“Superfine,” a solo retrospective fine art exhibition featuring St. Thomas artist Vincent Bambini, will open on Saturday at 81C in historic Charlotte Amalie on Strand Gade.
Bambini grew up in New York City and has lived and worked in the Virgin Islands since 1999. His mother was born on St. Thomas in 1928. In New York, he attended the high school of Art & Design, the Art Students League and New York College of Technology. Bambini was awarded a Chautauqua Summer Art scholarship, a Mid-Atlantic Fellowship and was the President of BWAC (Brooklyn Waterfront Artist Coalition).
“Superfine” is a retrospective fine art exhibition featuring an energetic and adventurous collection of paintings. Showcasing Bambini’s larger creations encased in ornate frameworks handcrafted by the artist, “Superfine” represents several decades of production featuring mysterious social settings, wayward humans and scenes intrinsically reminiscent of Henri Rousseau or Roy Lichtenstein. Bambini’s neo-pop flare and in-your-face appeal is loud, brazen and loving.
“I work in series,” said Bambini. “The continuation of it, the start, the middle and the end. Sometimes they don’t end or haven’t ended. The themes chosen are an oscillating cycle of what is seen and known, sometimes unknown, but I don’t think it’s never seen. In the end, it is the visual appreciation and education of the audience and/or viewer. The series gives me the opportunity to obtain the progression of events while maintaining my favorites, the satisfaction of apprehending the continuation of a theme which changes in time and/or ends, and to perform at different levels without interruption of any recourse.”
Opening reception hours are 5pm to midnight, with the artist on location at 81C from 5 to 7 p.m., with complimentary drinks throughout the night.
