Gallery 81435: Flair Robinson, “Be Unbroken,” Thru January

11 Dec Gallery 81435: Flair Robinson, “Be Unbroken,” Thru January

Telluride Arts’ Gallery 81435  presents “Be Unbroken,” an immersive installation exhibit by Flair Robinson, up from December 2017  through January 2018. The opening reception/party takes place Thursday, December 14, 5 – 8 p.m. “Be Unbroken” is a costumed event, so please arrive dressed as your favorite woodland creature.

Flair Robinson’s newest large-scale installation, Be Unbroken,” highlights the healing power of the natural world.

Perhaps the transformative powers of being out in nature is a giant “DUH,” for those living in Telluride, but we are guessing that conclusion – as many conclusions on the subject to date – is largely empirical and qualitative. It is not based on the study of alpha waves for example. However, an evolving science – nature neuroscience to be exact – focuses on the impact of the nature on our minds and bodies and suggests that regular exposure can now take its rightful place next to kale, aerobic exercise, yoga, and meditation as one of the newest – and oldest – miracle cures, an antidote to the modern malaise of stress and screen addiction and the secret to a longer, happier, healthier, more creative life.

According to the latest research, as little as 15 minutes in the woods has been shown to reduce test subjects’ levels of cortisol, the stress hormone and lower blood pressure. Increase exposure to the sights, sounds, and smells of nature to 45 minutes and most individuals experience improvements in cognitive performance. Researchers in England have shown that access to green spaces reduces income-related mental health disparities. And the awe of being at a place like the Grand Canyon – or Telluride – or staring at the Milky Way affirms the mystery of the unknown and takes us out of ourselves. In awe, we stop staring at our belly buttons, stop ruminating (which contributes to depression), and magically feel connected to the larger world.

Bottom line: when we separate ourselves from nature, we are simply not at our best. Being out there in it is being whole.

And today, many of us are feeling the nature world (and the world at large) is breaking – or already broken.

Robinson’s imagery, colors, and environment not only remind us of our place in the universe, the work celebrates the confluence of the earthy and the eternal.

A scarlet coyote anchors the installation as the ominous guardian – a harbinger. The cleansing rain, the attentive moon, the persisting waterfall, and other symbolic images unify to create an atmosphere that is both grounding and mystical.

Although a personal journey for the artist, “Be Unbroken” carries a message that should resonate with those of us who are awake.

More about Flair:

Flair Robinson is a mixed-media installation artist working primarily with mosaic and recycled materials. She is informally educated, collecting knowledge, from the traditional to the unusual, and most influenced by visionary, self-taught, so-called Outsider Art.

Working intuitively and viscerally, Robinson is primarily a colorist fascinated by kaleidoscopic combinations of color made possible by her medium.

Many of Flair’s creative concepts come to her in her dreams.

“Be Unbroken” will be up through January 2018 at Gallery 81435, located at 230 S Fir Street just across the street from the Telluride Library. Open daily from 12-6 pm, or by appointment.

About Telluride Arts & Gallery 81435:

Gallery 81435 is an edgy space and a project of Telluride Arts. Telluride Arts promotes a culture of the arts within the Telluride Arts District, which contains a remarkable concentration of arts and cultural activity that engages artists from around the region and across the globe.

For more information, go here or on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at Telluride Arts. Email info@telluridearts.org or call 970.728.3930.