Philosophy, light bulbs, and art

“The interpolation between light and dark is that you only see what you see, and it’s a very complex world, where you have extremely bright light and so much muted behind it.”

Artist Mark Propper, along with the Huntington Arts Council, hosted his first solo art show this past weekend in Bay Shore. Friends and family of Propper and art enthusiasts gathered Saturday evening for a reception at the 2nd Avenue Firehouse Gallery.

Large paintings were spread throughout the small, bright room. In the middle were two hanging light bulbs, an essential aspect of the show and the artwork. People walked around taking pictures, chatting, enjoying refreshments, and taking in the detailed artwork. An ASL interpreter was present during the reception.

The solo art show, “Future Free,” explores hyper-alienation in a world of worn-out philosophies. Propper took the time to explain his vision.

“What I’ve done is I’ve taken people and juxtaposed them with light bulbs. The light bulbs represent the current philosophies in the current world, the way we see things and how it’s represented by those things, and then the figures are looking out beyond them,” he said. “They’re in the light of the philosophical world, but they’re still looking beyond it.”

His goal was to balance the meaning behind each painting and the aesthetic.

“And if people want to argue with me and say I’m pushing back a little bit, I personally feel that as an artist, things have gotten too abstract, and we’ve lost some of the storytelling parts that are there, even if we don’t understand it,” Propper added.

Propper has participated in numerous art events in the past. He does a yearly group show with the Patchogue Sketch Club. He’s also entered membership shows and organized shows for the Patchogue Sketch Club. Propper also enjoys participating in street art.

This event was made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and is administered by The Huntington Arts Council Inc.