Two artists with distinct techniques and processes dive into a collaborative show at The Chambers Project located in Nevada City. On October 11th, Miles Toland and Julian Vadas open a duo show entitled Immersed which features 30 new individual works and joint efforts.
After connecting in Rishikesh, India in 2016, and later traveling together to Delhi, the two artists realized their converging ideas originated from opposite directions. “I knew I wanted to collaborate with someone who has a really different mind,” Toland says. “The intention was identical, but the manifestations of that intention were very distinct.”
It surprised both of them how well their styles fused. While Vadas banishes notions of narrative and identity, Toland first grounds himself in the story or character, only to break the rules of reality. Toland is meticulous in planning and execution, whereas Vadas’ Zen-like, observational approach means he has little sense of the end result. “Miles and I were on separate trajectories that wound up overlapping,” Vadas explains. Perhaps even more remarkable is how tightly they align in appreciation for craft. Both artists, driven by details, share an uncanny sense of rhythm, gravitate to the complex and organic, and harmonize their use of color.
Brian Chambers, founder of the Northern California art space that highlights modern psychedelic and surreal art, observes, “Watching Miles and Julian discover their shared process has been fun and exciting. Their backgrounds and extensive travels make this show feel quite cohesive, and I’m really looking forward to being immersed in it.”
Miles Toland grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the iconography of the Southwest fed his consciousness and imbued his visual vocabulary. He received his BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and has since gained notoriety for a photoreal, graphic style that plays with themes of awakening and transcendence. He often works on wood surfaces, incorporating the grain with mandala design elements and intimate portraits.
For Julian Vadas, art is an extension of meditation. He applied himself to a rigorous study at SUNY Potsdam, where he received a degree in Painting, then spent subsequent years in remote villages in India and the Amazon, traveling and exploring his spiritual practice. When he returned to painting, Vadas developed a style he calls “elaborate organic abstraction,” in which subtle, translucent layers recreate a wordless state of being.
Immersed, a solo show featuring Miles Toland and Julian Vadas, opens at The Chambers Project this weekend, October 11th, with an opening reception from 7 to 10 pm, and is on view through November 25, 2019.
Video by Will Edwards.
