New York Artists Create Work Under Hypnosis, Contra Galleries Hosts Kick-Off Party 2/22

Contra Galleries and Theta Spring Hypnosis will present the new exhibit The Subconscious Canvas: Art Through Hypnosis on February 22nd, 2018. The show, which is open and free to the public, will run through March 9th, 2018. There will be a kick-off cocktail party open to the public to introduce the body of work created by New York artists under hypnosis on February 22, 2018, from 5 PM to 9 PM.

The Subconscious Canvas was inspired Theta Spring's CEO Alexandra Janelli's who had first hypnotized artist Crystal Dyer in 2013. During the 2017 hypnosis workshop, 8 artists underwent hypnosis in the Himalayan salt room luxury health and wellness center Modrn Sanctuary. The artists were then provided with a recording of the session, which they were asked to listen to prior to creating art. Over the course of 9 weeks, the participating artists embraced the hypnotic experience that provided them with a source of inspiration and access to their subconscious mind.

"Our goal was to outline what happens when you let go of the logical conscious mind and become guided by our subconscious, which is purely reactive, creative, instinctual and behavior driven," explained Janelli. "I had hypnotized Crystal (Dyer) back in November of 2012 and her subsequent created under hypnosis was very different than her conscious style. We decided to try this experiment with a group of different artists to see how they react to hypnosis and what it would unveil in their pieces, and their subconscious."

"This is the first time that Contra has hosted a show of this nature," said co-owner Matt Contra. "Prior to meeting Alexandra (Janelli), I wasn't familiar with the practices of hypnosis. I am particularly curious how it will affect the creative mind and the works by these artists, many of whom I am already familiar."

What: The Subconscious Canvas

Where: Contra Galleries

Location: 122 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001

Opening Reception: Thursday, February 22nd, 2018, from 5 PM- 9 PM

Exhibit Dates: February 22nd thru March 9th, 2018

Hours: Monday thru Friday, from 9 AM - 9 PM

Cost: FREE

Website: www.contragalleries.com

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Crystal Dyer is a multi-media artist whose drawings indicate a sensibility that is at once methodical and mystical, clinical and expressive who lives on the Upper East Side. Her current project, "Hypnosis Drawings," is characteristic of both late 19th century occult practices and medical anthropology. And past projects have similarly involved such a pairing of the spiritual to the scientific. Process isn't the only objective though-her work, and its primary intention, is based on self-discovery.

Julian Rapp is a Brooklyn-based artist whose work is focused on abstraction and aims to highlight the color and diversity of everyday life. Rapp's paintings are collected internationally and can be seen in establishments and homes around New York City and beyond.

Joseph Meloy, is a third generation Lower East Sider, who graduated from Brooklyn College in 2004 with a degree in linguistics. The multi-media artist's goal is to become a full time Vandal Expressionist. Meloy hopes to cultivate his identity in a New York neighborhood -He is a product of the metropolis and his works exemplify the raw, urban scene he grew up in

Mary Beth Mihelic received her Masters of Fine Arts degree from Parsons the New School for Design in 2006. She recently completed an artist residency at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and her artworks have been shown in New York City and around the nation. Prior to getting her M.F.A., Mary studied at the Museum School in Boston and at the SMFA's programs in Venice, Italy.

Connie Rose, who lives on the Lower East Side, creates abstract work that is a fresh and exciting mix of abstraction and surrealism with a contemporary mix of mediums. Music, meditation and breath-work are key components to the creation of the British born artist's paintings, which take the viewer on a colorful journey of electrifying visual energy to meditative imagined worlds. Rose's murals can be found in New York, London, El Salvador and Cuba including the 90ft Library mural for Yeshiva University in New York City.

Brandon Sines creates paintings dripping in personal narrative and puddled with external references. He mixes Pop Art's mass culture, Surrealism's private associations, and the intuitive paint handling of Expressionism to create dreamlike environments.