, 2010 - In celebration of the holiday season and new year, 13 celsius commissioned Houston artist Jonathan Leach to create an artistic response on the bar's walls. The temporary mural, titled "Unwrapped," energizes the space with bright colors and zig-zag lines and is inspired by the cautionary and directional signs that simplify and control our travel through the city. The work will remain on view until February 15, 2010.
The commission continues 13 celsius' support of the local art community and up-and-coming artists. "Some businesses hang holiday decorations. We like to keep things simple, unique, and fun; we commission original works of art," said 13 celsius co-owner Ian Rosenberg. Last year, another Houston artist, Ariane Roesch, had an installation in the bar.
As with his canvases and plexiglas cubes, Leach's mural reflects the complex rhythms, patterns, and visual anomalies found in urban environments and surrounding sprawl. Leach's work boldly dances on the line between depiction and abstraction dipping and twirling architectural elements such as telephone poles, office buildings, and billboards into stripes, swathes of color, and bisecting lines. The energetic friction of new development and the memory of structures passed are harnessed to dizzying and exuberant effects.
Jonathan Leach lives and works in Houston, TX. He was born in Lexington, KY in 1977. He earned his BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and has since been exhibiting his work throughout the United States including solo exhibitions at Gallery Sonja Roesch and the Galveston Arts Center.
CLOSING RECEPTION: Saturday, February 6, 2010, 6-8pm
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Ian Rosenberg, ian@13celsius, 713.529.8466 or Gallery Sonja Roesch, artinfo@gallerysonjaroesch.com, www.gallerysonjaroesch.com
DOWNLOAD A HIGH-RES IMAGE OF UNWRAPPED HERE:
http://www.zulucreative.com/13celsius/JLeach-Unwrapped.jpg
Photo Caption: Jonathan Leach,"Unwrapped," 2009, latex paint on wall, Installation view at 13 celsius, Courtesy the artist and Gallery Sonja Roesch
About 13 celsius
An award-winning European wine bar and café, 13 celsius is the only wine bar in Houston to store and serve its wines at the optimal temperature-13°C. Pairing exceptional wines with choice meats and cheeses, patrons gather in 13's restored circa-1927 Mediterranean-style structure that was spared from demolition for its architectural significance, now a source of pride in its Midtown neighborhood. 13 celsius believes in giving back to the community and supports the arts and a variety of local non-profit organizations. For more information: www.13celsius.com.
